DREDGE WHAKARIRE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 63, 24 February 1934, Page 9

DREDGE WHAKARIRE

Its Purchase Disapproved

NOT SUCCESSFUL IN PAST The recent purchase of the dredge Whakarire at a cost of £10,500 from the Wellington Harbour Board did not meet with the approval of the Port Ahuriri Ratepayers’ Association last night, when it was described by several speakers as “a heap of scrap-iron.”

“It is evidently not good enought for Wellington but good enough in the opinion of some people for Napies, w'here we have enough rubbish already,’’ said Mr H. Anderson.

“The dredge is 31 years old, and in addition to the purchase price the dredge will cost about £14,000 a year to maintain,’’ said the chairman, Mr P. Mooney. “I would like to point out that the dredge is valued in the balance-sheet of the Wellington Harbour Board at £4700, which indicates their value of it. 1 am willing to prove that the Whakarire will not last any time dredging at the Breakwater.” Mr Anderson: It will not last three months. The chairman: We don’t know what it cost the board while the Whakarire was here over 20 years ago, but there is no doubt that the foundries did well out of it. Mr Anderson: The Whakarire did good work on the patch off the piers, but was useless at the Breakwater. A voice: The Japanese would not take it away. It appears to be that the board has bought a tool which proved useless when dredging at the Breakwater 21 years ago. Are the ratepayers of Hawke’s Bay going to stand for this sort of tliingf The Wellington Harbour Board had to use the Kaione to dredge the site for the floating dock. It seems that the Napier Harbour Board is playing into the hands of the Wellington board. Several other speakers also condemned the dredge, which they considered unsuitable for reauirements at Napier.