OTAGO HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

Otago Witness, Issue 2784, 24 July 1907, Page 34

OTAGO HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS

IMPORTANT PROPOSALS.

POWER TO BORROW .£IOO,OOO. LEGISLATION TO BE ASKED FOR.

A special meeting of the Otago Harbour Board was held o nthe 19th- to consider a notice of motion by the Hon. T. Fergus to increase the board's borrowing powers. The members present were Messrs J*. T. Mackerras (chairman), W. , Barclay, E. F. Duthie. D. A. De Maus, G. B. Bullock, J. Watson, W. Belcher, T. Ross, J. Robin, and the Hon. T. Fergus.

The Chairman said' the first thing he wished to bring before the- board was a congratulation to Sir James Mills on his well-deserved knighthood. He was certain all members of the board were delighted'at the honour done him. Sir James Mills had for long been intimately connected with this j port, which he l had benefited in a very ! marked degree. He therefore moved — ! "That the Otago Harbour Board tender its ! congratulations to Sir James Mills on the ! honour bestowed upon him by his Majesty \ the King, and that this board fully appre- | ciates the honour conferred on one who has done so much for the colony as a whole and I this port in particular, and further, that the same be recorded in the minutes and conveyed to Sir James- Mills." This was carried unanimously, and it was further resolved that the above be cabled to Sir /James Mills. —

This was carried unanimously, and it was further resolved that the above be cabled to Sir James Mills.

The Hon. Mr Fergus moved— "That the board approach Parliament with a view to getting an enabling bill passed authorising the board to borrow when necessary any *urn not exceeding £100,000 for the purpose of carrying out works for the permanent improvement of the harbour." Speaking to the motion, Mr Fergus said members of the board would no doubt remember that some three or four years ago a committee was appointed to go into a variety of matters with the object of ascertaining if they could reduce the dues and also to prepare a statement of probable requirements [in the way of works. The committee reported, and the board saw fit to endorse i the report with the exception of one por- ! tion — that part which proposed that a sum not exceeding £100,000 should be borrowed, the borrowing of such sum to extend over a series of years. Nothing had been done since then, the board's attention having been directed to the taking of endowments by the Government for railway purposes, J and a petition, as they -would remember,, had been signed and sent to Parliament by 20,000 persons against the taking of the board's endowments in this manner. Nothing satisfactory beyond a promise that no more land would be- taken had been obtained in regard to that agitation. Any person who had given the affairs of the harbour any consideration would arrive at the conclusion that means greater than those now being pursued should be resorted to for providing greater facilities for shipping coming to the port. Dredge 222, which was very x old now, was a good machine in its day, but was not fit to cope with che work it was called upon to undertake, and that dredge was being run 2A hours at present, but could not be expected to stand the strain for any great length of time. Then they were behind as a harbour [ in the way of appliances for the handling of cargo, and other bodies with up-to-date appliances could do this class of work at a cheaper and more expeditious rate than cculd be done in Dunedin. Dredge 222 was required constantly in the Victoria Channel between Dunedin and Port Chalmers, and could not give the attention to the lower harbour and the entrance that was .required. The board was therefore faced with the position that, in order to provide accommodation for the largest vessels afloat, these and other disabilities should be removed, and the time had arrived when the harbour' should be put in a better condition. It was only reasonable that the water from Koputai Bay to Harrington Point should be made of sufficient depth to accomodate any class of ship that might come to the port. It was also necessary that, in order to relieve the strain on the finances, works that were now charged to revenue shoulJ be charged to capital. The board would ■ shortly be called upon to provide a light-tower at the end of the mole* and he held that such a charge as that should not be borne by ordinary revenue. Extra expenditure was also required at Harrington Point which should be provided for by capital, and which revenue could not, and should not, bear. The- way in which necessary improvements and works were being prosecuted was all too inadequate, and their works were being \ carried out in a piecemeal way. More wharf accommodation was required at Dunedin. Ths tongue wharf was of little use, and ought to be removed, and * the basin required enlargement, and facilities should be provided for the discharge of coal and timber along the Anderson's Bay road frontage. The cranes in use at the wharves were unsuitable for modern requirements, and now that they had electrio power in the city more powerful cranes should be i obtained' and the electric power should be availed of to drive them. For works that should have been borne by loan the board during the la3t five years had spent out of ; revenue no less than £75,000. The works thus charged to revenue were changed by other bodies to capital, and if the Otago Board wished to foster the trade of the port and to keep harbour charges on a parity with those of other ports in New Zealand it would have to do likewise. Of the sum of £75,000 he had mentioned, no less than £H,OOO wa6 for new wharves and sheds and for the making of streets. It wa6 never contemplated that a Harbour Board would be called upon to assist in street formation out of revenue, and if the board was relieved from the necessities he referred to it could without difficulty pay interest on £100,000 at 4- per cent, and have such works constructed put of capital. A second dredge for exclusive work in the lower harbour was an urgent necessity, an 3, as far as he had been able to ascertain, the cost of a suction dredge would be about £32,000, and the operating expenses for three years about £22,500, and of the sum proposed to be farrowed the balance would be required

