DOCK SITE QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 7

DOCK SITE QUESTION.

CITY COUNGIL : APPROVES OF FURTHER h ■ 1 INQUIRY. Tho proposal to abandon Clyde Quay, as a i site, for .'the new'gfaving dock is not'being I allowed to drop/out of sight, in.spito of'tho constitutional, difficulty which, was rovcalcd ,at the last mooting of tho. Harbour' Board. Tho City Council received last night a letter from, the "Wellington Provincial Industrial Association, . suggesting that full' inquiry' should bo made .into tho- whole matter Dy' a joint cbirimitteo;.of tho Council and the Harbour Board. Tho • Mayor contended that it. would bo out of placo for the Council to move in that direction, but Councillor Balliiiger argued otherwise, and, on his motion, a committee was' authorised to confer with tho Harbour Board on tho. quostion.

; In this * conniption, it may be stated that the amount Of money spent by the Harbour Board iir preparation for tho clock is' £17,326 10s. 7d. : This includes £16,155 6s .lid.' for dredging, leaving £1171 3s. Bd. for plant, boring, excavation, aUvertising, etc. Tho dredging includes tho excavation of tho basin of tho dock, 630 feet by 133 feet. ■ Tho contractors (Messrs. M'Lean and Son) havo not yet received any progress, payments, as the work thoy havo dono hitherto, though it has cost thousands of ■ pounds, has been merely preparatory. Even tho seventy j>ilos that have been driven will havo to bo pulled out again boforo tho,completed job is handed over, to tho Harbour Board, as tliey are practically for purposes of scaffolding. The .work recently, had to bo discontinued for .several. days, • as tho waves .caused . by; tho strong northerly winds inad9 it impossiblo to .• operato the pile-driver satisfactorily, but in the calm weather of yesterday the two-ton monkey kept up a continual tapping on the piles, and a good day's work was done.