A WARNING NOTE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 355, 24 September 1889, Page 2

A WARNING NOTE.

Every place which has or may have a harbor difficulty to contend with must feel interested in the progress of in connection with other ports. We give the following extract from the Dunedin Herald, and in doing so feel sure that it will not be necessary to point out the moral contained therein :—“ The surveyor of the Otago Underwriters’ Associate tion has reported that the Victoria Channel is shoaling up to the extent of 2ft. This, we understand, has already caused considerable inconvenience pnd expense in shipping circles, it having been found necessary to lighten certain vessels before they proceeded to the Dunedin wharves. The part of. the Channel mainly affected is, we believe, just opposite Ravensbourne, and immediate steps should undoubtedly be taken to dredge thu channel to its full depth

there. It is a matter of very great surprise that this very serious charge has not been brought before the Harbor Board already, so that they might have directed the necessary means to be used to keep the channel at its full depth. Of course, putting the dredge in work again means the expenditure of more money, and the Harbor Board is pretty well at the end of its present resources now. If it is necessary to put the powers conferred by the Rating Act in force, in order to raise funds, it would be much better to do this at once than render it necessary that the larger vessels from Home should discharge a portion of their cargo at Port Chalmers. After spending nearly threequarters of a million in .making the Victoria Channel what it is, it would indeed be spoiling the ship for a pennyworth of tar to avoid risking another thousand or two.”