for other necessary works which he had indicated. The proposal he now made to the board was undertaken with a great deal of diffidence, .-When it~~was before -them on a forme r, o ..sion it was. -rejected, and he then resolved that he would not move further in the matter until the" board was reconstituted. He had since been assured, however, that a number of members of the board would support the 'proposal if brought forward, and in deference" to their opinions Ec Bad againjbrought jthe. matter forward. In the interests pf the -port ft was. essential that the 'board should no longer procrastinate, and he was sure if the matter was placed before Parliament m a proper light they would have no difficulty in getting the necessary power to enable them to get what they wanted. In drawing up the motion he intended to insert the words that " the rate of interest should not exceed 4£ per cent, per annum."

Mr_ J. Robin, in seconding the motion, said che board might remember the time when he would have opposed such an idea, but he had since then had occasion to modify some of his views. The dredges now in use were unable to cope with the work expected of them. For instance, the Victoria Channel might be deep^ enough vo-day, but if left alone would probably have bilted up in a, month. Both the Lower and Upper Harbours were not getting any deeper, and they wanted all •.essels, no matter how large, that sailed New Zealand waters to be able to get up at (east as f«r as Port Chalmers. If shipowners found that their, vessels could not get into a harbour they merely shruggec their shoulders and left that harbour severely alone for the future, even though it had been deepened afterwards. He did not by any means agree with everything that had been said by Mr Fergus, but he was prepared to waive many 'matters of detail as long as the board carried the resolution to borrow the much-needed money, which, he believed, would, make the harbour more navigable and a credit to 'the place. Mr Wetson . The Upper or Lower Harbour?

Mr Robin : Now, what would be the use of dredging' out- the Upper Harbour and leaving the Lower Harbour blocked up ?—? — (Laughter.) Mr Robin went on to say that the Dunedin members of the Harbour Board had always been ready to do everything - for the hajbour, "even when the Port Chalmers members had refused, and he challenged those present to point out one instance on which the Dunedin members had objected to a proposed improvement. As to the dredging, it would take two years to get a new dredge, and what was to be done in the meantime? The best thing, he thought, would be to apply to the Timaru Harbour Board, who might relieve the strain by lending them a dredge at a reasonable rate. He hoped the motion would becarried unanimously. Mr' Bsllock believed it to be a very necessary step, and the fact that ocean steamers -were unable to get in was a, disgrace. Beautiful promises had been made in the past, but had not been fulfilled. Up-to-date cranes had been promised, but even now cargo was hoisted on to lorries by ships' derricks by courtesy of the- captains of vessels; and all this with the charges higher than anywhere else -in New Zealand. If the merohants were to support the board the board must support them. He was not for Dunedin against Port Chalmers or vice versa, but for Otago Ha.rbour as 4 -whole-

Mr Roes said it was proposed to spend £55,000 on the Lower Harbour and £45,000 on the Upper Harbour, but of all things they should have an up-to-date dredge, and the channels at the Heads cleared for big ships. After that had been done it would be timo to look to the wharves. He was surprised that in the past so much had been spent out of the revenue instead of being borrowed. He also had much pleasure in supporting the motion. Mr Barclay remarked that the question whether vessels should be bjiilt to suit the harbour or the harbour made to suit the vessels was not at present before them ; but this " little colony " could not go on spending money for the benefit of shipowners. Certain works were necessary, but the money for them should not come out of the revenue. With the necessary amount m hand the harbour could be made the bc6t in New Zealand, but it was not desirable to pay for works of a permanent nature out of the revenue if i loan could be arranged. Mr Watson opposed the motion. The expenditure, he 6aid, had been alarming, and the only tangible assets were the endowments and £10,000 a year for reclaimed land let. Much of the reclaimed land had not been let. The total amount expended had been 2£ million pounds, and still the board wanted to " pile on the agony." It was frenzied finance. Why not take the money made during the last 15 years by taxing importers? They had already paid. £932,000 in interest, and yet they wanted to pay still more interest. It was monstrous. Let them give the reclamation works a rest. There was no necessity for any more reclamation, as the board already had more land than it knew what to do with, let alone let. All the money and revenue, in his opinion, had been expended at the wrong end. They had a ditch through a quicksand which was costing a great deal more than it was worth. Importers would much prefer landing their goods at Port Chalmers than up at Dunedin, but the big liners could not get up to the Port, whereas if the money had been spent on the Lower Harbour there would have been no difficulty. The early days had been days of sentiment, and Dunedin people had loved to think of steamers lying up against the heart of the city. The board had much better have left the Upper Harbour alone and devoted its attention and money to the other end. Nearly all improvements had been monopolised by the Upper Harbour.— (Dissent.) By thus neglecting the Lower Harbour the board had made a grave mistake. Captains and pilots were timid about coming in. There was a sandbank at George streec wharf which the board seemed to have losv sight of. They had been living in a fool's paradise. There was far too much extravagance oft the board. He could put hie finger on many little things in which money might be caved. The £48,000.received from importers should be earmarked for the sole U6e of the Lower Hafbour. It was wrong to go on putting up interest and heavy debts. Whatever was done with ell the money? The board could carry on admirably on the revenue if it went the right way to work, and he sincerely hoped the motion would not be carried. Mr W Belcher said he thought the fcor-

