HARBOUR QUESTION

Grey River Argus, 15 August 1944, Page 2

HARBOUR QUESTION

MR O’BRIEN’S REPLY

To Progress League

Denutation

The establishment of a deep-sea harbour- on the West Coast was advocated bv a deputation from the Westland ' District Progress League ■which waited on Hon. J. OBr en, Minister of Transport and Manne, at Greymouth yesterday. The deputation was supported by a large number of members of the League, the Borough Council Chambers being filled The Mavor of Greymouth (Mr F. A. Kitchingham) introduced the deputat on, saying that the League, though only recently formed, comprised a large and representative cro r s-sect on of the community. It had” rightly taken as its first objective in the meantime the establishment of an all-weather port on the West Coast. Mr W. D. Taylor, President of the League, sa’d that in July 1650 ship hours and in August 436 ship hours, the equivalent of 69 days and 19 days respectively if applied to one ship, had been lost at Greymouth as a result of bar trouble. The State took vast sums in royalties from timber which was sent away, and most of the coal came from State mines. Coal export from the district was about 10,000 tons weekly, and between 17 and 18 million feet of timber went out each year. Before the war when there was traffic with Australia timber production had amounted to 24 million feet. Delays in _ shipping caused incalculable economic loss — loss of time to waterside workers, at the mines when bins were full, to shipping companies and to the Harbour Board, to the general public of both the North and South Islands, when coal supplies were held up, and to North Island industries dependent on coal for gas. There was no other single port in the Dominion which handled the mineral resources of Greymouth. The only remedy to the present situation appeared to be a deep-sea port. The League d d not presume to say where such a port should be, but it did say that the -question should be investigated and if a port was proved feasible it should be proceeded with. The Government took much from the district and was putt'ng little back. A new port would be an admirable rehabilitation scheme. He suggested that the Government should take fresh soundings at Point Elizabeth, since the Greymouth Harbour Board had stated that such work was outside its province. He declared that the problem was a national one and said that he hoped the Government would see that something was done and done quickly to meet the urgent problem. Mr J. Mulcare, chairman of the Greymouth Harbour Board, said he supported the League in its attempt to get a deep-sea port. It was a misnomer to call the Harbour Board by that name, as it was functioning for the whole of the West Coast area. If it was found necessary to make Greymouth a nat onal undertaking he personally would be only too glad to get out. Even the South Island Farmers’ Unions at their annual conference had supported the idea of an ocean harbour for the West Coast, and farm’ng as an industry was probably less inconvenienced by the present port than most. Mr R Clark, chairman of the Grey County ’ Council said that on many occas'ons miners had lost shifts through the condition of the bar. Some years ago when a suggestion had been made that a coal d stillation plant be set up al the Seven Mile he had hearl that several comnames which would benefit were willin"'to shift their factories from Christchurch. He had read that coal products and sawdust were the basis of plastics and thought that a deepsea harbour would encourage people to come to the Coast and start such industries. Farm products, also, could probably be exported directly from here. Mr E. W. Kennedy, Mayor of Runanea, compared the geological nature' of the Grey and Buller districts, saying that Buller d d compare with this district in richness of coal resources. He was whole-heart-edly behind the idea of a deep-sea harbour here if only for that reason.

Mr T. Pratt, speaking for the organised industrial workers, said that they were solidly behind the proposal to build a deep-sea harbour as it affected their very bread and butler. Men who had worked on the waterfront for many years had had to leave the West Coast, and shifts had been lost at the mines. If the Coast could not compete with other districts after the war because of- higher transport costs the outlook for workers would be bad. The provision of a deep-sea port would prbbably mean that there would be more industries here and that it

would be a place of profitable employment. ' MR O’BRIEN’S REPLY. Mr O’Brien said he wanted to say at the outset that a deep-sea harbour near Greymouth was one of the most desirable things for the district, and if it was at all possible that it could be built it should be built. He had been going into the matter ever since he became Minister of Marine. Quite recently he had visited Australia and had inspected three or four harbours there, including that at Newcastle, which, however was not, as he had been told, similar to that at Greymouth. He did not know of any place elsewhere in the world where conditions were similar to what they were here. In discussing a deep-sea harbour the first questions were where it was to be, and if it was constructed, would’ it be successful—what the conditions were that might obtain after it was built. H was, then, an engineering problem. There had been much money thrown into the sea and he wanted to have an assurance from the engineers that a deep-sea harbour would be a.successful 'venture and in the best interests of the Coast. DEEP-SEA SCHEMES He had interested himsplf in the Point Elizabeth scheme, the .Minister continued. In the eighties a company in which Mr E. I. Lord was the most active man had been formed to build a harbour there. Between 1906 and 1908 Mr John Thompson had made a survey which showed a depth of 36 feet at low water and an area of 620 acres. He had declared that there would be no danger from traveling shingle, but that in all about two miles of breakwaters would be needed in water up- to 40 feet deep. The cost of this scheme was to have been £1,750,000. If that estimate was right the cost would be more than double that figure to-day, as building breakwaters was not a work which would be done much more quickly now than then. To build a harbour at Point El zabeth to-day would probably need between four and five million pounds. Mr R>. H. Holmes, chief engineer to the Public Works Department, had in a later report said that in view of lhe ex stance. of a harbour at Greymouth it did not seem worthwhile to build another. He had disagreed with Mr Thompson about the drift and had said that the port could be kept open only by constant dredging. A naval survey report had stated that considerable dredging would be necessary, and as there was a depth of only 20 feet half a lYi’le out, only ships of moderate draft could be accommodated. From his own experience of the bay over a number of years, Mr O’Brien said, he could speak of large quantities of shingle moving in and out. The main cost of a scheme at Po’nt Elizabeth would be great and perhaps greater than the Government would be prepared to face. He knew the possibilities of lhe West Coast and believed they would be worked on as quickly as possible; he also agreed with the decentralisation of industries. But it appeared that the Point Elizabeth scheme would be both expensive m its initial cost and expensive to mamtain.

