The Dredging Question.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 10011, 30 November 1908, Page 4

The Dredging Question.

MR \V. IT. PATKHSOX'S SCI IKM I-:.

Mr \Y. 11. I'aterson waited on the Harb'-r for the pnrpose of i:ivin;z U-foi«* a scheme af» outlini-d by n..»n Sarunlay riii:lit for the of th*' hari-or. Mr I'atvrson twus in th- Mail's interview that h«to withdraw, hut he would like :<• au_rrne:it that irif«>rmation. Th-re had i♦ cu n"thin_: **aid about the d.pth to v. hirh tie- could work. *lh" ,irt.tl_T" wnsi built to work to a depth "i ~'S in the Molym-ux Hivcr. The r v.;us >hort»«n»-d. and .-lit' eonld tow v..-rk to a «h-jfth of 26 ft-*. but th»- piece .c; tj !.»- |.ll * in a-jain. Th° m:i -iiin»-iy •.v.,- ».f tin* pattern and U-st- ma:eTii - buckets ar»- driven hy rop-s. i *h" :>ump hv a belt. I h**r-- is als" ; ; r:' t i •»:: <-I; ir« on rh» v fn>t motion ;dnlt. 'it;.. h i- m, adjust »'*d :r.< to : v, >o as to cai's** V." t;t: fi*«• ..v r»:a<-rt:::e-ry. ! 5»" »Wi ri t : * bar-is • hU calculations as t" »•'>?. * hi»-t of Min -S ni!is:<l- that a was aM- to lift just t !:r>-< -<jir«rt-rs nf f.-r eapacity. Th>- dr-d-e r !»»•_ sp* ak«-r had irt vb-w wns built to lift !-*io yards p-r hour. but h- was ba.-mir his cab:UI;it;on> on her lifting 30 yaw is J-'T hour, ilf dr<-d_ r «- on .a «old claim was w«ir.-%«-d I v two irc-tt. till- witiehrnan and _ th-

»•: iri»--'irivr-r. In tHo- liarhoi* on>- v.-jin-h----tn:".n woid'i i"- r«*tjuirt*»!. wh'-s----pur •i'»wti at Is s'l all ti*•in*, on-.- Jiiciiian at \> ota- ntati to att.'M'i to p-.tuooiij f.,r »i»ni L- >l. i- l.t ! - U 6d. ni -1 ;i: .l -,il 2s 6.1. l""n- i"-d d''"l:-"-2'r hours a day. lut th.- =-!»• -J'-;"* !i;ul 1,:.--! his .-Jti. lililtsolL. Oil ::u .1-11; if.UK- dav. He had |.-.;t 'io-'-n tlie malll-t.-tumre at J a y-ar. 'I h.- -! •a; n-.ajo-l-itv of th- -"H dl • -'>-t iWA, a v-a. V.u'rkin- 21 boots a .L.v. hen Ui-1-woui«L U.- in n'.aintvuaiivr hy tii<cliniiuatiou "f the -old-savins iii>l'lia;.*-.'S. I m- "o'_.i dre i-'ts buriifi l " n "S; ni:- ui .-iui-t i-oiir.-. and that cmil eoiila 1,- iiiit— i to t latnai-.i at 19s a ton. A.s it" v.atvr r ■■inire to l-e iiit-d in t:., h'al ij'ir. a> V.sis i:.-r-.-s:irv the -"hi • ire is-, tii- '">-1 ' "ii.-nii:[-:ion wotiiil tmich i-"I i- <t ntide tn.- tut.il

v.oi-kiii-' th» dredge. iw.r K < : Am maiut-n au'.-e. i';.' an th- • i'-'waini, station, at j.viiich the coal v.-.'iM E-e approximately cs an hour, in eluding v.ater and labor. * : u 8; var;Ls per hon at a «■«*>: i::>ur t::e v/.ei'.d per yaro. It there v.a> added to l\u>. the cost o! ♦ of the >poil. the co>t would ; 2'.d [' r ho-ir. 'I he -oi l dredge was n.v„:intni.-ai knowii machine tor Ii I: ir: j: material, because fioin time to time t fie .-y.-tf-m had been improved '' h- v.io 1 tinif whf.: bard stuti* could ra«t U- but tyn-s bad t.e«-n att:i'h d. v.ii:>'; 1 had made this Ti:*> to v.orl-: sideways oil a :a« v/'TaIHI: Uu\-;v.*ards and forwards.. -m i'"-" w,!j tir.--t cut and aaerv.aid> iittid. Mr Liviu-.-tone ask-.-d wheth< r tne 1 ro-

could" be adaptt-.l for such work. Vr Hat'-r.-on s tid had inspect: d the I»r~o_i .->■ at: i i:a ! ■ onu- to the j.-..uc:ii-<l,n that the adapting of for tie p.-rpocre would .<v>t a snm of im-m-v. Mr Mori~o:r: Cou'.d tie not i.-e rittcd on to trie I'mgres; that idle

work the entrance? Mr l*.iterso!i: Ail the machinery wotd»: liav. t-> come off her, for it was not suit:e tor the speaker's impose. If the IYo were so adapted the alterations v.'.uid be very .xteiiiive and lery exj eii--i.\. '!(:>- tnnci'.iilery could b.' obtained t-i tit tip the l'roure.-s f.»r about- £I2OO or £ISCC. but tiie"c.tet of ttttittg in that mai-htnery would i e very great. He had an idea of wiuit tint co.-t would be, but was <litiide::t in px'ing ail opinion. Mr Kose: What is your idea of tlie

