HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 136, 10 June 1926, Page 11

HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT

A FIVE YEARS' PROGRAMME. TO COST HALF MILLION. START ON" WESTERN" RECLAMATION. An important decision iva; arrived at uy the Auckland Har'.jour Board yesterday afternoon, namely, that in order to ur jvide more work, the engineer be instructed to open the quarries at immediately, preparatory to tiio const ruction of the Western recidaiatioii. As reported by the Works i.o:i:n;ittee ou Tuesday, that would provida employment and housing for one hundred men for about seven months. The alternative proposal was that the b< i.'ij should purchase the stone required by contract. The report of the . ummittee was approved, it being deemed most advisable to open the '[uarries to provide work as soon as possible. In .1 report submitted, dated May 13, the chairman of the board, Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, dealt with the matter ot :• in work-. He stated: "The reclamation off the North wall will be very \.triable for trades requiring waterfront iOi'tions. ami the spoil yet to be dredged from around Prince's wharf can be deposited there and will make land, in-t<?dd of being carried to sea at double the cost. The rest of the land will i>. quickly taken up by oil companies and other concerns. This appears to mc to be the making of a very valuable reclamation and will be a great asset to the board. The vehicular ferry for Xorthcote and Birkenhead which" is tn i<. , built at tile outward end of North wall will require shelter, so that it will '■■>> necessary to build a portion of the sui;L'i'-ted lii.at harbour as a breakwater. \\ hen the boat harbour wall is built, portion- inside could be dredged yearly and the spoil deposited in the suggested reclamation, thus giving am; le depth for keel yachts, etc., for in future the present boat harbour at St. George"* Bay will require to be used fi>r other purposes and the St. Mary's '■■>ac harbour will be the harbour for pleasure b->at-=. The wall, in front of the land set aside for the Harbour Board workshops. etc.. at the eastern reclamation is required for efficient working, a- in a few years it will be necessary to remove our present workshops—now situated at the head of i Prince's wharf—to the new site, and re!ea-e some very valuable land tor leasing purposes. The viaduct, vehicular ferries. embankments for western reclamation and the protecting wall of the boat harbour all fit together, and if • leeided upon would have to be carried on as one work. These, in my opinion, are the first works the board should agree upon, following the work now being done at Western wharf, and I recommend that they be authorised." At the meeting yesterday afternoon. the scheme was approved for the western reclamation (to be taken in hand at once i. Customs examination shed at A.H.B. store, boat harbour protecting wall, provision for vehicular ferries, new wharf at Dev,,nport. and a viaduct to Freeman's Bay. These works will be spread over a period of five years and are estimated to cost about £300.000. The board decided that the engineer he instructed to immediately open the quarries for the purpose of constructing 1 the embankment for the western! reclamation, also that he prepare plans j of the works approved. I With regard to the vehicular landings, a report by Captain H. H. Sergeant! harbour master, stated it will necessitate the construction of the breakwater off St. Mary's Bay to provide shelter for the western vehicular berth. Concerning the viaduct to Freeman's B;iy. Mr. W. R. Golden, traffic manager, stated in a report, "it isj required to give much needed direct access to the industrial area situated there and to provide railway sidings to the westward of Prince's wharf. If, when the viaduct I is built, the board is not in a position to immediately remove the vehicular ferry berthage. the difficulty could I probably be overcome by moving the | vehicular landing slightly seaward, or , ■making a short detour with the railway around the shore end of the landing stage. The chairman also had reported j earlier: "The viaduct, which will supply a long-felt want for efficient anil economic work on the waterfront, will | also supply berthage for the smaller j traders, a thing which has been sadly lacking for some time past. It will do away with Albert wharf, which is worn out and costs the board on an average or°r £1000 a year in upkeep." The whole scheme was discussed by tho Board in Committee, and on resumption, the Chairman's report was adopted. It was explained that the vehicular j ferry landing for Northcote and Birk-1 enhead is to be built at the outward ; end of the north wall. The Board recognised that the Devonport wharf would be required in the near future and it is probable that work will be undertaken on completion of the Western wharf. Parliament will be a«kwl to pass empowering legislation to deal with the j financial aspect. The Customs examination shed and the Harbour Board store are to be erected on the old I Craving Dock site. The Western reclamation is estimated to take five years to complete and the cost will be approximately £1-50.000. The area reclaimed at a valuation of only £2 per foot will give the Board an asset worth £."500.000. The co-t of dredsing alone is estimated at about £75.000.