HARBOUR MOLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26416, 21 March 1947, Page 6

HARBOUR MOLE

CONSOLIDATION WORK BOARD ACCEPTS ENGINEERS’’ REPORT Consolidation of the mole at the entrance to the Otago Harbour from .the shore to the end of the existing timber structure —a distance of. 3700 ft —-will be undertaken by the Otago Harbour Board the work to be done two bays at a time. This decision was made at a special meeting of the board day, on the motion of Mr W. Begg, after discussion of a report on the mole, prepared by the consulting engineer (Mr J. M. G. Wilkie), the resident engineer (Mr A. C. Swanson) the harbourmaster (Captain F. G. Mac- . Donald) and the mechanical engineer (Mr W. L. Coxhead). The voting was: For—The chairman, Mr W. R. Clarke, and Messrs Begg, P. • G. Connolly, M.P., R. Walls, M.P, S. B. Macdonald, J. H. Duncan, L. F. Evans and J. Preston; against—Messrs R. S. Thompson, H. S. Watson, J. G. Jeffery and F. E. Tyson. An amendment —proposed by Mr Thompson and lost by seven votes to four, the chairman not voting—advocated, in accordance with the recommendations in the report, that the existing staging for a length of 3700 feet should be repaired and maintained in good order, that all low parts of the 3700 feet wall should be built up and maintained to high water mark, and that the first two bays should be constructed of the 300 ft underwater part of the mole beyond the end of the staging “ Opinion of Laymen" “ I preferred the opinion of engineers to that of laymen,” remarked Mr Tyson, when Mr Begg’s motion was carried. , . The board adopted a proposal by Mr Preston that, when the consolidation of the mole for the length of the staging was nearing completion, any further extension should be reconsidered. On the motion of Mr Begg it was agreed that the whole question of financing the new work should be referred to the board’s Finance Committee for a report to the board. ’ All members agreed on the importance of the protection ths mole gave .. to the harbour entrance. “It is a pity that something like this report was not obtained years ago, before we spent £ 170,000 on the mole,” said the chairman. "Our duty now is to ensure as far as possible that we can provide a structure that will withstand any excessive sea.” The Board had heavy liabilities, and was not in a position to spend a large sum on the mole, Mr Begg said. As the channel had been cut, the stone work should remain as at present, with the consolidation of some bays on the 3700 ft portion. It would be necessary to keep a close watch in the future. Mr Begg claimed that the dredge should be capable of keeping the channel open. . , Mr Thompson: Dredging will cost £30,000 a year, and the experts, m the report, warn us that the dredge could not cope with the accumulation of sand.

Danger of Extension «We must decide whether any more staging is to be constructed and whether the mole should remain, for a period, at its present length and he raised above high water mark from the present end shoreward, said Mr Evans. “So’far, we have been assisting Nature in safe water but, if we go further than the end of the staging, we will be fighting the elements because we will pass beyond the shelter of the headland, into the southerly weather. To go further, I contend, would involve unjustifiable expense. “After spending £170,000, it is folly not to complete thcS mole, which is per* , forming an excellent function, said Mr Thompson. “It would te absolutely ridiculous to limit the work to the reconstruction of - two bays, or 40ft, at a time. We must repair and maintain the existing staging, the cost of which will not be great, because staging is essential for the maintenance of the breakwater.”