Navy Criticised Over Use Of Dock

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 3

Navy Criticised Over Use Of Dock

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 29. Navy uncertainty over its future use of the old Calliope dock at Devonport was blamed today for delays in planning a replacement dock for commercial shipping.

The chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board (Mr R. C. F. Savory) said the Navy could not be pinned down on exactly how much time its ships would occupy the dock in the future.

Until this could be firmly established, the investigation into a new dock on Harbour Board land could not make substantial progress. The Navy’s use of the old dock would determine the need for the new dock and many other factors in its construction and operation. The Minister of Marine (Mr Scbtt) said at his Whenuapai home that it was “news to me” that anybody in the Government was holding up planning or financing of the dock.

There was no hold-up as far as he was aware. The Minister said he was responsible for appointing a special committee to determine the requirements for a new dock. He would expect the com-

mittee to report back to him but had no formal report. The Navy had occupied the 76-year-old Calliope dock “a fair amount of the time.” Last year its use of the dock was exceptionally heavy, with the Endeavour using it for three months alone.

A report on the Navy’s expected occupancy of the dock showed that last year would be the Navy’s busiest for some years.