NORTHERN HARBOU RS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3040, 19 June 1912, Page 82

NORTHERN HARBOU RS.

MUNICIPAL ACTIVITIES

MR WALKER'S IMPRESSIONS

Mr J. H Walker, chairman of the Otago Harbour Board, returned to Dunedin on Saturday night after a brief, but busy, ! trip as «ar north as Auckland. During his I II 1 * ¥* W * lke * made it part of his buai-™-L 'nspect the harbours in northern I potts and stated himself to a Daily Times ift bemg considerably impressed With the activity'that was being displayed . and the up-to-date methods which we 4 j being employed. While in Auckland he made an inspection of all th e harbou" and I reclamation works ietties *„a i i under, the I SlitSaf: f f AII * h ? MtieaTre & ; Juf conet. noted of ferro-ooncrete, while in •^tSris j^./ a stA^^ t S ed n «Sin,r In *? ition V they *? 6 *"*ta& W,»il gating of Neuchatel asphalt makes a splendid working surface and a watertight wharf. The Queen street wharf has a width of 250 ft, and the general arrangements and facilities are in keeping Mi Walker also mentioned that verandahs W° h T g ei ?u ted , over all the wharree. ro W6ath * should not interfere with working operations. As regards the harbour itself, the board h« not to face anything like the problem which confronts the board in Otago, for its dredging material is a hard silt, which consolidates easiW and quickly What was even more satisfactory was the fact that no sooner was the reclamation of an area completed than it wa 3 let to boat-building or other interested tirms, while in some cases tho yearly rental averaged from 25 to 33 per oenrt. on the cost of reclamation. At the present time the board is reclaiming a large area on which will bo erected two big patent electrical slips, costing somewhere in the neighbourhood of £33,000. An interesting visit, was paid to the new 1000 horse-power tug recently constructed at Home at a cost of £13,000. Though only IOOfA in length, it is a very powerful boat, and is giving entire satisfaction. Other directions in which the enterprise of the board had manifested its-olf were the waterside workers' building, where provision is made for a ve r y large number of men, and which is largely availed of by tho workers: also in tho-ereetion, at tho head of the Queen street wharf, whore the ferry boats that ply about tho harbour are accommoduted, of a large building, which will cost approximately £BO,OOO. The lower portion of this building will bo devoted to the provision of offices to be let to the ferry companies, and of shelters, while the upper portion will also be let as offices.

The Wellington "Harbour was also inspected in company with tho chairman of the board, the harbourmaster, and the engineer. Here the reclamation works are on an even better footing than in Auckland, because the reclaimed area immediately provides a splendid bottom. A largo amount of reclamation is being effected for tho Railway Department and for letting purposes, and very rapid progress is being made, though the dredges have/ a much smaller capacity than is tho ease in the Otago Harbour, the hopper holding only about 750 tons, as against 1250 tons in the case of our local dredge. On tho other hand, better facilities are provided for coupling up the pumps, so that tho material can be removed from the hold of tho boat as she lies at the jetty. As in Auckland, so in Wellington, tho waterside workers' building was a feature, but the accommodation for the ferry companies was on a much smaller scale, a building having just been erected at a cost of not more than £2OO or £3OO. In addition, there is a largo waiting room that is availed of by passengers using the ferry boats. As chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, Mr Walker visited the Auckland Hospital and the nurses' new home, and learned a lot which will be of bsnefit in connection ■with the erection by his own board of the new ward at the base hospital. Speaking on municipal matters, Mr Wal-

ker said that the streets in Auckland, with the exception of Queen street, did not compare at a|i favourably with those of the other main centres, and a very largo amount of money will require to bo expended on them during the next two or three years. In Newmarket socio streets are being; laid down in Limmer blocks, an experiment which should be watched with keen interest. These blocks are oomposed of asphalt subjected to very strong hydraulic pressure, are no more expensive" than wood blocks, and are claimed to have a longer life. After seeing the Auckland Town Hall, which he describes as magnificent, and the Wellington Hall, Mr Walker said that ho feels quite satisfied that Dunedin in the near future should very earnestly consider the matter of a new Town Hall.

V.i'th Mr Morton, the city engineer, a visit was paid to some of the municipal works in progress in Wellington. The streets in the capital city are without doubt, said Mr Walker, the best in the Dominion. Portion of Lambton quay was being taken up for tramway purposes, and he noticed the small amount of -wear on wood blocks which had been down for many years. Borne curved rails wore being replaced, and so smartly was the work done that it was all effected during the day while the trams were in motion and with a very large traffic going by. This is in contradistinction to the usual practice in Dunedin, where these things are done at night time, and means a big saving. Several of the Wellington streets had been laid down in tar and sand, and the result .had been entirely satisfactory, there being an absence of dusfc._ and the cost of maintenance being considerably reduced. . The initial cost averaged about lid per yard. In conclusion, Mr Walker sa*d he had been forcibly struck with the manner in which the tramway service was managed. The City Council had appointed a committee, or board of control, composed of the city engineer, the electrical engineer, and the traffic manager. All the detail matters came before this committee, which reported to the council. Its, functions embraced the whole of the administration, exoept in so far as Tnatters of policy were concerned. This method, besides relieving the council of a great deal of responsibility, places the control of the system in the hands of competent men specially qualified by their professional knowledge to judge as to the requirements of the service. As a result of the knowledge gained of harbour matters during hi 3 visit Mr Walker will in all probability be in a/ position to bring nbout some necessary improvements in oertam directions in connection with his own board. It is also bis intention in a fortnight's time to pay a visit to the Lyttelton Harbour.