HARBOUR BOARD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 8 October 1936, Page 10

HARBOUR BOARD

(To The Editor) Sir, —With your permission I would like to answer the remarks of the chairman of the Harbour Board which he made at the opening of the Slipway last Saturday. First. He said that all criticism through the papers, signed or otherwise, could not stampede the Board. As the Board through their actions and statements brought the criticism on themselves, they may rest assured that no one. wants to. stampede them, but they might. ; 'a : s/well- know that the usual talk round the wharves is that you couldn’t move the Board with a charge of gelignite. But the criticism must be doing some good when the chairman spoke so determinedly, on it. , ,„, > v Second. That the Board -Went into the matter, of a’ slipway and decided it was; not .their duty, so' they did not want to compete with private enterprise. In Auckland, Wellington. Lyttelton they have slipways provided bv the harbour boards. Does the chairman still persist that it -is' not their duty when all those boards have done so? In Dunedin they have two dry docks, one for small vessels and one for large. What did the Wellington Board say .when they got the floating dock?, “We never expect to see it pay. but we must have it for the convenience of the. port.” Then he went on to speak of the Aerodrome, and when he answered •• Mr Harley about blowing the sand out of the harbour he said ;the Board didn’t blow. If he wasn’t blowing: about the aerodrome, what, was ;he. doing? - •; I would like to.ask some of your cor-, respondents who .. have.? some, experi-' onces of harbours, why all those harbour boardsbuilt;, slipways, .as- their duty and the Nelson Board did not? Also, what right has the Nelson Board to ; spend money on the aerodrome when it is specially rated from the ratepayers, and' collected L through shipping? If I was; holding a thous-. and pounds in trust for ■ someone to

build,a hopse arid I bought a.-motor car with it, where would I be?: The same . thing applies '.to the Harbour Board.;: They did not go to the ratepayers'and; get a vote permitting them to spend .that . money on -the aero- . drorne. If the chairman takes a trip to Auckland and goes on to .the Princes Wharf he will find there four sheds with flat , roofs each" capable ..of holding'sooo: tons' ofcargo; : ' There is berthage for four j Home.' liners; there are sixteen cranes, eight of which lift' five, tons'and eight of-them ten;; When discharging motor .cars or bar iron they are landed right on the roofs of the sheds, cars are stocked two and three high- and right along the roof of the: sheds if required. Then there are four stacking cranes which lift the- cars from the roofs on to the lorries or any car which may be landed on the wharf by the. ship’s gear is. nicked, up and landed by those stacking cranes. Then when a vessel is loading mutton or butter they have convevors worked by motors which take it along as far as they want it and the ship does riot lose .time by shunting. How many trucks can they work on a Home liner without shunting. The-usual; thing, in Auckland is ■.sixteen trucks 'per gang.’ ! Working four gangs on butter and two on meat ;you would Kavepiihety-six trucks on The linesbat the-same time, besides a couple of . gangs;, : f, working general cargo: ~; The . time /has come fpr the' [Nelson Hrirbouf/Bpard to'try and,do something for ' their porf . instead of saying,, look wfiabwe have got in the' reserve fund! Reserve funds are all right, but they are not much good when the port has lost the'little trade it has got.'- I forgot to mention that there are six electric capstans on that wharf, two for the express purpose of shifting the trucks and save delay in shunting. I would suggest that the chairman go and have a holiday and have a good look round... and send his consulting engineer/along-To'meet the shipmasters and officers that are running to the port- and:vye:,will give him all; the information: -hei requires/ Then we may ease up on the criticism of the Board.—l am, etc., ~ T. HENDERSON. Nelson, 6th Oct.- ' ; ;