HARBOUR WORKS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 236, 18 September 1934, Page 6

HARBOUR WORKS

CONSTRUCTION PLANS Earlier Completion Aimed At HIRE OF ANOTHER DREDGE A number of matters directly bearing upon tbe plans to extend the Breakwater Harbour were resolved by the Napier Harbour Board at its meeting yesterday. Inter alia, it was resolved to seek the replacement of the Unemployment Board's subsidy of 25/- a man * week with a 12 per cent subsidy, and to place contracts only in New Zealand. The chairman. Mr T. M. Geddis, made the following statement: “In the period since the carrying of the loan proposals, I have devoted considerable time in consultation with the engineer and Other officials, and in making various inquiries in order to place before the board for its consideration such details as are necessary to enable members to complete matters so that an early start may be made with the works." The amgineer 's plans and report embody most of the points that will require decision, and are submitted by him after careful study of all engineering aspects, and follow discussions with the officials and others as to the facilities acquired to make Napier a modern and Well-equipped port. “The proposals submitted are based on sound engineering practice and aim at securing for the people of Hawke’s Bay a maximum of constructional work and facilities for the total expenditure authorised. The general principles as set out before the ratepayers are being adhered to, but in the working out of the details the engineer offers several alternatives by way of improvement, which members are asked to give con■iderttion. NEED KOK URGENCY. •In view of the damage by the earthquake and other disabilities from which the port is suffering, there is an urgent need to get on with the work and bring about completion at as early a date as possible. There are sound reasons favouring such a course, notable among which are those of taking full advantage of the cheapness and abundance of supply of money and also the prevailing low construction costs. “Another urgent need is that of finding full time employment for men at present on relief and of co operating to the fullest extent with the Unemployment Board in coping with the unemployment problem. •‘The sooner the facilities are available the sooner producers and exporters will benefit from the estimated saving of £53,000 per annum and a general impetus to trade will produce beneficial results to the revenue of the board. Speedier construction will be generally more businesslike and therefore less costly. “After considering the matter carefully from every angle, it is therefore my firm conviction that it Should be the board’s objective to reduce, if possible, the proposed period of construction from 41 years to at most three years, and that every endeavour should be made to enter into either one comprehensive contract for all major work, or, alternatively, as the engineer advises, to divide the programme into three portions—viz. (a) Breakwater extension, (b) small wharf construction, (c) large wharf construction, and contracts let accordingly. “In tjiis connection, many subsidiary works could be incorporated in the tenders for the larger undertakings. In calling tenders, reasonable time should be allowed contractors to carry out necessary investigations and obtain data, and consideration should be given to calling tenders in Australia and New Zealand, especially in view of the low prevailing construction costs and the keen competition resulting from a dearth of construction works of this magnitude in both countries. SPEEDING UP DREDGING. “It must be obvious from the outset that little or no progress can be made with the construction of the twe wharves until the dredging has been earned out, and while the board’s dredge Whakarire has in the past few months removed a vast amount of material and will, in the engineer’s opinion, complete the work in the specified period of 4J years, much greater progress will be required in this direction if the facilities are to be provided earlier and the producers and importers given the benefit of cheaper and modern facilities. “I would therefore urge upon the board to investigate the possibilities of hiring another powerful dredge for a period of, say, six months of the approaching calmer weather, with the object of reducing the dredging period and expediting the commencement of wharf construction. At my request, the 'engineer has made tentative inquiries in this espect, and he advises that suitable dredges are available in New Zealand and that arrangements can be made on the lines as suggested. “It would be necessary for the board to call tenders for the hiring of a dredge, and if arrangements could be made in keeping with the finance available for this purpose, I feel the board would be fully justified in adopting such a course. In the event of this suggestion being agreed to and arrangements made, I would recommend that both the 'Whakarire and the hired dredge be kept on double shift and the dredging work be jmshed on with all / possible speed. “The first matter requiring dcision is the calling for tenders for the Breakwater extension. The engineer has prepared plans and the specifications are now almost completed. CONCRETE, NOT TIMBER. “The designs submitted by the engineer for wharf construction are on most modern lines and will, he says, be better than the old type of wharf and less costly. There is a complete absence of under-structure bracing, usually adopted in wharf construction, and this,

he advises, has many advantages, notable among which are a lesser likelihood of damage from contact with shipping and from earthquake. The plans were submitted to thd Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department ,Wellington, and have met with his approval. “The board has had in mind the erection of the smaller wharf in timber, and authority for this work has been given by the Loans Board. On mature consideration, however, and after consultation with shipping and other interests and with officials of the board, I would strongly urge adoption of the engineer’s recommendation for the construction of this wharf in ferro-con-crete and to the dimensions indicated in his report.

