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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2322, 15 October 1908, Page 2

THIS CHRISTCHURCH-SUAINER „ CANAL. '

The people of Canterbury have tho courage to undertake great enterprises. In provincial days they, with no aid from the general Government, connected their capital city, Christchurch, with its port of Lyttelton by a tunnel, which, after the lapse of forty years, is still the principal work of its kind in. Australasia. By means' of m o les, wharves, dredging rind dock, they liavo improved the harbor of Lyttelton till it ranks among the best in the Dominion. Now, deeming harbor and tunnel inadequate to their requirements, they are projecting another gigantic work which is to supplant both, nothing less than a can'll leading l'r.om Sumner, at the mouth of the. Heathcote-Avon estuary, to air artificial harbor to be excavated, between Christchurch and the sea,] This ' work which,' dike the tunnel 'aforesaid, woidd surpass anything of the-kipd in this part of the world, is estimatedby one engineer, Mr'Cyrus'J. AA'illiams, of the Lyttelton Harbor Board, to cost £1,053,684, and-by'another, Mr. AA'ilson, representative of the -English firm of Coode, iSou and Matthews, £1,921,300, practically r twice as much. The more sanguine spirits 'among the advocates ,of. tho scheme contend that,- by adopting a smaller artificial harbor, or basin, say of 50 acres instead of 170 acres, «s .recommended. by MivWilson, the work could be'done at. a-cost of “a round million.” It is generally admitted, even by the people of Lyttelton, to whom the canal and all its works are, naturally, anathema, that from an engineering point of view tho scheme is feasible, though some coasting skippers of experience arc inclined to doubt whether it is possible to make '.ra entrance available for all vessels

in all kinds of weather. As to whether it is sound in a financial senso there appears to bo less agreement of opinion. Its more ardent siipporters, among whom are many of tho leading men of the “City of the Plains,” contend .that even if the ca-' nal, -with its corollary, the artificial harbor, cost two millions,, or perhaps more, it- would be a good investment. It has been pointed out that Christchurch and tlie districts adjacent thereto, comprise property of a total capital value of 141 millions sterling, available us security for the loan which it would be necessary to raise in order to carry on tho work. Further, it hag been asserted that, be-

sides tlio enormous 'indirect benefit which might bo expoctcd:.to accrue to tho district from making Ch-ri.sU-liul'cli practically a seaport, there will be a. largo saving.iu respect of the sums - now jiaid nmiunlly for.the. carriage of pnssongors and goods on tho Ghristchurch-Lyttetton ' railway. It has boon stated that the passenger traffic on tliat 'jline represents a sum of £27,000 per annuni, and ' that - 600,000 tons of merchandise -a r'o carried over tho lino during the year, at a. cost of 4s 3d per toil, 3s of which is'said, tq bo a “terminal charge”, which, if the ennui' wore constructed,' would be abolished' on goods carried to a lid from-'Christchurch. • The saving to Christchurch on goods- traffic ..has been estimated at: over £35,000 a year. It has been calculated, moreover, that tho land, which would bo reclaimed at. the estuary in connection with tho scheme,'; would bo worth upwards of Oialf-vu million sterling. From tile point of view of the Oliristcluiich citizen’, it wili bis seen, the scheme is. attract! ye ili-tliq highest degree. Whether, it., appears, uequqlly promising to the residents of districts 'not contiguous to tho city may; perhaps, bo doubted, for, in order to give security for- the f.oan,, it would- bo übScestfjtijfy ,to impose a rate upqn a considerable, area, and -tlie pcop,le;.iii the outlying parts of that district'' might object to being rated for a sehemo which might not be of . immediate benefit to them:' It is conthat so roseate are tlie prospects'of tho caiial, that there is little probability that the rate, if levied,-' would have to bo • collected. Bo that its it may, a Canal League is now in active operation, and last week'a depiitatign'therefrom descended upon the Lyttelton, Harbor .Board with a request that that body should do nothing which would in any way commit it! to another scheme which has received some attention, namely, the construction of a subsidiary liar-' bor at Gollall’s Bay, an imlet of Lyttelton Harbor. This has been estimated to cost upwards of £600,000, and there appears little probability of its adoption. Tho Board donied it had any intention of so committing itself, and then, proceeded to consider a proposal not altogether acceptable, probajbly, to tlio advocates of the canal, a proposal, namely, to reclaim about SO acres outside the western oile. ipf 1 the two moles which inclose tho inner harbor at Lyttelton. The reclamation is to be accomplished with the “spoil” raised by- tlie Board’s dredge, which has hitherto deposited its loads ill bays within . tlie harbor, but near its •mouth. It will soon be impossible to put any moro “spoil” in these places, hence the necessity for a fresh dumping ground." jAs the Board comprises members from Lytotlton, as well as from Christchurch and North Canterbury generally, there is, naturally, a division of opinion therein, regarding the canal question, and the. members who support the canal are apt to look askancq at any proposal which might .tend! to injure the chances of tlieir pet. project. For this reason, perhaps,, no decision was arrived at ill'regard to the reclamation, the matter being referred back to tho Harbor ''lmprovement Committee for further consideration. So the position stands at present. There appears ilittlo/doujit, however, ;that the reclamation proposal will bo. carried out. Nor is thero much moro doubt that," if the Christchurch people persist in the agitation which they havo begun, they: will eventually have tlieir canal, though not, probably, so- soon as some- jbf them wish. One thing which would tend .to prevent' the near realisation of tlieir desires would .bo a reduction in the 'railway charges, on tho Cliiistchiircli-Lylteltoii tline, •which,- compared with those on similar linesi elsewhere, are most exorbitant. Tho Railway Department has a liionopbly on this line, and uses it in a.; manner quite in accord with the practice!;attributed to monopolists generally. AA’ere the Government to reduce tlie present iniquitnriously high fares and freight charges;';! before tho canal agitation becomes irresistible, we might hear very little .of thoCliristclnirch-Suiiiner canal for many years to come. There appears some prospect of the reduction made, for on Friday last, during;'the discussion on a report of tlie Railways Committee, referring to the Government the consideration of tho charges on port lines, Sir Joseph Ward promised that the LytteltonChristeliurch line would he xilaced in tlie same position as tlie most advantageously xilaced port lines on the Dominion.