PORT OF MELBOURNE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 190, 6 May 1908, Page 9

PORT OF MELBOURNE.

,V. ' : -4———-.V.-MR. FERGUSON'S IMPROVEMENT i , SCHEME.' : ■ . (BY TELKGRAI'II. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) m , Auckland, May 5. Tho schemo formulated by Mr. "\Vm. Ferguson, engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board, for the improvement. of the : port of Melbourne, is.thus outlined in a communication from the. Melbourne, correspondent of the "Herald":—:: Mr. Ferguson suggests the construction'of a dock- and tho iSvirloning and deepening of the channels,: and'that a new railway 'pier should bp built at Port Melbourne. In order to place Melbourne in> the position of a firstclass .port,- there should,: ho' holds, be provision'as speedily as practicable : iri ■ all dcepwatei' channels, and at any. depths whore the largest class of vessels may bo placed, for a draught' of a vessel, of not less than '32ft. 6in.. at low, water. This: means that a depth should bo provided in berths and in sheltered waters or,' say, 38ft., with a corresponding increase of depth proportionate t6 the probable amount' of the motion of a loaded vessel' from waves in any portion of navigable'.channels. ' Tho accommodation to bo'provided should be such that thore would be no hesitation on the part of shipowners to permit their vessels to.bp'taken by pilots into and from their borths under all except the worst conditions of weather. Ho believed this could be obtained in the best manner: by a. dock having its entrance on'Port'Mel-' bourno beach. In a few years building sites on both'sides of tho canal would bo of ma-, terial value for tho installation' of factories to which deep water frontag'o would ,bo of value. The canal could be easily. Widened out whero required, and wharves built with machinery specially suited to the trade of ah adjacent factory.. v For all these reasons, although the question of the.unsuitability of the navigation was an all-sufficient one, -lie does not recommend tho improvement of the river for dopp-sea steamers.; As to the size of tho dock, Mr; Ferguson proposes that for a distance-landwards from tho present bea'ch lino of about 5500 ft. a dock should bo'.constructed having a depth of 35ft. at. low water and. a width of water botweon the side walls of 1000 ft. The most striking feature of the port from a cargo-working point of view in his opinion, is tho complete absenco of any labour-saving appliances, though' ho agrees that Melbourne does not stand alono iu this respect. , 1