OTAGO HARBOUR

Evening Star, Issue 22684, 25 June 1937, Page 5

OTAGO HARBOUR

REVENUE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE MONTHLY MEETING OF BOMID The highest receipts, cargo tonnage handled, and shipping tonnage since the year 19211-30 were reported for the eight mouths ended May 31 at the monthly meeting of the Harbour Board last night. The revenue for the period was £124,796, comparative figures being:—l93s- - £117,064; 1934-35, £106,0*8; 193132, £90,? 18 ; 1929-30, £120,141. The cargo handled in May totalled 32,070 tons, imports being 17,813 tons. The tonnage during the eight months’ period was 302,113 tons. The shipping arrivals for May were 94,583 tons, comprising 36 coastal vessels, four intercolonial vessels, and 14 overseas vessels. The arrivals for tho eight months were 393 ships, of a total tonnage of 816,863, figures for other years being:—l93s-36, 764,947 tons; 1934-35, 726,870 tons; 1933-34, 690,719 tons; 1932-33, 648,779 tons; 193132, 631,012 tons; 1930-31, 717,766 tons; 1929-30, 737,504 tons. There were present:—Messrs W. Begg (chairman), J. B. Waters, A. Smith, J. Preston, D. Copland, J. W. Munro, M.P., A.' Campbell, M.P., D. F. H. Sharpe, T. Scollay, F. E. Tyson, R. S. Thompson, J. H. Duncan. -A‘credit balance at the bank of £23,063 19s lid was reported. The Chairman said the treasurer informed him that. £20,000 would disappear next month. Mr Campbell: it will soon be built up again. SPOIL FROM SLIPS. In reply to the board’s advice on the question of the. depositing of spoil from slips into the harbour, the Peninsula County Council stated that every endeavour would be made to comply with the board’s wishes. RAILWAY DUPLICATION WORKS.

. The district engineer of railways (Mr P. H. Morey) advised that the Sawyers Bay-St. Leonards duplication work had been approved, and that the new alignment affected ■ the board’s property, cutting off several small bays. He asked permission to enter on the board’s land and to carry out work across the bays, also that the type of waterway be indicated, and inquired if it could be arranged for the board’s staff to do the pile driving work required. On the recommendation of the Standing Committee permission was granted to enter the board’s lands as requested, and the necessary pile driving work is to be carried out by the board at the expense of the department, - GEORGE STREET PIER. The Standing Committee reported having noted communications from the Acting Minister of Finance and the district employment officer advising that it has been decided to make available the usual subsidy in respect of the flush decking of George street pier, without prejudice to the question of the provision of capstans. • PIER TIMBER. The Standing Committee recommended for approval a report by the engineer advising that, if the quantities and sizes of piles and timber, as mentioned in. the letter from the contractors, came to hand in June, it would be possible to accomplish a section of George .street pier flush decking before the commencement of the export season, provided that, if necessary, some of the sleepers now in hand for Birch street wharf were used, pending the arrival of those ordered for George street pier. >Tho recommendation was adopted. RAILWAY DUPLICATION. The District Railways Engineer wrote with respect to the department bearing half cost of widening the railway bridge over the Leith Canal. An intimation was received from Mr A. Campbell, M.P.; that the Minister of Railways had advised him by telegram that the Government had approved of an expenditure of £2,000 on this work. The Standing Committee recommends that the engineer bo instructed to proceed with the work on the canal on the-assumption that the Leith railway bridge was to be widened, and, as soon as confirmation of the Government’s co-operation was received, to collaborate with the railway engineer with a view to putting the work of widening the bridge in hand as early as possible. Further, as the existing legislation referred to a definite plan, the board decided that the Marine Department be communicated with in regard to amending legislation covering the alteration in the approved plan. TENDERS FOR TIMBER. The following tenders for timber for a pile-driving pontoon were accepted:— Sawn ironbark: William Smith and. Co. Ltd., at £457 Is lid. This was the lowest tender which conformed to the specification. Sawn jarrah: Millar’s Timber and Trading Co. Ltd., at £385 6s This was the only tender. The board adopted a recommendation that the engineer be authorised to include in the contract a quantity of higher class sawn jarrah timber at 49s 6d per 100 feet. BRITISH SAILORS’ SOCIETY. A donation of £lO 10s was made to the funds of the British Sailors’ Society. CHAIRMAN’S HONORARIUM. On the recommendation of the Standing' Committee, the chairman’s honorarium was fixed at the rate of £2OO per annum, the same as last year. CUSTOMS ACCOMMODATION. Following a reply from the Comptroller of Customs relative to the accommodation fo,r the Customs wharf staff, the Standing Committee recommended! that the architects bo instructed to prepare detail plans and specification for the proposed building at the northern end of the Cross wharf, in accordance with the sketch plan already approved, for submission to the July meeting of the Standing Committee, and that the engineer be instructed to make and drive the necessary concrete piles for the foundations on the seaward side of the building. The recommendation was adopted. FISH LANDING STAGE. Consequent on a complaint from the Health Department as to the insanitary state of the fi'li landing stage at Port Chalmers, it was decided to obtain a report from the engineer, before considering a proposal to concrete the staging, as to any alteration in the position of the landing site.

ENGINEERING WORKS. The report af tjio engineer (Mr J. M‘G. Wilkie) J'or May stated:— Dredging.—The dredge Otakou carried out the following operations;— Beacons 10 and 11, Deborah Bay, 3 loads; beacons 2 and 3, Kaik bend, 5 loads; tip of bank outside Heads, 13 loads; south channel outside Heads, 1 load; a total of 22 loads (31,760 cubic yards). Of this material 5,920 cubic yards were deposited at the dredge Vulcan and 25,840 cubic yards at sea. The dredge steamed 214 miles and consumed 88.643 tons of fuel oil. The dredge Vulcan pumped material received from the Otakou into Mussel Bay reclamation area. Leith Canal.—A length of 108 lineal feet of floor slab, 50ft in width, was concreted and a further 120 ft of floor levelled off ready for concreting. A sand-hag wall 120 ft long was built to exclude the tidal water from the next i section of floor to be laid. Twenty-four ; feet of coping and 60ft of backer beam, j including five tie rods of the north wall, i were concreted. A length of 100 ft of ’ centre wall was fabricated and con- ' creted, i

Birch Street Wharf. —‘Pile-driving operations were continued, and to date 84 piles have been driven ashore and 194 in the water. A commencement was made to lino up the piles and fit the caps, deck beams, and sleepers. _ A 12ft strip of land immediately behind 1 the concrete backer wall of the old wharf was lowered 3ft with the North West grab. The space was necessary to provide clearance for fitting the caps to the piles driven on shore. A further shipment of piles and timber was carted to the various dumps and stacked. Mussel Bay.—The building of a sand wall protected with manuka scrub behind the stone sea wall was continued. The report was adopted.