OPUNAKE HARBOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 21 October 1925, Page 6

OPUNAKE HARBOUR.

PROGRESS OF THE SCHEME

WORK TO BE CONTINUED

In connection with certain rumours prevalent as to the possibility of a hold-up of the work on the harbour scheme at Opunake, a Star reporter who made inquiries yesterday was authoritatively informed that the board has no intention of allowing any delay in the progress of the work, which will be continued under the direction of the overseer pending the receipt of a report from a consulting engineer and the probable appointment of a supervising engineer to take the place of the engineer, Mr F. M. Corkill, whose resignation was accepted on Monday. Mr Corkill’s resignation was tendered subsequent to his intimation that insufficient boulder stone was available in the area at present being worked, and that the cost of obtaining further supplies /from adjoining areas would greatly increase the cost of the erection of the mole as compared with the original estimate. To date 350 feet of the mole has been completed, the expenditure involved being approximately £38,000. As a big proportion of this sum, however,. was absorbed in procuring equipment it cannot be regarded as a basis on which to compute th© cost of completing the work.

It is anticipated that the original loan of £50,000 will be sufficient to defray the cost of erecting the mole to the 600 feet length, and provide a, surplus with which to allow the erection of the wharves to be commenced. It is intended, however, that the completed mole shall be 900 feet long,- but possibly the last section could be put in hand simutaneously with the work on the wharves.