HARBOUR ENTRANCE

Evening Star, Issue 25173, 12 May 1944, Page 5

HARBOUR ENTRANCE

A REASSURING STATEMENT DEPTH EMINENTLY SATISFACTORY Exhaustive information placed before the Otago Haiibour Board at ; its monthly .meeting last night, following a statement recently by a member (Mr J. H. Duncan) that an overseas vessel would have come to this port but for the fact it was drawing 31ft 6in when fully loaded, disclosed that the result of the engineering policy of the board at the harbour entrance had led to a better depth now than at any other time. This assurance was given after the chairman (Mr R. S. Thompson) had told the board that an exhaustive and expert survey of the depth at the entrance had been made, and his statement was accepted with satisfaction by members. The Chairman pointed out that. the fact that this particular vessel did not come to the port to would make no difference whatsoever— financially or otherwise—to the Otago Harbour Board. The Overseas Ship Owners' Allotment Committee in a letter dated May 1 clarified the position by stating a certain amount of cargo had to be lifted at the Port of Otago, and during the course of a season the requisite amount of tonnage to fulfil that obligation was diverted to the port. If one vessel passed the port another more suitablv placed was ultimately allocated to load there. » The chairman told members there'l was no shoaling now at the entrance. Indeed, during hours of darkness overseas vessels were being piloted in and out of the harbour. That this was possible was a Teply in itself to the assertion made that there was no depth of water at the entrance. " NO SHIP DIVERTED."

'' No ship has been diverted from the Port of Otago to the Bluff on account of the depth of water at our port's entrance," said the chairman. "As a matter of fact our port's present maximum ship's draft is 30ft Gin, while that at the tfluff is 29ft 6in. This speaks for itself." He added that, as regards wool railed to northern ports from Oamaru, and to the Bluff from Otago, it was possible that small quantities might be railed as indicated in eases where the Marketing Department required to make up parcels of special grades of wool for urgent shipment. Suoh small quantities would not, of course, warrant a vessel calling at Port Chalmers or L-yttelton for that cargo. Conversely, for the same reason, vessels loading a large quantity of wool at Port Chalmers might be called upon to take parcels of wool brought from Bluff or Oamaru and other centres. Although a few vessels did navigate the old channel with draughts over 30ft, conditions were suoh as to allow them to do so in safety. Similarly, under the same favourable conditions, the harbour master might permit vessels with draughts over 30ft 6in to navigate the new channel. » '

The board adopted a motion, presented by Mr J. W. Muniro, W.P., expressing satisfaction that the depth at the entrance to the harbour was so satisfactory. Mr J. W. Begg commented that a particularly satisfactory feature of the criticism of the condition of the harbour entrance was that the public of Dunedin had now been given information that otherwise might not hove been given.