CALLIOPE DOCK.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 22, 27 January 1911, Page 3

CALLIOPE DOCK.

REPLY TO MR. WILFORD. [BY TBLEGEAPH — SPECIAL TO THE POST.] AUCKLAND, This Day. The chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board (Mr. A. J. Entrican), when interviewed yesterday in reference to Mr. Wilford's rejoinder regarding the Calliope dock, said : — " Mr Wilford stated he had made a thorough examination of the wharves and dock. Now, upon making enquiry, I have learned that he never landed at the Calliope dock, but merely steamed past in a launch. That was why I did not consider his criticism of value, because it was not the result of his own personal examination, but evidently based on second-hand information supplied to him. In fact, his remarks . were similar in character to what was contained in a letter written to the board by the Union Company when asking for a, refund on dock dues for the Atua. As to the question of the new pumps, regarding which Mr. Wilford also has something to say, the fact is that all machinery has to be replaced from time to time with other of a more modern type. The present pumps have been in use for twenty-three years, and the .board's engineer recommended that they should ■ be replaced by pumps of a more modern description. This 19 simply following the practice of all places where there is machinery, namely, to keep replacing it with other of a more modern kind. At the same time, the present, pumps are all in good working oraer, and, as I said in my last interview, they are doing the work excellently ; in fact, they very often work so quickly that they hare to be stopped when emptying the dock, in order to allow the cleansing of a vessel as the water sinks. The new pumps will be more powerful than the present ones, and will probably be able to empty the dock in two and a-half hours, aB compared with five and a-half hours — the time taken by the old pumps. , "With regard to the particular case mentioned by Mr. Wiliord, such will always occur where small vessels are put in large docks. " As to the reason why the Union Company prefers to dock at Port Chalmers, that can very easily be explained. It is well known that the Union Company has its own workshops and repairing staff at Dunedin, so it is but natural that all the vessels of that company are sent there if possible. There are only three or four of the Union vessels engaged in the Island trade that do not go south, and. those generally dock at Auckland. If the Auckland dock was placed at the disposal of the Union Company at half rates, still the bulk of that company's boats would go to Port Chalmers to be docked. I have no- doubt that the vessels mentioned by Mr. Wilford simply went to Port Chalmers because it was the most conveniently situated. The charges at Port Chalmers are also a little less than in Auckland, because they copied our rates about twelve months ago, and since then we have found it necessary to slightly raise the dues at Calliope dock, under the by-laws that came into force on the Ist of July last year."