OTAGO HARBOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19697, 26 January 1926, Page 6

OTAGO HARBOUR

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS. EXPLANATION BY CHAIRMAN! AMD ENGINEER. APPROVAL BY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. A specs&l meeting of the Chambe of Commerce waas held in the Express Company 7 s bead room last night for the purpose ot hearing an explanation by Air J. Loudom (chairman of the Harbour Board) and Mr Wilkie (the board’s engineer!, expecting the proposed harbour improvements. Tno schedule of proposed works is as follows i Reinstatement of North Spit mole £IIO,WO Acquisition of dredging plant ... 125,000 Renewal Birch street wharf ot’nnn Harbour warehouse 25,000 New .hod Rattray street wharf and cargo handling appliances £2,000 Extension Victoria wharf and necessary dredging _ ... A),Out) Railway connection with 1 ictona wharf GWO Finishing Leith canal o,ow Total £350,000 Mr ,F. M. Shortt (president of the Chamber of Commerce) occupied the chair, and there were about 30 people present. Mr Loudon said that until 1911 the Chamber of Commerce had had direct representation on the Harbour Board but that franchise had since been cancelled. .Mien he had first gone on the 'board he had represented the Chamber of Commerce. Ihe first improvement proposed was for the reinstatement of the North Spit mole at a cost of £IIO,OOO. In 1885 the same trouble had confronted them as at the present time. That was a shoaling across the entrance of the Heads. The board had obtained the services of >Sir John Ooode, and he had suggested that a mole should be run out from the North Head, and his further proposal was tor a mole from the South Head, -bus forming a bottle neck. They bad been told that- unless something was done the northerly set of the current would ultimately silt up the present channel, and it was being affected at the present tune. In 1885 the mole was commenced, and in 1887 some 4000 odd feet had been constructed. The mole had fulfilled its objects up to the present' time, but it had lost a great part of its efficiency because the water was now flowing over it. With the expenditure of the money named they believed the necessity of carrying out the other part of Sir John Goode’s scheme—from the South Head —would not be required. Their engineer, Mr Wilkie, had advised them that something would have to be done. Their present Dredge 222 had been 40 odd years m commission. It had proved a very fine d-edge, but was now about worn out. The dredging could not be delayed further, and they must have an up-to-date machine. When Mr Blair Mason had been the Victoria channel was only 77ft wide, and it was now 144 ft wide. They wanted to make it 250 ft or 500 ft wide, provided the depth was there. —(“Hear, hear.’ ) Some of the big ships with heavy top hamper did not like to com© up the channel with the restricted width. The annual cost of repairs to the <3redge was from £3OOO to £4OOO, which was a very big item- The Birch street wharf was now getting badly in want of renew ah These three items represented £270,000 of the total cost, and it was work winch had to be carried out. He thought the citizens of Dunedin would readily understand the necessity of the work. There was no first-class port in the world which did not possess an up-to-date free store, and this item meant an expenditure of £26,600. It would be used for storing fruit and goods for merchants. Their present stores were not for storage at all. They set aside some sections a few years ago. facing the Victoria wharf, for this warehouse. They found that a new shed at the Rattray street wharf and cargo appliances were required, and when it was supplieu he considered it would meet the position for the next 23 years. There was the matter of the extension of the Victoria wharf towards Ravensbourne. They anticipated that shortly the area known as the Frederick street block would be taken up with warehouses, and they wanted wharf accommodation there. The £20,000 allotted would include a certain sum for dredging at this wharf. The railway connection with Victoria wharf represented a sum of £7OOO, and that connection was indispensable. They must be able to semi their goods direct by rail to the wharf. Finishing the Leith Canal meant a cost of £6OOO, and he was snre they would all agree thatthe completion should be carrie 1 out. He was satisfied they would appreciate the cleaning up that had been carried out at the south end. —(“Hear, hear.”) That amounted to a total of £350,000. How was that to be provided for. Interest had to be found, and it was admitted that their harbour dues were high. The speaker estimated that the saving in dredging expenditure would be about £BOOO, the revenue from the free store about £4OOO, the increase in revenue from endowments about £IOOO, and the increase in berthage and wharfage revenue about £2OOO. That made a total of about £15,500, and would mean that about £4500 would require to be taken from revenue, but there should be no difficulty in regard to this, in view of the surplus of revenue over expenditure. Mr Wilkie (the board’s engineer) stressed the necessity for building the mole up to high water mark. When Sir John Code was asked to report the sandbank lay in a different position. Sir John’s idea was to cut through the and deflect the tide. The channel, which was from 700 ft to 1200 ft wide, had a depth of about 40ft of water. For the last 10 years the sand had been changing, and it now threatened to block the channel. Twenty-five per cent, of the outgoing tide flowed over the mole. He thought the building of the mole would do all that was required for many years to come. Just opposite Sawyers’ Bay iher© was a shoal patch. Near Eavensjxvurne the channel was very narrow, and the. boats now coming up now wanted a considerable width of channel. The present dredge was most expensive to work. There were about 10 men at work in the repair shop, and there was an expensive overhaul every year. The buckets of the dredge were about 10 cubic feet in capacity, whereas they wanted a dredge with a capacity of about 25 cubic feet. The intention was to get a hopper dredge, with both buckets and suction apparatus. It was estimated that it cost about 5d per yard to take the debris to the Heads, whereas the cost of pumping it ashore was about 4d per yard. Mr W. B. M. Fee said it had often struck him that the cost of taking the material to sea was very heavy when compared wit the value of the made_ ground by pumping it ashore, plus the saving in cost. Mr Loudon exptaned that the board had to get legislative authority before it <-oiild reclaim ground. After the reclamation at Mussel Bay, the southern endowment, and the Anderson’s Bay area was completed the board would have to approach tlie Marine Department for authority to undertake further work of that kind. 3lr Loudon stated, in answer to questions, that the Harbour Board would have to get rh empowering Act to enable it to borrow, but he did not' anticipate any difficulty hi this connection. The present Minister of Marine quite understood the position. Mr S. B. Macdonald moved a hearty vote r,f* thanks to Mr Loudon for his lucid ecld-ers with the assurance that the citizens of Dunedin were at ono with the board iti its desire to see the improvements outlined carried put, Mr J. B. Waters seconded the motion. He said that the hulk warehouses should Re as near the wharves as possible. Their pert was handicapped in putting goods on board steamers, and the erection ol a warehouse as suggested should enable them to work their goods more cheaply and efficiently. Quite a large number ot the members of the chamber were interested in the question of putting their stores as close to the wharves as possible, "and. moreover, it was in the general interests of the city. The policy- of tmbcard to have goods discharged and loaded at Dunedin was one which they must support, and they should therefore have facilities provided by the board in this direction. He also wanted to thank Mr Wilkie for the information he had given. Mr L<ytdon said he had gone into the matter with Mr Bardsley, and he thought they could see £4OOO from the store. Ho did not think there was any doubt, that they would he able to obtain the £15,000 he had referred to. The hoard had decided that Mr Wilkie should visit. America and Europe to make a thorough inspection of all works, and more especially of up-to-date appliances for handling cargo. It bad been suggested that the money Should be obtained in London, and that

he should meet Mr Wilkie there and make arrangements for borrowing the money. He thought they could do better in London than in Xew Zeuland. They would always have to pay i per cent, more than the City Council, nccausc the board had no rating powers. He felt certain that there would be no further burden on consumers as a result of the loan if the trade of the port remained what it was. T;ie Harbour Board finances were in quite good position, and it wax an improving position because tile town was go in;' ahead.—-(Applause.) The 10-auon was carried r>y acclamation.