NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 17 April 1926, Page 8

NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOUR.

MONTHLY BOARD MEETING. WORK OF PORT REVIEWED. To the monthly meeting oi the New Plymouth Harbour Board, on Thursday, the resident engineer, Air G. W. I>. bow so u. reported as follows tor the period March 15 to April 10: — Dredging.—During -the greater portion oi the month the Panitutu was engaged.suction dredging the sandbank from opposite the north-west corner or the Moturoa wharf seawards, and, working double shifts, removed a vast quantity of spoi) therefrom. At the end of March, however, the vesseu.s certificate expired, and the' New Plyout h portion of the annual overhaul was brought under way, the engines, boiler, winches, etc., having to be surveyed and extensive deck plating ie- . ,’n.g to be done. The dredging returns for the period under consideration are:—Suction dredging: Sandbank, 46,000 tons, all dumped at sea. Port Offices. —The extensions and alterations to the board’s offices* at the port are nearing completion. Break water. —No atenvpt was made to push on with the extension of the breakwater during the earlier part of the month, as the concrete blocks in hand were hardly sufficiently matured for the purpose, but* during the heavy seals experienced on March 31 the lastcompleted section (No. 32) was partly undermined and damaged, and had to be repaired. Eighty tons of large quarried stone and several concrete blocks were also added to the. apron protecting the last few sections, and 138 tons of stone placed around the breakwater did and in tiio foundation for section No. 33. As the extension is now far enough out to render the older cross-over between the breakwater tracks inconvenient for working, a new cross-over lias been laid near the piesent end of the mole. Block Yard. —Twenty-seven, concrete blocks (Nos, 739-765) were manufactured in the yard during the period, while advantage was taken of the slack spell in breakwater activity to clean and tar the gravel oin, and, on account of the excessive wear and tear on the Jong shingle elevator, to replace it with a hoist bucket now just coming into, operation, for which a small tinder pit had to b e sunk to permit of the desired depth being reached under the loading hopper. Gravel, etc. —Gravel was obtained from the Mikotahi beach and the Fishing Rock quarry, a further 425 cubic raids enabling a good reserve to be maintained; 162 cubic yards of spalled stone were sent to the crusher. 'General. —As opportunity permitted, the bank towards the tramway terminus was barred down to prevent sips, and 150 cubic yards from the inferior stone bank behind the quarry were trucked round to the Mikotahi wall. A verandah for bucket work was run along the front of the workshop to relieve congestion therein, and a small extension added to the: locomotive shed to house the second locomotive. New Moturoa Wharf. —The plans of the proposed approach to the new Moturoa wharf are in the hands of the Marine Department, but immediately on receipt of advice that the same are approved by the department a commencement will be placed upon this work.

■Newton King Wharf Extension. — The board’s wharf contruction foreman, who was sent over to Australia in connection with contract No. 19 for ironbark piles, has looked over the hulk of the piles ready for shipment, and advjce has been received that the s.s Joan Craig is now en route to New Zealand with both timber and piles for the extension to the King wharf. The decking and sleepenng at •the end* of the present structure i&.being cleared back, and this will allow the pile-driving gear to be erected, and the commencement made upon the construction of the extension whenever the supply of material on hand warrants such being clone. Moturoa Wharf.—Repairs to the western side of the Moturoa wharf have been steadily carried out during the period. Six new piles (mostly fender ones) were driven, and the caps and stringers over one of the least satisfactory iiortions of the wharf renewed. MONTH’S SHIPPING. Captain M’lntyrej acting-harbour-master, reported that during the month 34 vessels entered the port of an aggregate tonnage of 65,845 tons. The imports totalled 13,694 tons and exports 2248 tons, making a total of 15,942 tons. The Government landed 2013 tons of coal. The overseas boats working the port had been as follow: Surrey, 9783 tons, loaded 607 tons frozen meat; etc., draught 18ft. 6in. forward and 20ft. 6in. aft; Transvaal, 4395 tons, discharged. 233 tons general cargo, draught 13ft. 3in. forward and 17ft. aft; Turakina, 8565 tbns, discharged 1745 tons general cargo, loaded 749 tons meat, etc., draught 13ft. 3in. forward, and 18ft. lin. aft; Schomven, 4693 tons, discharged 836 tons general cargo, draught 13ft. 9in. forward and 17ft. 3in. aft; Inkula, 5171 tons, discharged 339 tons general cargo, draught lift, forward and 16ft. 6ih. aft. Three inter-colonial and Pacific trade vessels also visited the port. The weather had been fine to . moderate throughout. i OTHER BUSINESS. The engineer submitted a report with reference to the proposed crane on Newton King Wharf. It was decided that he prepare plans and specifications and call for tenders for consideration at a future meeting. It was decided on the recommendation of the Works Committee that the wages of the crane drivers he increased by Id per hour. The resident engineer was authorised to obtain a clock for the tower of the board’s new offices at the port at a cost of £lO4. The proposed lay-out of the British Imperial Oil Company’s stores at Motnroa was approved on the recommen elation of the Works Committee. Tt was reported that the Works Committee was going into the question of a site for a new waterside workers’ shed and that it was hoped to he able to make a definite recommendation at the next meeting of the board. It was pointed out that the committee was finding some difficulty in procuring a convenient and at the same time permanent site.