GREY HARBOUR BOARD

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 May 1931, Page 3

GREY HARBOUR BOARD

LAST EVENING’S MEETING. I i ' The monthly meeting of the Greymouth Harbour Board, held last evening,' was attended by Messrs P. JMcLean (chairman), D. Tennent, J. Ryall, G. E. Perkins, G. A. Perry, W. Clayton, and J. W. Greensiade. Treasury remitted wharfages £619/1/6, and special rate £94/6/2. Details were forwarded by the Railways Department. ' The Gisborne Harbour Board wrote offering a caterpillar steam shovel, 1J cubic yard capacity, for £2soo.—Referred to the Engineer. S. Sullivan also forwarded particulars and price of a steam shovel, and this, matter was also referred to the Engineer. Particulars of leases issued by the Board within the Borough of Greyihouth were requested by the ValuerGeneral, and it was decided to supply the information. The agreement regarding the sale of section 1, Dobson, from Percy Mitchell to G. M. Davy was approved. The assignment of section 47, Dobson, M. J. Moynihan to Mrs Mary McDonald, was approved. Mrs. Lillian Bertha Hillier’s application for lease of section 106, Dobson, was granted. REDUCTION IN GRANT. Correspondence was received from Messrs Forbes, Coates, and O’Brien, with reference to the reduction of £3OOO per annum in the amount payable to the Board in connection with the Greymouth-Brunner railway The Chairman said that the matter was so important to the Board that the engineers should go into it fully, and a special meeting should then be held. The Board appreciated the Government’s position, in that it was endeavouring to get money wherever it could. They were out to assist the Government so far as they could, but an agreement with the Board was an agreement. If the were to be permanent, it would mean a heavy loss to the Board, but it was hoped that the reduction would be restored. He suggested that the members of the Board should make an inspection of the works, and then hold a meeting in committee to go into the matter of the reduction, and its effect upon the port. There were various matters in connection with the financial position that should be considered, and a special meeting should be held for that purpose. He moved that the works be inspected on the afternoon of May 26, and that a meeting be held in committee that evening. The resolution was seconded by Mr Tennent, and approved. Mr Ryall asked why the deputation appointed did not go to Wellington to interview the Prime Minister before the Finance Bill was passed.

The Chairman replied that, in face of the telegram from Mr Forbes, stating that the Bill was going through on the night the message was sent, no good would have been done by the deputation proceeding to Wellington. The Bill was practically law then. It had been reported in the Press that the Prime Minister had promised that, if. the reduction were proved to be detrimental to the working of the port, a similar amount would be placed on the supplementary estimates, but so far they had not heard from the Prime Minister to that effect. Mr Ryall said that if was rumoured in certain quarters that, if the deputation had gone to Wellington, tiie

clause would have been deleted from the Bill. He asked the question so that the deputation could clear themselves. He was not finding fault.

Mr Perry said that if the could do without the £3OOO for a year or two, they should do so. He thought they could look confidently to a renewal of the £3OOO.

Mr Ryall said that aspect of the matter could be dealt with, at a special meeting. He agreed that, in face of the telegram received, stating that the Bill before the House, the deputation could not go to Wellington. z Mr Clayton moved that the action of the deputation be endorsed. The resolution was seconded by Mr Ryall, and approved. ENGINEER’S REP6RT. The Engineer (Mi* T. A. Johnston) reported as follows on the work carried out during April: — Cobden Quarry: Work at the quarry has been carried on with interruptions due to holidays and bad weather. The cast-iron cap on the jib of the 15-ton crane broke on the 9th. The breakage was discovered before a lift was made. Its cause is obscure, but as the casting is over 40 years old, it is probably due to fatigue of the metal. A new timber jib was installed with the new casting, and the crane resumed work on the 23rd. The output to the north breakwater was as fol-lows:—First-class stone 874 tons, second-class stone 153 tons, thirdclass stone 352 tons; total 1379 tons. In Addition 322 tons of second-class stone was supplied to the Railway Department for bridge protection work, and 1064 tons of spoil was deposited at the dump along the north breakwater. The total quarry output for the month was 1701 tons of stone and 1064 Jons of spoil. South . Breakwater Extension. —The construction of the travelling piling gantry was completed on the 22nd, and pile-driving commenced on the 23rd. Considerable difficulty was experienced in driving through the toe of the existing breakwater. Three piles were driven successfully and the stringers and corbels for the second bay off the' temporary staging have been prepared. A i-iri. diameter pipe was laid’from the town main near the signalman’s cottages to the tiphead to supply water to the piling winch and the signal station. Wharf Repairs,: An examination of the wharf disclosed that the diagonal and horizontal braces were flush with and in some cases projected beyond the fender line of the wharf. These members are being cut back and where necessary new fenders are being placed. This will eliminate a fruitful source of maintenance.