The present Harbour Engineer, Mr D. S. Kennedy, had proposed . a scheme at Cobden and other engineers had been asked to examine it, Mr O’Brien said. This would probab 1 ” cost a million pounds, and the question arose as to whether it would be successful. Mr Kennedy seemed quite sure that it would be, but other engineers were not- quite so sure; and before the Government moved it wanted to feel that if money was to be spent it was wisely spent. He did not know anywhere where the northward drift "would not operate to form a beach and cause trouble in that way. Where there was not a great flow of water an entrance tended periodically to be closed up, as at Okar'.to. It seemed a job for engineers to report on, and the Government was willing to send for them from overseas if necessary. It would be willing to spend ■ much money if a deep-sea harbour was possible, but the engineers seemed pretty well unan’mous that it would cont'mue for only a few years and then there would be trouble again. In those circumstances it would be wrong if they spent a lot of money. USE OF PRESENT PORT

The silting up of the present bar had been going on for a lone time, said Mr O’Erien, and that might be avoided if proper training walls were put out, but there was still accretion of the coast going on. The present harbour had been constructed for ships with a draught not of 20 feet but of 14 feet. They had tried to make the port fit the ships instead of the ships fitting the port. He would have been willing to recommend a deep-sea harbour if other engineers had considered it feasible. The Government had given the Harbour Boar r ] a £lOOO subsidy on an exper mental model, and it had been suggested that if a deep-sea harbour was possible it might be-. proved by the model. But even if that were so the present port had still to be jkept open. The next proposal had

been to extend the present breakwaters by 400 feet. The . Minister stated that he was not satisfied personally that the best, results were being obtained by carrying the breakwaters straight out to sea. The Engineer-in-Chief to the Public Works Department (Mr W. L. Nevynham) had reported that an extension of the breakwaters was the only thing Io do in the meantime. Ths was going to cosl more than £200,000 and other works would also be necessary. One half of this sum the Government was providing, and . the Harbour Board, which was raising the rest bv means of a loan, had stated that it' could find tins out of revenue and without recourse to rating, by increasing wharfages by about 2s 6d .a ton.

Mr O’Brien expressed regret that one report should be put against another. It was as absurd to say that Westport must send its coal here for shipment as that Grey coal should be shipped from Westport. It would be a waste to spend four and a-half million or five million pounds on a port with a prospect that it would not be secure; but if any engineer produced a plan for a deep-sea harbour for the Coast which had a reasonable chance of being successful the Government would consider it and probably provide for a survey and the money to carry it out. In the meantime the most had to be made of both Greymouth and Westport harbours. Westport had been taken over by the Government in 1921. A large dredge ordered just before the war had not been delivered and the port had had to carry on with two old machines; but steps were now being taken to improve the harbour and the engineering reports would be acted on. There was a much smaller swell at Westport than at Greymouth, in which a dredge could operate; but if it was possible to get a dredge suitable for operating here that would be done. It was possible that in the future a site for a deep-sea harbour would be found, but at present neither he nor the engineers 'knew of one.l He gave an assurance, however, that the present harbours would be taken in hand and made as workable as it was poss ble to make them.

In reply lo a question put by Mr J. B. Bluett, Mr O’Brien said that if fresh soundings at F'oint Elizabeth Would tell any story he could easily have them taken. But what he wanted to be assured of was that a port there would keep open. Mr Taylor, on behalf of the deputation, thanked Mr O’Brien, saying that he recognised that the matter required much thought and study, which could be given only be engineers.

