ENGINEERS DIFFER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20642, 14 August 1930, Page 15

ENGINEERS DIFFER.

-'THAMES HARBOUR DREDGING 7 alleged change of -front. '/ CRITICISM OF DEPARTMENT. rpy TEtEGRAPH.—OWN' CORRESPONnENI.*] THAMES, Wednesday. Astonishment wa£ expressed by tho chairman of the Thames Harbour Board, Jlr. Henry Lowe, at its meeting last evening, at what lie // termed a complete change of front, on the part of Mr. F. S. J)yson. enginevr of. the Public Works Deri'U'tnient, with regard to harbour mat.iei'S. ' A letter was read from Ihe Minister of Marine, the Hon. J. B. Donald, referring to the recent deputation which had urged that tho department should dredge the entrance channel berthage and swinging liasin, to provide for belter navigation in the harbour, the cost of which would be repaid by instalments over a period of eight years. The estimated cost was £4OOO. The Minister said the Public Works De- ' partment had takep soundings and found that the estimate furnished was not even ' approximately correct and estimated the work at £BISO. A copy of the district engineer's report was enclosed, which, the letter said, "shows that the quantities of material to be removed from outside the entrance agree with those estimated by the boaro's engineer. The quantities to be removed from insido are considerably in excess. This seems to indicate not only that much greater silting has taken placo within the harbour generally than is supposed to bo (lie/case, but that the annual cost of the ?uturo maintenance of depths will be considerably greater than has been Anticipated and quito possibly beyond the financial capability of the board. "The position now revealed is quite different from that presented to me by the deputation and calls for reconsideration by the board. I suggest, therefore, as a first step, that ihe board's engineer confer with tho district public works engineer." j Engineer's Estimate of £BISO. Mr. Lowe, said he was astonished at the report, as in /he:first place Mr. Dyson had agreed tluit No. 1 Waihou Dredge could do the work at the board's engineer's estimate of £4OOO. Now Mr. Dyson's report stated that in taking out quantities he provided for tho widths Allowed by the board's engineer and after dealing with certain details he made an estimate of £BISO for the work. The board's engineer, Mr. E. F. Adams, furnished a report on Mr. Dyson's statement. He said he had made during the last few /days careful surveys and soundings and he took exception to Mr. Dyson's statement that his figures were not even approximately correct. As a matter of fact, within a remarkably close margin tho Quantities of the operation were strikingly in agreement. The difference was principally on the rate per yard at which the dredging could be done. Thß Bogey." The engineer's report goes on .to say that "the accretion bogey has held up the permanent improvement of this port for half a century, and has become an article <if faith among local residents and oxresidents. It is hopeless to think that Mich a deep-rooted belief can be disturbed hy the submission of engineering data, but in order to put one more nail in its coffin I am mentioning the above-named facts." His fir/a 1 estimate for the work was £3862 10s. The board discussed the three letters at length. Stirpiyise was expressed that soundings were taken without consulting the hoard's engineer. Finally Mr. Lowe moved that the board write to the Minister, sending him a copy of Mr. Dyson's 'and Mr. Adams' reports, l pointing out to him that the board could not understand the discrepancy in the figures. He also asked that the Minister be requested to bring about a conference cf the two engineers. The motion was carried.