Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5th., 1929. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1929, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5th., 1929. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

IT is an ill rain that does no good, * and those Greymouth residents regretting recent heavy falls, siould endeavour to find consolation in the district benefits conferred. Amongst these is the fact that the water at the harbour bar is kept at a good depth, and no anxiety is aroused meanwhile over possible shoaling. Fino weather, however, can be expected for most of the next few months, and then there may be a different story to tell. It is. therefore, opportune to ask the Harbour Board what is its policy if any, regarding action on the report, obtained at considerable expense, from three eminent en r gineers, many months ago. It is understandable that in the absence of the chairman (Mr. P. J. McLean) the Board prefers a waiting policy, and is perhaps expecting from its leader, some valuable suggestions derived from his travels. Be that as it may, the time is overdue when the Board should adopt a definite policy regarding the recommendations in the report. The keenest observation by travellers cannot replace knowledge acquired by practical experience and years of training, and it would be wise to rely mainly on the acknowledged experts. The Board has been a little enterprising, of late, in strengthening and. extending the breakwater on the North side of the river, but this work must be nearing completion. What is to be the next scene of the Board’s activities ? i

Lagoon-deepening seems to the lay mind to be a task that is overdue. The effect of this improvement would be beneficial in many ways, and the work is advocated in. the report referred to. Reclamation in this area, too, should be advanced,

i and generally more active attention to the experts’ recommenda'tions should be given. The policy of “wait and see” has had a long innings, and the Board should make a New Year resolution to be more enterprising. There is no difficulty about finance and no real engineering problems, to overcome. Something more is expected from the Board than consent, or opposition, to the sale of its sections, and it is a fair enquiry as to whether the Board proposes to act on the experts’ report, or to continue to include it among office archives. Adequate attention to the lagoon must, of course, have good effects on the depths at the bar,, and a long spell of fine weather, such as the Coast often experiences in the first half of the year, would not then bring such bad consequences to the bar’s passage. Greymouth depends for muc’h of its prosperity on the port, and thus, cannot afford to ignore any potentialities for improved shipping entry and egress. Trusting to Nature can be overdone, and if the Harbour Board does propose to improve the port the sooner a start is made on the big scheme recommended by the experts, the earlier will be the district harvest. Perhaps the Harbour Board, which can rarely be accused of being over-communicative with the public, will at this month’s meeting, take the district into its confidence regarding its port improvements policy.