Railway Maintenance: Maintenance has been carried out to the line to the north tip and to the track to the spoil dump. Repairs were also done to the dock railway siding, and erosion at the west end of Gresson Street bridge was made good. Roading in Doyle Street and Robinson Street: Quotations were called for the cartage of lagoon spoil for blinding the roadway, and the tender of Kennedy Bros, was accepted for the cartage of 132 cubic yards at 3/4 per cubic yard. This work is being put in hand immediately. Rubbish Dump in Arney Street: The unsightly heap of rubbish on the west side of Arney Street is being collected and buried. For this purpose 100 cubic yards of lagoon spoil are required, ,and the contract for carting was let to Kennedy Bros, at 2/- per cubic yard. A rail and wire fence and a notice-board are being erected

to prevent further depositing of rubbish. Plant: General maintenance to cranes, locomotives, tug, dredge and other subsidiary plant has been carried out satisfactorily by the Board’s staff. Power House: The installation of the auxiliaries is being proceeded with, i.e., feed pump, live steam heater, steam trap and filter. Railway Line on Mawhera Quay: The Railway Department has connected the line belonging to the Board with the line to the new weighbridge, which they have installed at the junction of MaWhera Quay and Boundary Street. The report was adopted.

Reporting in connection with the installation of the new air compressor at the Cobden quarry, the assistantengineer (Mr D. C. Milne) stated that it was proposed to lay down new air lines. The existing pipes will be taken up, and used as branch lines under the new system. The work will be carried out by the Board’s staff, so that the additional cost involved will only be that of new materal. The estimated cost is £B5. • Authority was given to put the work in hand. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee reported as follows: —■ Receipts: The following accounts have been received since date of last meeting:—Wharfages £619/1/6, special rate on coal £94/6/2, royalties £214/12/9, shipping dues £197/11/2, rents £l2/11, interest £271, haulage on gravel £3/5/10, total £1412/8/5. The balances of the various accounts are as follow:—General Account Cr. £11,680/10/3, Insurance Fund Accounts Cr. £18,461/7/-, Special Rate on Coal Account Cr. £1627 4/11. The Harbour Fund Account has a credit balance of £2769/2/2, and fixed deposits £29,000. Accounts amounting to £1205/5/8 were passed for payment, and the report was adopted. / HARBOURMASTER’S REPORT. The report of the Harbourmaster (Captain F. W. Cox) was adopted as follows:—During April the bar maintained a very good average depth, and the greater portion of the month was favourable for shipping movements, which, upon the whole, were rather slack. The depths at high water for April were:—Spring tides, April 4, bar 30ft 3in; river 22ft 3in.; April 19, bar 27ft 7in., river 21ft. Neap tides, April 11, bar 25ft, river 20ft; April 26, bar 24ft lOin, river 20ft lOin. Month’s mean average: Bar 26ft 9in, river 21ft. The rainfall for April was 8.17 inches, which fell on ten days. There were 18 inward steamers of a net tonnage of 14,276 tons.

In last month’s report shoaling of the river was dealt with. On April 20 the dredge began on the lower reach, and with favourable conditions was able within the week to dredge off'the shallow patches. Considerable small logs and timber were contended with. On April 27 the dredge started upon the berthage, and is making fair progress. The tug is now undergoing her annual inspection. The dredge being in commission it was decided that it was a good opportunity to repair the decking and re-tube the boiler. There is nothing elese of importance to report, the ordinary routine duties being regularly carried out. The Chairman said it was satisfactory to know that the dredging in the river had obviated the difficulty The report was adopted.

