HARBOUR BOARD.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 6484, 10 September 1915, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING.

(Concluded.) Repairs to Engine

It was decided to charge Mr ti. P. Clarke with the cost of certain repairs to the engine cf the launch Manuwai and with the contingent loss to the Board through tba boring party being idle, the total amount being £7 Is. Borings. Colonel Ward, Chairman of Special Committee, submitted a report on boring as follows:—On behalf of your Board's Committee I have the honour to report as follows for the past month: — 1. —Progress on this work has been much delayed by weather; an unusual amount of easterly wind has preventer the contractors doing anything liki; the amount of work anticipated on the lines in the outer entrance, and even when they have tried to work there the unusual amount of swell has hampered their operations.

I 2.—ln consequence of the above facts I called* your Committee together to reconsider the position, as it was becoming evident that if we persisted in csrrying out the original programme in its entirety, we should commit your Board to a much greater expenditure than had been contemplated. At the date of our meeting the contractors had only about completed one third of the first line in the outer entrance, but owing to having been compelled by weather conditions to work most of their timo at the blind channel, they had just completed the central line therein.

I.—Your Committee has therefore laid off, with Mr Young's help, a fresh line within the harbour to keep the boring party employed when unable to work outside, this new line embodying exploratory work oh lines indicated by Capt. Maxwell's recent interview with the Board. It han been laid off roughly parallel to the central line of the Jalind channel but some 400 to 500 feet northeast of same, traversing the highest portion and greatest length of the bnnk intervening between the blind channel and the main channel in Pilot Bay. Your Boerd will remember that Capt. Maxwell urged that if the principal provision for large vessels was to be made at the Mount, it would necessitate the entire removal of this bank to provide a turning and anchorage pool.

4. —The present position of the work is as follows:—(a). Outer entrance, total length to be sounded on two lines, 3150 feet; total numter of soundings taken to end of last week, 43, over a distance of 1250 feet; remaining distance on this line, 1000 feet; second line of 3150 feet on other side of proposed channel yet to be sounded; average number of soundigs made per day, 3i. (b). Blind channel, total distance to be sounded on central line, 2876 feet, already completed. (c). Bank in Pilot Bay, length abaut same as Blind channel, fifteen suundings made to the end^of last"week. No further exploratory soundings have yet been made about the spot in the Blind channel where rock was found in two consecutive holes, as it was thought best to see if line over the central bank might not give some further evidence on this matter, first. 5. —Your Committee regrets' to say that Wing to the persistence of unfavourable weather for the outside work, it is feared that the original estimate of cost will be considerably exceeded, probably by £150, unless your Board thinks it imperative, in the interests of economy, to rest content with only one outside line tested —a position which your Committee would regard as giving grave cause for anxiety, if any estimates or works j of importance were in the future to be based on the data now obtained. Mr Gill said he hoped the Board would not consent to curtailing the scheme and trusted the work would be pushed to thorough completion. 0 Several members spoke similarly. Colonel Ward said he thought the Board ought to go on as they intended. Mr Southey said they could not do better than leave the matter in the hands of the Committee. Colonel Ward moved—That the report be adopted.—Seconded by Mr Southey and carried. Light for Beacon. Colonel Ward, on behalf of the Special Committee, reported in regard to light for the beacon as follows:— The order for this has not yet been placed as the Acetone Company's price for the two A *50 accumulators was considerably in excess of what had been anticipaed, the Company stating that some additional costs for the whole outfit are due to the war. The original estimated cost by the Company for lantern, flasher, tools and two A 15 accumulators, was j£ss 15s, plus £ld 10s for steel tower, total, £75 58. They now quote for the same complete outfit, but with two A 50 accumulators, instead of the A 15, £126 9s sd. It must be borne in mind, however, that the use of the much larger accumulators will be a first charge only, and will result in an annual saving in running cost oi probably quite £10 To either of the above estimates must be added the cost of coloured sector, £21 18s. Your Committee ask tbe Board to give definite instructions on this matter