“The wharf, as now designed, is 811 feet in width and 750 feet in length, and provides for a fifth set of rails as requested by the Shipowners’ Committee on the occasion of the conference with Mr J. I. Cato and myself and officials some months ago in Wellington. The engineer, it will be noted, also recommends that berths be dredged to 35 feet instead of 30 feet, so that provision will be made at this wnarf also for the largest cargo vessels visiting New Zealand. “In its improved form the smaller wharf will thus be efficient and will be particularly suited as an export wharf. It will be a substantial and permanent structure, requiring little or no maintenance, and will be a valuable adjunct to the larger wharf in coping with the export requirements of the province. Provision is made for electric cranes and the wharf will be so constructed that it can be worked by motor lorries as well as by the railways. “The original authorisation by the Loans Board for the timber wharf was £20,000, and it is proposed by the engineer that the additional expenditure required be provided by using £25,000 of the unemployment subsidy and £16,000 authorised for cranes. “Provided the board approves of the recommendation for the improvement in design and construction for this wharf, I would, however, offer for consideration several alternatives in this connection—viz. (a) that all additional money required be provided out of the unemployment subsidy, or (b) that £25,000 of unemployment subsidy be utilised, and that the Loans Board’s sanction be sought to divert £15,000 (authorised for Breakwater extension) to the smaller wharf construction. “From the above it will be seen that a departure is being made from the original proposals, but the advantages are so great and the wharf as now designed is so efficient that I am sure they will receive the full endorsement of both the authorities in Wellington and the users of the port. FINANCE ASPECT. “From inquiries made, and judging from the trend of the money market, it appears as if the board will bo fortunate in raising its loan at a distinctly satisfactory rate of interest. In the meantime, arrangements have been made with the Bank of New Zealand, which will advance money as required. There is therefore no reason for delay in regard to finance. “In the preliminary negotiations for the completion of proposals for submission to the ratepayers, the board made arrangements with the Unemployment Board for the payment of a subsidy on full award wages of 25/- per man per week up to the limit of £50,000. This the board accepted and fully appreciated, but in working out the "details, it was felt that there was possibly a more satisfactory basis upon which assistance might be forthcoming from the Unemployment Board. “In consequence, representations have been carried out by your chairman with the result that the Unemployment Board is now prepared to approve of a subsidy equal to twelve per cent, of the total contract price of the proposed works up to a maximum amount of £50,000. This subsidy will be paid in progress payments as the works proceed on the certificate of the board’s engineer and will take the place of the wages subsidy originally approved. TERMS OF SUBSIDY. “The subsidy is granted on the understanding that at least 80 per cent, of the workers employed in connection with the scheme are engaged through the certifying officer at Napier or Hastings from the ranks of the registered unemployed. In the event of the number of registered unemployed men being reduced below 80 per cent, of the total employees, the subsidy will be reduced 25/- per man per week for the number of men required to bring the percentage up to 80 per cent. In this connection it will be necessary for the board to submit to the certifying officer, Napier, at the end of each week, a list of the names of all the employees, showing separately those men who have been engaged from the ranks of the registered unemployed. “I feel that this is a sound businesslike arrangement and would therefore ask the board for its approval. “The Unemployment Board is also considering the question of assisting the board by making advances, as required, in order to aid the board in carrying out the work more speedily. The above arrangement is, I understand, one of the first of its kind in New Zealand in regard to major construction works of this nature, and 1 would therefore like this board to place on record its appreciation of the businesslike, helpful and far-seeing manner in which the Unemployment Board is co-operating in the currying out of this important undertaking. "In view of the fact that complete details of all proposed works must be submitted the Marine Department before being proceeded with and in view of the fact that it will be some weeks before the first tenders can be called, 1 would recommend that the decision of the board be communicated to both the Marine Department and the Loans Board with a view of seeking necessary approval." board's decisions. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. The finance committee ol the board recommended that the question of the suggested conversion of local bodies’ overseas loans at lower rates of interests should be referred to the board’s delegates at the Harbour Boards’ Association conference tor consideration. This conference is to be held at Christchurch on October 31. Secondly, it was recommended that the Unemployment Board's proposed subsidy of 25/- a man a week should bo replaced with a subsidy of 12 per cent, of the total cost of the works. Thirdly, in connection with the Breakwater extension contract, miter bearing the engineer’# detailed explan-

ations of the proposed plans, the committee made the following recommendations: “That the continuation of the Breakwater mole, along the whole alignment up to the Auckland Rock, be approved, subject to the approval of the Marine Department. Public Works Department and the Local Government Loans Board. That immediately the question of alignment is decided, the engineer shall be instructed to call tenders for the Breakwater extension forthwith, and that so far as this contract is concerned, tenders shall be invited only in New Zealand. That the engineer be instructed to communicate with various harbour boards regarding the hiring of a dredge for six months, to expedite the letting of contracts for wharf construction. “That the small wharf be constructed in concrete, instead of timber, to the designs and dimensions set o it by the engineer. And that the necessary additional money required, £41,000, be . drawn from the unemployment subsidy, and that pending getting access to this money, £15,000 be temporarily diverted from tbe amount set aside for the Breakwater extension; this account to be replenished from the unemployment sub sidy when received.

“With reference to the engineer’s remarks regarding the level of the Breakwater road, that this question be referred to the works committee to get into touch with the committee of the Napier Borough Council, with power to complete.” These recommendations were approved The type of construction and lay-out of wharves was also approved.