NAPIER HARBOR BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5470, 27 August 1879, Page 3

NAPIER HARBOR BOARD.

Tuesday, August 2G. The board met at 2.30 p.m. Present : — The Chairman (Mr John Buchanan), the Hon. J. N. Wilson, Messrs Ormoid, Kinross, Williams, Robjohns, Yautier, Lyndon, Miller, and Common. SOUNDINGS. Charts were laid on the table showing the depth of water in {he channel at high and low water slack respectively, both being the same as at the Jast report. WHAKP ACCOJnrOnATIO.N'. Mr Kinross brought up the report of the committee appointed to enquire as to the feasibility of increasing wharf accomodation at the port, which was read as follows : — Your committee have given (his subject, their consideration, and interviewed the Harbor Master, Captain Heule, and others respecting it. It is evident the deptli of water at the breastwork and in the iron pot has diminished, and the process o£ silting up is likely to continue. If the wharves at the breastwork were brought forward so as to meet t lie current in the channel there would bo a great deptli of water, which would probably be permanent, especially if the work were open piling, securely braced, as recommended by Captain Ilenle. The cost of this work, however, is considerable — £12,000 if made to the cross beacon, or £7500 if made to the ferry. Mr Saunder3 has given estimates of the cost of enlarging the entile wharf on three different plans which are, however, submitted to the board. Before any of them can be considered the season for shipping fat, cattle to the Auckland market will have, coasod. Mr Saundeiv> has also given an esliiua'e of the cost of a landing stage 80 leel. in length and 10 feet out from the jetty at the place where a crane is now erected. The current, there runs close to the pier, and the work is comparatively inexpensive, while the deptli of water obtained is considerable. If the present wharves are considered a. sufficient it; is thought that the channel might be deflected .*o as to run along (lie breastwork and keep it scoured out. The cost of such a work Mi- Sfiuiulers estimate-- :it £800. The cost of dredging your committee have not considered. J. G. KINKOSs?, Chairman. Estimated cost of extending eat tie wharf, 'scheme No. 1. — Labor and iron work, £355 14s Gd; extra timber required,, £T3l> ; extending present, cattle race and erecting now trap,-£30 — 1-521 14s Cd. Tlii^ extension would give accommodation for a vessel drawing 12 feet G inches at high water, also a berth for a small lighter. Estimated cost of extending wharf, scheme No. 2. — Labor and ironwork, .CIGS ; extra timber required, £34; erecting new trap and extending present race, £25 — £227. This arrangement would give greater facilities for loading and discharging. The deptli of water would be available as at present. Estimated cost of extending cattle wharf, scheme No. 3. — Labor and ironwork. £30ii ; extra timber required, £110 9s ; extending present race and erecting new trap, JE2.3— £440 9s. If a new cattle race -was erected, quite independent from the present one, an inciv.-ifcd outlay of about £30 would he incurred. A portion of the race will have to be movable to allow of free access to the wharf. Estimated cost of erecting a landing platform on section B. — Labor and ironwork, £292 7s ; extra timber required, £81— £373 7s. This struciure would extend 10 feet into the channel from the lino of (lie present work, and woidd give an available deptli of 14 feet 9 inches at high water spring tides. A road to connect the proposed landing stage with. Waghorne-strcet would cost £150. • Estimated cost of extending breastwork on open piling from Murray, Common and Co.'s to cross beacon, 1200 feet length, £12,000. Estimated cost of extending kreastwork on open piling from Murray, Common and Co.'s - to ferry landing, 740 feet, £7500. Mr Kinross said he did not propose to submit any motion in reference to the ,report at once, but would give notice to move at the next meeting that a jetty 80 feet long be constructed on section B. Mr Vautier could not see why the report should not be dealt with at once. Mr Kinross thought it would be better to give members time to consider the before pledging the board to any .expenditure, particularly as the report did not contain any specific recommendation. Mr Miller ..considered that the sooner increased wharf, accommodation was afforded the better it would be. The cattle carrying trade from here to Auckland wa.° a larfte one, and should not be negUjctcd."^ The revenue derived from it by tho' board yras £130 for twelve months. Mr Kinross admitted the importance of the trade, but Mr Saundors had informed him that it would take two months to complete any extensive works, and by that time the shipments of fat cattle would cease. . Mr Miller agreed that such being the case there was no need to hurry tho matter. • Mr Ormond said tbe question was of considerably more importance than at first sight appeared. It was desirable j that increased wharf accommodation should be given, but the board, he thought, should not proceed hastily. It seemed to be doubtful whether of the schemes submitted tho larger one would not prove injurious to the channel, and it was therefore advisable that tho opinion of some engineer should bo obtained as to what should be done to render available the depth of water there was now on the bar, which was 15 feet, while there was only 12 feet inside. The point to be ascertained was how best to manage to berth vessels at tho wharf that could enter the harbor.

