HARBOR SCHEMES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4460, 30 January 1917, Page 3

HARBOR SCHEMES.

The members of the Harbor Board are sparing no effort to remedy the unsatisfactory condition of affairs ■ existing in the harbor at preIsent, and with this -purpose in mind are receiving with a view to future consideration suggestions from laymen who have likely schemes to place before the Board. At yesterday’s meeting Mr. G. H. Lysnar waited upon the Board to submit bis scheme. He produced a draft agreement between himself and the Board which he desired to be signed before placing his scheme before the Board. The agreement was to tue effect that in event of the Board adopting his suggestion, or any portion of it, he should be paid compensation. and any portion of : t was not to be used without his consent. Mr. Brown wanted to know whether there would be any possibility of <■ uy ; portion of Mr Lysnar’s scheme being similar to other schemes that had been made public. There had been many such schemes during the last thirty-five years. Mr. Lysnar pointed out that his scheme was not similar to any ether scheme that had been brought belojc the Board. He said if the Board used his scheme lie would expect to be paid for it, and if there was a dispute the matter to be referred to arbitration. After hearing the draft agreement read. Dr. Collins said that the matter might be very simple, hut it was really more extensive than suggested. Mr. Lysnar would supply the main portion of the scheme, but be did not produce the details, and the Board could not enlarge or modify any branch of those suggestions without' paying Mr. Lysnar compensation, if the Board entered into the agreemen much controversy would arise. There was only one principle, and that was to get the silt out of the river, but the details might he different. It appeared to him to be very dangerous to enter the agreement, and thought that the ratepayers would not respect and admire their representatives who signed such an agreement. Mr Lysnar was safeguarding i! e principle of bis scheme, and the Poard bad to safeguard its interests and finances. He was of opinion that the Boa.a should consider the agreement befo-'e signing it, and should get the opinioi. of its solicitors on it, and what would be the position of the Board should ’t enter into the agreement Mr. Lysnar remarked that the agreement was a simple one and fair. Dr. Collins agreed that it was a very simple and fair agreement, but the very simplicity of the agreement would be confusing to the ordinary lay mind. He moved that the _ draftagreement be submitted to the Board’s solicitors, and they be asked to define the position of the Board 'f it signed the agreement as it stood, and to submit to the Board a modified agreement which protected Mr. Lysnar’s interests on the one hand and the Board’s interests on the other

Mr. Wallis seconded the motion. Mr Lvsnar said that lie was agreeable to the proposal. This course was supported by the members of the Board and was adopted.

Mr. W. Crocker, of the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ staff, also waited upon the Board with a scheme, which he stated would give a harbor suitable for all classes of vessels. Before placing the scheme before the Board ho said that if the Board considered tli u it was worthy of any reward, be asked that the money should be given to the Ladies’ Beautifying Society to be spent upon the work of beautifying the town. In explaining the scheme, lie sail that the Tarnhern and Wainiatn rivers were most essential to the harbor. Between the William Pet.tie bridge and the Kaiti bridge at the height of the flood there was a depth of 17 feet. Answering his own question ns to why.the depth should not be maintained right down the river, be said that there were several projections where the current struck and eddied.

One was that portion of the wharf near the big crane; another obstruction was the mouth of the Kaiti creek, from which a current came sometimes; then there was the bunkers. alongside of which the Maui lies.

Another menace was the recess at the

end of the breakwater extension, where, owing to the accumulating sand, there was not enough water for the Karoro to take a straight course. The deposit of sand was caused by the current. These were all the checks.

They could he eliminated. He suggested that the silt question could he dealt with by the formation of a wall from the end of the cattle yards to the middle of the channel, about 300 or 400 yards below the flagstaff, another wall about the same length to he built to deflect the sea currents,

which would then go in a similar direction to the current in the river. An entrance to the harbor would he made half-way between the groyne and the breakwater, which would give a straight run into the harbor. He had shown the plan vesterdav to the captain of the Ngakuta, who had said that there should be no difficulty m negotiating that entrance. The scheme would obtain additional wharfage accommodation. He felt sure that there was no other place in Poverty 7 Bay where the Board could get a harbor that would accommodate any

class of ship except by the paying of as many millions of pounds as his scheme would cost in hundreds of thousands. The Board, on the motion of DrCollins, thanked 'Mr. Crocker for liis scheme, which, it was decided, would be placed before the Commission which is to he appointed later on to consider the question of a site for a harbor.. A letter was read from Mr. Henry Currie, giving some suggestions for dealing with the silt question. In the course of his letter he said that it did not seem reasonable that silt ad-

mittedly weighing one cwt per cubic foot would float with water running at about 4 miles an hour when it did not go out with the flood behind it.

He suggested that the Board test the matter by stretching a sheet on the bottom of the river, with a weight on each corner to keep it in place, also i tie a rope to eaeli corner with a floater to show its position, and then primp silt on the upper edge for 1.0 or 15 minutes, and then lift it up by the corners to see how many cwt of silt was on it. If the- silt was not floating out as imagined, he suggested that the Board extend the pipe from, the Maui and run it into the hold, letting it spill into a cistern on a platform to prevent the silt beipg stirred up. Mr. Ferguson’s contention seems to be that the silt being poured into the hold would overflow into the tide, although if it floats out to sea as he said, he could not seethat it would matter much, besides the Maui would he able to work any number of hours. The silt could only he pumped into the John Townley. He also suggested that in flood time all ships in the ,river should be moored either one side or the other so that the current would scour out the side not in use. Mr. Robert Smythe, of Puha, wrote suggesting that in order to proceed more rapidly with the clear'ng of the channel, it would" I be desirable to have the Maui working on Sundays. He also suggested the Board considering the advisability of a harbor at Muriwai. : He understood that a motion to this effect was tabled' by Mr. C. J. Parker and seconded by Dr. Collins vears ago. Mr. 11. E. Johnston, in forwarding rcrmspondence written- by him*'containing a scheme for a duplication of the harbor, and which has been published in the press, expressed the. opinion that matters would right themselves to a certain extent in a short t : me. and that the wet season was a record olm for the past 40 vears. H was decided to allow the letters to lie on the. table. .. i