OTHER -DEPUTATIONS Messrs J. Mlcare (chairman), W. E. J'. Steer, W. B. Gilbert (secretary) and D. S. Kennedy (engineer), representing the Grymouth Harbour Board, waited on Mr. O’Brien yesterday. Mr. Mulcare said that the Board had applied for authority to borrow £160,000 for urgent harbour works on the understanding that the Government would advance a similar sum. Finance wa's needed to keep going, and -it was suggested that a grant of, say, £27,000 should be made on account for immediate expenditure. His remarks were endosed by Mr. Steer, who said that the engineer had certain staff without necessary money to keep them going. Mr. Kennedy said that the immediate work proposed was the building of a' bridge to give access to the couth breakwater, preliminary work on the half-tide training walls, and the opening of the Cobden quarry. Mr. O’Brien said the Chief Engineer to the ’Public Works Department in his report had urged that tire work be gone .on with as quickly as possible, and had said that probably the model would tell how far the’ breakwater, the major work proposed should go out. He promised to make representations along the lines stated by the deputation. Messrs R. Clark (chairman) and J. Higgins (engineer), representing the Grey County Council, stated their case as follows regarding a flood damage subsidy:— The County Engineer’s letters had set out the Council’s position regarding fiood damage. The Treasury had based its refusal to consent to a subsidy on the favourable position of the County on March 31, but unfortunately that position had not been maintained. When estimates for the current year were being prepared it was found that the revenue had fallen away, and expenditure increased, so that there was a gap of £5440 between them. Cuts had had to be made in expenditure on maintenance to the amount of £1337, which was much to be regretted, for it meant

increased consumption of petrol and wear on rubber. A reserve ot ilobu , for machinery was cancelled, a War Bond of £lOOO was to be sold, and the. rate increased from 2Sd to the limit of 3d in the £ on rateable capital value. These economies if supplemented by the £ for £ subsidy on flood damage, which amounted to £2690, already applied for, would enable the County to reinstate the amount of £1377 by which the road maintenance expenditure for the current year had been reduced, and end the year with a deficit of not more than £lOOO, ,i.e. if no further flood damage occurred. Mr. O’Brien said that assistance had 1 previously been refused owing to the healthy state of the Council’s finances, but it had been pointed out that this had been due in part to the fact that the Council’s machinery had no.t been kept up to date and that obtaining Lorries would probably use up all the money they had. He had not yet had a reply to mere recent representations maae by him on the matter, but promised to take the matter up again immediately with the Minister of Works and, if necessary, with the Treasury. A deputation of milk suppliers, for whom Mr. M. Minehan was the ’chief spokesman, was introduced by Mr. J. Mulcare. The Zoning Officer (Mr. M. R. Aldridge) was also present. Mr. Minehan. said that milk suppliers understood that under the zoning scheme the goodwill in a zone had been taken away from them and they had no authority to sell their rounds without the permission of the Minister of Transport. Their businesses had been built up over a number of years and they felt that they should have the right to dispose of them if they wanted to. Mr. Minehan quoted a legal opinion stating that their power could not be assigned or delegated. Mr. Baty said that vendors might get milk from an outside source and producer vendors would not be able to compete. They wanted to retain their goodwill. Mr. O’Brien said he could give an assurance that genuine sales of rounds would not be interfered with. Zoning had not been an easy job and had required fairly strong regulations. If someone' was going to try to make a sale not in the interests of zoning or of other vendors such a sale might be held up. In reply to statements made by several suppliers that they had lost from four or five to nine or ten gallons of milk as the result of zoning. Mr. Aldridee explained that when zoning was introduced- each supplier had been asked to give a docket of each customer he supplied and these had been sorted into zones to give each milkman the same gallonage he had before. It was possible that some of -these dockets wouid not be altogether accurate, and suppliers had been asked to a meeting at the end of the month so that any Losses in gallonage could be adjusted. Mesrs R. Fordham and J. C'reagh, representing the Taylorville Domain Board, waited on Mr. O’Brien regarding the provision of bus transport to i Greymouth after Saturday evening dances at the Taylorville Pavilion. Mr. Fordham explained that the pavilion was the only means by which the Board could raise money to improve the grounds, and at present the Board wished to put in an up-to-date children’s playground. What they were asking was that the 11 p.m. bus from Greymouth on Saturday evenings, which came back from Taylorville empty, be delayed at the pavilion till 2 p.m., the Board to pay the driver’s overtime. Mr. O’Brien said that when the position had been gone into previously he had been advised that the bus had to return to Greymouth immediately to bring in men from the backshift at the mine. Mr. Creagh said that no one worked on back-shift at the mine on Saturdays. Mr. O’Brien said that if that was the position and the driver was prepared to stay and be paid by the Board he did not object to the arrangement if the existing services fitted in. It could not be done if any extra services were involved, as it was the policy to allow no new services. at KUMARA. ~ Several matters were discussed with the .Minister by a deputation which met him at Kumara yesterday afternoon. In , reply to representations made on the question of assistance with the reticulation of the town water supply, Mr. O’Brien suggested that the Borough Council should see what money it could raise itself and promised to make representation’s regarding the possibility of a subsidy The question of building houses in Kumara was discussed, it being stated that the services of fifty workmen

were required. The overcrowding of the infant room at the school was mentioned to Mr. O’Brien, who was asked to make- representations to the Minister for a grant for additional accommodation, and the question of constructing an aerodrome on a Borough endowment, a square mile m area, on the beach road was also discussed. • , x Mr. O’Brien promised to give the matters his attention.