rowing of such a large sum should not be entered upon lightly. No indication wa6 given as to where the money was to come from to pay the interest, which would be a heavy burden when added to the interest the board was already paying. The board had only a small revenue, and before taking up additional burdens it was necessary jo be careful. -There was a good deal in what. Mr Watson had said in regard to the needs of the Lower Harbour. The maintenance | of a waterway for 16 or 17 miles, a proportion of which was practically quicksands, wag a heavy responsibility on &■. compaxa-. tively smail community. If it was. intended to ." make the waterway between Dunedin and Port Chalmers of sufficient depth to accommodate the largest vessels afloat, then ho thought the board was not in a position to enter upon such a work. He thought, however, something should be done, and that some attention should be paid to the entrance to the harbour at the Heads. The improvements made there -had not had the desired effect— th_e efforts to obtain four, five, or six feet of addifkmal water had been very costly. He held strongly that the entrance to the harbour was- where money should be expended, as it was no use making a road unless there was an approach to it. When that was done the channel to Dunedin could be completed. Large vessels did not come to this port when full of cargo because of a fear that they could jaot enter. A Member: One large boat a month.

Mr Belcher: The community is asked to undertake too much when it is asked to make provision for the accommodation of vessels of 1&,000 and 15,000 tons ia the Upper Harbour. It had not 'been made clear what it was intended to do with the spoil when the suction dredge obtained it. Where was it to be deposited? He quite agreed >hat some such dredge was a necessity. This port was_ the worst-provided! port that he knew of for the discharge of cargo. Most of the shipping coming to the tipper Harbour was coastal and intercolonial shipping, and for this there was sufficient water in the Victoria Channel; but- with railway communication betweenDunedin and Port Chalmers there wae no immediate necessity to provide for big oversea ships. He intended to oppose the motion in the meantime, as he held that sufficient information had not been given as to how and where the money was to be expended ; and he did not believe in money beirig^ frittered away.

In reply, Mr Fergus said he had an easy task before him. He had to compliment Mr Belcher on the moderate manner in which he had disagreed with his motion; but he meant t-j have a bout with his ( other friend, Mr Watson. Mr Watson had given them some most astonishing facts, .and had accused the board of spending two and ahalf millions

Mr Watson: Yes, md getting nothing for it- •- Mr Fergus: There are also some shillings and some odd coppers. 1 Mr Watson : Oh, never mind the coppers !

Mr Fergus: I beg pardon; I thought by the nature of my friend's objections that such details as odd coppers would especially appeal to him.

Mr Fergus, continuing, said that members of the board were men of intelligence, quite as gifted as Mr Watson in fact, although perhaps that gentleman might not think so. The reason they could not lease the reclaimed land was because people could not get access to it oi account of the railway. Mr W»ghorn was a case in point, and had been practically ruined by being blocked off h's land by the line. The Government had acknowledged the fact and compensated him with £500. He would inform Mr Belcher that the money for road-making and protecting street frontage would not be charged to the revenue account. They were building up a reserve, and had at present plenty of money to pay the interest. A quicksand had been mentioned, but no such thing existed. The action of the tide had washed down the banks, but the angle of repose had at last been reached, and the channel was now being steadily enlarged and deepened. A suction dredge would deal with all this at onefifth of the cost of a bucket dredge, as the material to he dislodged was not hard matter. Be that as it might, ships, and big ones, were got through that channel right up to Dunedin.

Mr Watson : At what cost?

Mr Fergus: At the cost of many grey hairs to my friend, I should imagine. As to the all^g-ed bar at the Heads, that had ceased to exist and he (Mr Fergus) was oredibly informed that there was a depth of 36ft of water there at low tide; also that the difficulties lay higher up the harbour, notably at Harrmgtpn Point. It would be a long time before big ship* would unload at Port Chalmers in preference to Dunedin, and it was outrageous to oppose the motion on such petty grounds. As to the loan, a schedule would be drawn up by the board, and the bulk of the money would bo used between Point Harrington and Port Chalmers. New wharfage must also be attended to. He had hoped for a united front in the matter, and thanked the board for its reception of his proposal. When the Chairman proceeded to put the motion.

Mr Watson said -. ' May I move an amendment?"

The Chairman: "No; too late."

The motion was carried by seven votes t » three, Messrs Belcher, Watson, and De Maus voting against it. Mr Fergus then moved — "That a committee of this board approach the Government on the question of the proposed loan as soon as possible." — Carried. It was further decided that the secretary be instructed to write to the Mayor thank-

ing him for his courtesy in offering to do »Ii , he could in the interests of the beard as regarded endowments. '•