He therefore considered that tho board should defer any decision until they had obtained the opinion of an eminent authority.

Mr Wilson held the same view. Evidently the result of the harbor work a had quite justified the expectations of the engineer. The silting up of the inner harbor could scarcely bo foreseen, but it was a matter that would have to »c dealt with, and it seemed obvious that ifc would end in dredging operations, which were very expensive. At Oamaru. ho noticed, they wore about to have recourse to dredging afc an expense of £40,000. At Port Chalmers and at Lyttelton work of a similar nature was contemplated of a still more expensive nature. He knew that there was a strong feeling here about the harbor works not having been successful, b;.t he hoped the feeling had now subsided, and that a disposition would be shown to do what was required for deriving the utmost advantage from the works. Practically what Mr Carruthers had contemplated had been effected There was a silting up, certainly : but if a breakwater were constructed it would be open to the same action, only on a much larger scale; He qviite agreed with Mr Ormond that some advice should be obtained as to accommodation for vessels inside the harbor. It was then decided that the report should lie on the table for tho present. ACCOUNTS. A number of accounts were passed for payment. 110 AY MET AT,. Tenders for tho supply of road metal were opened, and ihe tender of Mr John Stiller, at (is C>d per cubic yard, was accepted, 'tiii: srxKKN mooutkcs. Mr Miller moved, pursuant to notice, that ihe pilot be authorised to take steps for the Recovery of the moorings. There had been, he said, some misunderstanding about the matter, otherwise the board would not have decided to abandon valuable public property without making an attempt to recover it. When some five weeks ago the subject wns brought before the board by the pilot an expenditure of i! 3or so would have been sirilicient for the work of recovering tho mooring, and it must have been,' as he had said, quite through a misunderstandingthat the board did not then authorise the expenditure. Afc all events ho knew it was the ca.so with one member. At the next meeting he (Mr Miller) was absent when the question was put. The board had not long ago expended £00 in repairing the buoyTand it was clearly the board"s duty to recover the property. He was afraid, however, that though in the first instance it would only have cost £o, ifc would now cost £40 or £50, in consequence of the moorings being silted up. The work should, however, "be undertaken without delay, as every day increased the risk of the mooring-, being lost altogether. Mr Wilson seconded the motion. Mr Lyndon said that though he opposed the proposal on the last occasion he would support it now ; but he would suggest that the work should be let by tender. Mr Miller could not see- the use of inviting tenders. There was only one diver in the place, and so there was only one man who could tender. Mr Ormond said that one set of moorings had been lost already by being silted up. Mr Van tier objected to Mr Miller misleading the board in referring to the expenditure upon the buoy, as if that was at the bottom of the sea. The buoy was nil right. All that there was at the bottom of the sea was a mushroom anchor and some fathoms of chain. The reason why he had opposed the expenditure of money for tho recovery of the moorings was that masters of vessels preferred lying off their own anchors than at the moorings. He also thought it objectionable to authorise expenditure without some limitation. It might go on for a week or a month. It would be far better to pay a lump sum if the moorings were recovered, payingnothing if the}' were not recovered. Mr Miller said that after the last meeting several gentlemen had offered to pay out of their own pockets for the recovery of the moorings. Mr Van tier : Why did they not do so ? Mr Miller : Because it would be a shame to the board for private persons to do what is the board's duly. Mr Kinross said that inviting tenders would cause more delay, and therefore increase the expense of recovering the moorings. The pilot know the spot where they were sunk, and the work would nut-, he was sure, be unnecessarily prolonged. Mr Vautier could not undersfand^how the pilot could know the spot when there was no buoy to mark it. Of course the pilot knew the bearings, but that would ! not indicate the spot within a hundred ! yards. It could only be guess work. The motion was then put and carried thin con, THE SI'IT i-EIIUY. | On the motion of Mr Vautier, seconded j hy Mr Kinross, it was resolved that the Spit ferry be let by auction. XOTR'K OF MOTION. Mr Kinross to move at the next meeting of the board, v That a landing stage SO feet in length, at section B of the eastern pier, bo erected forthwith." The board then adjourned.