MAKING HARBOURS SAFE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 May 1936, Page 11

MAKING HARBOURS SAFE

FIGHTING THE SEA Large sums <?f money have been spenf during the last few years in at-tempting-to save the fishing harbours of Britain from destruction by storms. The story of this ceaseless struggle is told in the 1935 report of the Development Commissioners, recently issued. The Commissioners examine applications for Government grants from the Development Fund. The report states that £300,000 was advanced to complete harbour works during 1929 and 1930. In 1931, 1932 and 1933 a little under £32,000 was advanced, and in the year under review £37,800. - This sum was used mainly for reconditioning harbours at Fraserburgh, Burghead and St. Ives. At Fraserburgh, where the harbour is exposed to gales on the east and north, a long struggle had been carried on. “These .trying conditions,” states the report, “the Harbour Commissioners must, face with a falling revenue. It was to prevent the collapse of certain of the structures included in their reconditioning programme that a loan of £11,632 was sanctioned.” t The harbour at Wick was another source of trouble. For over a century attempts had been made to provide a safe harbour. Again and again breakwaters wcre,buil(r, but violent seas soon revealed weaknesses in the structures.

The problem, was finally solved, but then the herring trade fell off owing to the decline of the Continental market. Now the Harbour Trustees cannot meet their liabilities.

'l’he Commissioners urge the need for legislation to help poor localities faced with the necessity for contributing to large and expensive harbour works.

The report quotes the case of a North-east coast village, where 300 fishermen have no better harbour than a small creek. A pier was bqilt with a. grant of £1,750 and a loan of h similar amount, but seaweed soon choked the shelter' provided and it became useless. To make the pier serviceable a basin costing £13,000 would be required. “Harbours arc to fishermen of more direct importance even than, for example. roads and bridges are to the landward population.' 1 states the report. "That fishermen must, work under conditions which arc far from satisfactory is mainly due to their isolation.”