GREY BAR SHOALING

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 May 1928, Page 4

GREY BAR SHOALING

IS NORTH TIP TO BLAME?

That serious obstacle to the progress of the port and district since the earliest days—the Grey bar—is still a prolific source of trouble. Actual wrecks have not occurred during the past four years, but the delays and loss of trade caused through the lack of water on the bar are, slowly but surely, wrecking the trade of the port. Not quite a fortnight ago, heavy rain caused a fresh in the river, with the result that the silt was scoured out and 25 feet of water was secured on the bar. It was only a temporary relief, however, and the depth has now decreased to 19 feet, with the result that shipping agents and captains are again wearing worried looks, and vessels are leaving Grey mouth with cargoes many tons short of their full capacity, meaning allround losses. Hold-ups in shipping at Greymouth have widespread effects on the town and district generally, involving loss of trade to coal companies and sawmillers, and loss of wages to the workers in those industries and the watersiders. The decreased spending power adversely affects traders generally, and thus the vicious circle is complete. During the past week, no fewer than approximately 2000 tons of coal,, which could have been exported, have had to be left behind, simply because there has not been' sufficient water on the bar to enable vessels to work it, with any greater draught. That amount of coal represents about four days’ output from the State mines, or two and a-half days’ output from the Blackball mine. The loss entailedto West Coasters constitutes one serious aspect of the question, and another is the inconvenience caused to consumers in other parts of the Dominion, resulting in the further loss of reputation so far as Greymouth as a port is concerned. , The Kaitangata, which sailed on Saturday afternoon for Auckland, .could have taken about 600 tons more coal had the bar permitted. The Kamona, which also sailed on Saturday afternoon, for Wellington and New Plymouth, could have taken an additional 200 tons of coal. The Kaituna, which sailed for Wellington early on Sunday morning, took a cargo approximately 500 tons of coal and 100 tons of timber less than her full load.

The Kaponga, which sailed last night for Wellington, could have carried approximately 800 tons more coal. Before the recent fresh, the depth of water on the bar had decreased to only 14 feet, with the result that at least one company declined further to risk its vessels by sending them to Greymouth under such conditions. Had the heavy rain not occurred, and the resultant fresh scoured out the banks on the bar, the port would still have been practically closed. Ik pointing out this fact to-day, one wellknown shipping man also called attention to the fact that the Stewart apparatus is not yet ready to undergo a trial with the object of deepening the water on the bar. “The promised trial is still coming,” he said, “like Christmas!” Tb T e Harbour Board, he added, did at last take definite action regarding the bar, but not until the public opinion forced the Board’s hand. It was at first stated that the Stewart apparatus would be ready at the end of April, but the end of May. had now arrived, and it was still uncertain when the trial would take place, the .latest prediction, made by

the Harbourmaster (Captain F. W. Cox) being another ten days. ' “Now is the time when the scheme could be tried out under 'ideal conditions,” he continued. “The bar could not be in better condition for such a test. The new ships ,of the Ka-. ponga class, work the bar only when it is very smooth. The Kaponga sailed last night, and the conditions are now ideal for a trial of the Stewart apparatus. It is most important that the scheme should be tested at the earliest possible moment, but the Harbour Board seems very slow in completing the installation of the plant on the tug. In my opinion, and in the opinion of other shipping men, the Board should put on extra hands, and push the preparations through. It is false economy on the part of the Board to keep the job back instead of speeding it up by working overtime. The general public, of course, think that everything is going on all right, but a different opinion is' held in shipping circles.” Referring to the conditions at the the port during the. past decade, the speaker expressed the opinion that a definite change had taken place; For instance, he said, the bar maintained a good depth for t a considerable time after it had been scoured out by a fresh a few . years ago, in some cases even as long as a month. Nowadays, however, the bar silted up in a few days, even after the biggest fresh in the river. After the scouring earlier this month, shoaling to the extent of nearly five feet occurred in practically only four days. In his opinion, and, he declared, in the opinion of practically every master mariner crossing the bar, a lot of the shoaling was being caused by the extension of the North Tip by the Harbour Board, it being contended that the silt brought along from the south by the prevailing current, encountered this north wall, and the latter acted as a trap, with the result that the silt was deposited at the entrance to the river between the north and south walls, thus forming the bar.