OUTER BREAKWATER.

Grey River Argus, 17 June 1927, Page 5

OUTER BREAKWATER.

TOO COSTLY. ( FOR GISBORNE HARBOUR BOARD. (Per Press Assn.) GISBORNE, June 16. The Harbour Board received a report from Mr Furkett, Engineer-in-Chief of the Marine Department, who recently made investigations into the position of the harbour works. Mr Furkett states that he has examined the financial position with respect to lan money. The works and the money have now got into such a relative position that it is impossible to achieve the result originally aimed at. [f the outer breakwater were construeted there would be no money to do anything else, and the position of the harbour would then be worse than it was before any money was ’spent. It appeared necessary, therefore, to endeavour with the money available to construct such works as will enable coastal vessels to get reasonably improved conditions for working the port. Without committing himself actually to the figure of 18 feet, he is of opinion that without a breakwater the inside works now proposed will give a satisfactory coastal harbour, and that this can be completed within the funds available. He considers that it is quite safe to extend the present breakwater, and any shoaling thereby occasioned can easily be dealt with by the Board s dredging plant. His advice is that the inner Haiti basin be dredged out, and fitted with breastworks, having railway communication, and simultaneously the present breakwater should be extended. When the combination of the works enables a change over to be safely made, the river should be diverted, and the present harbour dredged out. The discussion on the report submitted by Mr Furkett resulted in the Board finally adopting the report, and resolving to consider the steps to put the recommendations into effect. A bombshall 'was dropped by the Board’s Engineer, Mr Campbell, in the course of the discussion, when he said that the Board was suffering from the old complaint, too many opinions, and that his position with the Board had reached the stage where no course was left him but to resign.

This step he was asked to reconsider by the majority of the Board, five members only giving their support to the suggestion that, as Campbell had taken his decision, the Board should not endeavour to persuade him to take another course.