Mr I'aterson : Xot iess probably than £4OOO for the titting of the machinery, and this with the cost of the ma. hinery would make £sC\jo to £6ouo. The Chairman : Is there sufficient power ;n the eugin- of the promised dredge to lift Itard clay': , Mr Paterson: There is amine power. I have no doubt oi that. Mr Hose: Could nut the pump we have in connection with the Pn-gie.-s be ::sed, doing away with the pontoons, and using the pump on the Progress with sea waiei iiisteiul of using town water V Mr I'aterson: That could 1 e done ot_ course, but I think that the method o: U<iii" the town water would be the cheaper- Kvei: if the Progress were utilis-rl the pontoons would still !*• necessary. Tile winches are quite obsolete. Ot course thev could be replaced with gold dredge winches, which can be picked up fairlv cheaply. , . Mr Cardiner: I bow you are taking all" the trouble to get us out of our diffieirtv. but I should like to ask: Would you Ik- disposed to take up this scheme yourself on the lines outlined by you? Mr Paterson: My sole reason for com. itig before tiie Hoard was because I fel. that there was no harbor in the colony more suited to this svstem of dredging, an.! no svstem more suited to the class of material tltat is found in the liarbor. than * laiu.n'u. If I bad wanted to takeup this matter privately I should not have troubled to have p!:u ed it letore the Hoard as I have done, but _ wouid siinpiv have made ait offer to no tue work "at a certain price. I do not wish to be dragged into dredging again at all. and simple brought tile scneme oetore yo:t (...-cause I felt it _ was an excellent wav out of a great difficulty. Mr Milligau : Would you be in favor ot a propttsal tor you to tin*! a.l the material an I carry out the contract at so Mr Paterlof:* I should le in favor of th- Board considering the matter. If it v.a.- decided that private shoul.l d" it I have not the slightest doubt that the money could be found. _

Mr Mifiiisin: Would nor a retainiir.: '''\[,■ 'pat-rsorl: That is a diliieiihy I have had. but it should not !o insuperableMr M.ackav: Could the spoil be deposits! on the north side of the mole? Mr Patersou : I nni not a n'iriise en--ine-.T and could r.ot hazard an opin.o.i. f.ut no doubt there would be no difficulty in lid of it. Mr llo~e said that the scheme that Mr Paterson had put before the Hoard was a business-like one .ir.fi one tnat_ should i... --[ve:; the maturest consideration. It til • Van proved as satisfactory as it appeared on paper to ix- it woa'd moan that the Hoard would be abe to do ior aeout £37-10 what it had been ' onteaudated to spend JSSC.COO iii*~>ri. The Ciuurman: That is no: so. Ihe plant would cost about £3,-0 without taking into consideration the cost <>: dred In-. wiikh w-as cohered by the £SO.COGI , , . . Mr Hose: I wish vchi woakl not interrupt n:e. If what I say is no: you can correct n:e aiterwards. The Chairman: Th. remark wto grossly misleading. . Mr n,*.-: Wrv weiL. I will put it _ijns wav: Mr I'aterson otters i:s tor £o<4o what the Hoard propose,! to pay £jo.U/,

Mr I'.iw said what w:is want-d_ v.ns the ehcaptst means ol dr liiiu;.:. I iti..ekeiiie ?. emed evert cheaper than the one |r.:t t'ir'/.aiti bv the .-P'-anvr of lvhaM'.ir.irin - the Pr,v;j,ss. It was the Hoard s Jutv "to follow tiie matt, r i:p. and his .minion was that the drtd.-iri,' should be don not by the Hoard itself. H:s idea was that "2 small practical committee .shoul-t ;o into the matter with Mr Paterson. Inert if the committee was satisfied" th.' l!oar.l shouM make an oiler of =0 much per ton to .Mr Pater-on for trie e:irrvin- out of the work, "lhat would do awav with the necessity tor hoi roy-inc: j motrev. Hi moved that a small committee ; l.e aii[H.uut .! to ctir.t r with Mr I'ater- ; son and report at the earliest possible !

Se.or.d d by Mr Motion. Mr Cardiner said h.- thought Mr orl the rtLiht I:n» and In- w,.ui I sup port tn<> motion. The Chairman s.vi.l he had • ■ < n <!omi to Core and had seen the propos, ,i dreke working. He thought it right that the Itoard should appoint a committor- am: that their course should run a or.:: the iif/.i of a contract to K- entered mto l>-twei-n Mr I'aterson and the Hoard. \[, |> jrersott said that so far as h.- personal! v was cont.vru.-d he had no intention lit g"it.i into the n-ntt.-r a: ail. He had come tjoiore th.* P.0.ir.1 [-'. i! c-> in the ;:>tirests of tkr r.irepay.-rs. He had no intention of erit.-rin; into ar.y • ■ontra't with. th-> Hoard. H<- ha! n" doubt that th-?- money < ou'u t•' fo.::»•!. but hi* "md con-.e to Oamaru to g-t av.-iv from .imlgina. arid hid ro intention of undertaking th<* v.-ork lutuselr. .IJr Rose said he thought the commit- j t.-c* stv-iild I e a smai! one -o that no time | would be wasf.nl. He thought that a com- j mtttte of four f.'iis sufficient. The Chairman said he thought the con;- | mittee of focr was too rtiisH.

Mi- flaixliner said that- the whole Board .should iio into the matter with Mr l'aterson. 'Mil- motion was carried. Mi- Ko.se moved that, the committee con.•ii.st of Messrs Lane. Monson. the Chairman. and tlie mover.—Seconded by Mr Mon.son. Ml- Marshall moved that the members of ih.- Standing: Committee be the com-miitei-—Seconded by Mr Wiliiains. The amendment was carried. The Chairman tluinked Mr Paterson for the interest- lie ha<l taken in the matter. Ml' i'aterson suggested that- the scheme lie put before a practical engineer, a man v.-r.sed in dredging and hydraulics. He had into "the matter himself very thoroughly and was satisfied as to its feasibility.