DEEP WATER BERTHAGE AT PORT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15826, 26 July 1913, Page 12

DEEP WATER BERTHAGE AT PORT.

DISCUSSION BY THE HARBOUR

BOARD.

Mr F. W. Phitis, pursuant to previous notilication, moved at the meeting of '"tlio Otago Harbour Board last night—"That the chairman, the secretary, Messrs Wilkinson. Hazlett, and Bullock act as a deputation from the board to ill Minister of Railways anil the General Manager of the Railways to ask for the co-operation of the Railway Department in "providing a deep water bwtli at Port Chalmers by widening the George street pier or by strengthening the present structure of the pier to enable the necessary dredging to bo done." Speaking to the motion ho 6aid that at present the greatest depth of water at the wharf was 25ft 6;n, and ordinary liners trading to the dominion drew 29ft and 30ft when fully laden, and the result 'was that such vessels could not be accommodated in the harbour. They could not make the Port their first port of call nor their final port of departure, and the result was tint the Port was thrust back and became a third rate port. No pier 'had the length or sufficient strength, for dredging alongside it, but tin) engineer bad stated that it was possible to got , depth at low water of 39ft. Ho (the speaker) Kskttl that a deputation consisting of the chairman and members of the bbard proceed to Wellington to waif, upon the Minister and General Manager of Railways and urge that this work should bo attended to. He considered it a most pressing work, and if they had a deep water berthage, it would lift the Port into the front ranks right awa.v. Mr Bullock, in seconding the motion, took exception to the remark by llr Plaits as to the Port being a (bird rate port. Within the last six weeks the Otaki had come here, and had drawn 26ft or 27ft of water, and she brought one of tho heaviest cargoc§ ever landed hero. Vessels were arriving every month from Lo-don and making Port Chalmers their first port of call. Mr Hazlett said a suggestion had been made to 'him by a nautical man that as the George street pier was at present far enough ottt into the channel, the Bowcn pier should be removed, and dredging bo done to a depth of 40ft, after which a fresh pier should be erected in absolutely slack water. He thought, the engineer might report upon the suggestion.' The Chairman (Mr 11. E. Holler) said be was much struck by tho suggestion brought forward by Mr Hazlett, which ho believed was a good one. He took exception to tho remarks made by Mr Platts, who was .a Port Chalmers representative. Mr P'atts overstepped the mark when bo said that Port Chalmers was a third-rate port. Since ho (Mr Mollcr) 'had been on the board these son of remarks were made principally by Port Chalmers reprcsantatives. The lower harbour bad never boon better than it was at the present time, and he thought it spoke well for the engineering work that the Port of-Otago, had been improved the way it liad been. ••• Mr Belcher said he understood that at the present time the wharves at Port Chalmers were fairly well able to accommodate most of the vessels that came and went. With regard to the deep water wharf, there was possibly some wisdom in the- suggestion that had come to Mr Hazlett. and it might be acted upon. But tho trouble was that the Otago Harbour Board had absolutely no control over the wharves at Port Chalmers, and it would have to bo left to the tender mercies of the Government whether it would act on the recommendation of tho board. They were at tho mercy of the Government or the Railway Department all the time. He suggested that when the board's representatives went to Wellington they should make themselves heard and felt before the Harbours' 'Association and before the Ministers, asking that tho Port Chalmers wharves should be placed under the control of the board. Mr Plat-is said the chairman and others had misunderstood' his remarks about the Port Chalmers harbour. He said that the effect of the absence of dee]) water war, to thrust it back into the rank of a thirdclass port, but that if it was properly dredged it would take its place as a fustclass port. Owing to the want of deep water, Home vessc's cou'd not make it their first port nor the last.

Members: No! No ! Wrong!

Mr Platts: I know I am right. He knew of an agent who, on making inquiries, had been informed that there was not sufficient water for his vessel. The Otaki had drawn 25jft forward and 263 ft aft, and bo indicated that some difficulty had been experienced in berthing her. Although there was 40ft of water in the channel from the Heads right up to Deborah Bay. yet thero they ran into a considerable stretch only 23ft at low water, and that effectively destroyed the value of the rest of the channel. The motion was carried.