SHOALING IN CHANNEL. EXTENSIVE REMEDY/ DEFERRED. A special report with reference‘to shoaling in the channel, after the flood at Easter, was submitted by Mr. Johnston, as follows: — During the period April 3 to 4, when the river was in flood, a shoal bank formed in the channel- to the westward of the lagoon entrance. The bank extended for about 250 feet along tho line of leading beacons,, and reduced the navigable depth of water at that point to 19ft. at H.W.O.S.T. The training wall on the north side of the river in this locality was originally built as a half-tide wall, but it has gradually deteriorated until its present average level is only about three feet above low water mark. The deterioration of the training wall has extended over a number of years, and there is nothing on record to indicate that it has been accompanied by a progressive increase of shoaling an this part of the channel. The effect of raising tho level of the training wall is uncertain, and, although it might result in some improvement, it is improbable that it would eliminate entirely the formation of shoal banks. In order to obtain the maximum scouring action it would be necessary to raise also the level of the section of the wall near Cobden bridge, and thus confine the river to a definite channel. The work of raising the lower wall would be costly to carry out, and it would interfere with the breakwater extensions at present under construction. An attempt was made about 1927 to raise the level of the wall, but only small stones were used, with the result that they were swept away by successive floods. To ensure against a repetition of this, it will be necessary to use stones of not less than two tons wejght, and for the transport of these from the quarry about 82 chains of railway track -will be required. I Estimate tho cost of raising tho wall to R.L. 99.00 to be as follows : —Temporary railway track, £2735; construction of two bridges, £417; stonework in wall, 3700 cubic yards. £2500; contingencies, £565. Total £6217. The cost of raising the upper wall would amount to approximately £l2OO. I am of the opinion that it would be better to deal with shoaling in the entrance channel by dredging as the occasion arises. Accretion in the vicinity of the lower wall can only occur to a limited extent, and the expenditure involved in dredging should be relatively small. The dredge crew numbers twelve men, and of these six are permanently employed by the Board and therefore involve no additional expenditure in wages. The training wall in its present condition is effe«-‘ five duririg tire latter part of the ebb tide, when the river velocity is generally greatest, and the scouring action will normally be sufficient to prevent shoaling to a serious /extent. Thirteen years have elapsed since dredging was required lin this part of the fairway, and it is unlikely that the necessity will occur with any great frequency in tho future. I, therefore recommend, for the reasons set out, that the work of raising the tide wall should be deferred. All developments with, regard to accretion in the channel will be closely watched, as it is desirable that dredging charges and the necessity for dredging should be reduced to a minimum, having due regard to capital charges that may be involved in the river training works. The Engineer submitted a plan showing the various -walls and the areas affected by tides and floods. EFFECTIVE DREDGING. The Chairman said that Messrs. Johnston and Milne had gone to con-] siderablo trouble in the matter. In the' meantime, the difficulty had been over-

come by dredging. In view of the expenditure involved, and the delay which would occur to other works, he thought it would be just as well if the Board left the matter in abeyance. The engineers were watching developments very closely. If the Board had to face it, they would have to face it, but in the meantime they had other works under way, ,and their revenue had been reduced. The proposed work was'part of the Furkert scheme. He thought it would be unwise to undertake such an expenditure in the meantime, as they had managed to cope with the difficulty. He moved that the report be approved. In seconding the resolution, Mr J Tennent askecL if there were any indication that more silting had been going on than previously. The Chairman said that the position was exceptional after the Easter flood. The Harbourmaster said that the shoal had been removed. If the Board wished to mark time for a while, the best thing to do was to wait for the next fresh in the river, and see what effect it had. His own opinion was that it was the. most essential wall in tho harbour. * The shoal was dredged away in a week, but had the conditions been unfavourable the work might have taken two months. If the matter were held in abeyance, developments would be watched. The draught of vessels might have to be cut down a bit, but that was all in the game, as far as the harbour was concerned. Tho cnairman said that the shoalinghad developed rather suddenly. Mr. Tennent: Is there any increase in the silt coming down the river, as compared with two or three years ago? Captain Cox replied that he was not so much afraid of shoaling as he was of snags. It might take a couple of days to examine that portion of the channel after a flood. Mr. Perry: Do I understand that tho shoaling was caused by snags and logs?

The Chairman said that they accumulated at that point, as it was very low-lying. A big current in the river brought gravel down, and it could be heard banging against the boats. It came over the wall. However, the engineers were watching very closely. A letter had been received on the subject from the Union Steam Ship Company. He had explained that the Board was doing its best, and the company was satisfied. The Board had an extensive programme before it at present, and if the work mentioned were undertaken, the other works would be delayed. Mr. Tennent said that if the shoaling involved lowering the draught of steamers, it was a mattei - for the Board very carefully to watch. The Engineer said that it had not given much trouble during the past thirteen years. There was no doubt that the flood at Easter was somewhat exceptional. At the same time, if the trouble were likely to recur with each successive flood, steps should be taken to have the wall raised. So long as the silt could be dealt with by a reasonable amount of dredging, it would appear that the Board was hardly justified in incurring immediately an expenditure of £7OOO. The position would be watched very carefully, and he would then be able to state definitely what the prospects were. Tn answer to a question, he said it was difficult to say whether the accretion formed first and caught snags, or whether the snags caught first and accentuated the position. Mr. Clayton: If it only happens once in every thirteen years, and is cleaned out by a. week’s dredging, there ■ is no great harm done. The report was adopted.