New Plymouth Harbor Board.

Opunake Times, Volume VI, Issue 248, 22 January 1897, Page 3

New Plymouth Harbor Board.

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1896. The following report was read by tbe Chairman, Mr E. Maxwell, at the Harbor Board meeting on Tuesday : Gentlemen, —Tbe annual accounts of the Board for tbe past year are now before you, in which you will find fully detailed the financial position of the Board. Overdraft.— lt will be noted that the overdraft on 31st December, 1896, stands at £3626 7s. At the end of 1894 it was £124 17s Bd. In the earlier part of 1895 the state of tbe breakwater was so bad that the entire structure was in imminent danger, and the sand in the harbor had accumulated to such an extent that one of the shipping companies anticipated having to replace their boats by ones of a smaller tonnage. The Board, therefore, had to take active measures to preserve the trade of the” port, and ddcided to overdraw to the limit necessary to supply the needful funds. Mr F. W. Marchant, C.E., of Timaru, was engaged to report on the state of the breakwater and sand question, and acting under his advice, the Board let contracts for rubble protection work and a sand pump.

Breakwater.— At the time Mr Marchant took charge of tbe work, he reported “ 860 feet of the wall as presenting a very dilapidated appearance, thres gullets having been excavated by recent storms, besides subsidence, cavernous erosions, and disturbance in the block work,” and every storm was making matters worse and threatening tbe destruction of tbe breakwater. A contract was let on August 16th, 1895, to Mr R. H. Cameron for a supply and tipping over the breakwater of 9000 tons of stone, which was subsequently increased by 2828 tons more at a total cost of £1933 7s lid. This included making good all damage done during the carrying out of the contract. Another contract for the supply and tipping over the breakwater of rubble was let to Mr J. F. Hooker, under which contract about 5700 tons was placed over the weather side of the breakwater, at a cost of £970 9s lOd. This contract was finished at the end of November, 1896. The completion of this rubble work, it is believed, has placed the breakwater beyond danger. In support of this it may be mentioned that no damage has taken place during the past year, and all expenditure under this head has been stopped.

Band. — The sand accumulation in the Harbor has always been a source of anxiety aud expense to tbe Board. The increase got so far ahead of the Board’s feeble appliances in tbe year 1892 that tbe Government had to step in and assist by the hire of the dredge “ Progress ” from the Oamaru Harbor Board. During her 11 months stay in the port she removed sufficient sand to keep the water, with the assistance of the Board’s own dredge, at a fair depth till the year 1895. In the winter of this year the increase of sand in the harbor seriously interfered with the working of the port. At this time Mr Marchant, C.E., took charge of the works and under his management the amount of sand removed was increased from a monthly average of 1200 cubic yards to 3500, which kept the port open until the new sand pump, under tbe engineer’s advice, was placed in the T. King at a cost of £Bl2, which increased her monthly dredging to an average of 8,200 cubic yards. A further quantity of sand was removed from the harbor during the months of November and December by dredging from tbe wharf of 6,100 cubic yards. At this rate, after allowing for bad weather, 100,000 cubic yards of sand should be removed per annum, and the Government surveyor reported the total accumulation within the harbor to be about 16,500 yards, it would appear that our present appliances would soon overcome the difficulty. The present depth of water at the wharf at low water springs is as follows :—Outer end, 9 feet; middle of wharf, 7 feet; inner end, 12 feet. The quantity of sand removed, and cost, for the years 1893 to 1896 is as follows: — 1893 cubic yards.. £794 1 7 1894 „ .. £787 1 8 1895 „ .. £853 10 0 1896 „ .. £1763 8 11 A large portion of this last expenditure was for repairs, general overhaul, beaching, launching, &c., of the dredge at the time the sand pump was fitted in her. The present estimate of the cost of dredging by tbe sand pump is about 3d per cubic yard, and by the grab bucket from the beakwater about 6d.

Wharf.— The wharf is at present badly in need of repairs, more particularly in the bracing and decking. The Railway Department has on several occasions applied to the Board to make these repairs, but as the Department claims the exclusive right to receive and deliver goods from the wharf, the Board has not seen its way to entertain these proposals. Plant. —The breakwater protection having been finished, the plant in 3onuection with this work is being carefully housed, cleaned and painted. The s.s. Moturoa has been offered for sale, but has failed to fetch the reserve. The new plant consists of a 25-ton quarry crane, which was purchased by a number of gentlemen in New Plymouth at a first cost of £IOOO for the purpose of facilitating the lifting of large stones. This crane has been leased to the Board on a system by monthly instalments of £ll, principal and interest. The sand pump has already been referred to. A new grab has been ordered from England.

Railway Charges.- -The Board considering the present excessive charge of 3s per ton between New Plymouth and Moturoa, detrimental to the trade of the portyhas repeatedly applied to

the department and has also petitioned the house for a redaction in the rate, but without any result. By-Laws.— During tbe past year the by-laws have been revised with a view to co nserving and improving the trade of tbe port, by reducing the wharfage charges from 8s to 2s on the principal articles of imports and exports. A slight alteration was also made in the shipping charges. These alterations came into force on Ist October, 1896. Shipping. —3B2 vessels entered and left the port during the past year, of tbe aggregate tonnage of 69,657, wharfages received amounted to £3242 14a Bd, and shipping dues to £BSB 14s 7d. The imports and exports for the past two years are as follows : —1895, imports 20,836 tons, exports 5,807 tons ; 1896, imports 19,657 tons, exports 7668 tons. Endowments. The Board has leased several sections on Mt. Eliot reserve during the past year, and has had its portion of Egmont-street metalled and curbed at a cost of £213 17s 6d, preparatory to handing it over to the New Plymouth Borough authorities.

Electoral Wards.— During the past year the Harbor Eating District has been divided into six electoral wards as empowered by tbe Harbors Act 1878 Amendment Act 1894, and future elections will be conducted under the new system, one elective member for each ward. Interest on Loan.— Tbe Board first made default in its payments of interest in the year 1889, and on 31st December of that year owed £6OOO ; on 31st December, 1890, the amount reached £10,600 ; on 31st December, 1891, it was reduced £6900, the Government having paid £SOOO ; on 31st December, 1892, the arrears were £9483; on 31st December 1893, £7500; on 31st December, 1894, £4500; on 81st December, 1895, £IBOO ; and in the early part of 1896, the £IBOO arrears were all paid. Harbor Rate.— ln 1895, owing to the increase in the area of settled land within the New Plymouth Harbor Rating District, the increase in values, and increase in laud revenue, the latter amounting in that year to £7688, the Board were enabled to reduce tbe rate by one-eighth of a peuny in tbe £, and in 1896 a still further reduction of one-eighth of a penny was made, the rate being in the £. The rates collected in 1864 amounting to £7826 11s 7d, in 1895 to £5751 18s 2d, and in 1896 to £7584 ; the Land Revenue in 1894 was £7677 8a Id, in 1895 £BOSB 16s Bd, and in 1896 £6706 6s 4d. Sinking Fund. —This fund now stands at £33,745 8s lOd, the sum of £28,050 being in the Board’s bonds, and £6696 8s lOd cash being interest. E. Maxwell, Chairman.