BERTHAGE AT PORT CHALMERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 3

BERTHAGE AT PORT CHALMERS.

IMPROVEMENTS WANTED

DEPUTATION TO MR lIERRIES

(Fnoii Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 1. Messrs Mo Her (chairman). Walker, and Wilkinson, of the Otago Harbour Board, and Mr Mason (engineer), this morning waited on the Hon. W. H. 1 lorries (Minister of Railways) requesting him to consider favourably the urgent necessity of providing adequate berthage at Port Chalmers, where the wharves are under the jurisdiction of the Railway Department. The deI putatio.n was introduced by Mr E. H. Clark, who recently submitted a question in the House bearing on the same subject. Mr Moller explained that within recent i years the Harbour Board had effected con- ! siderablo improvements in the waterway j from the Heads to the Port. The depth i available in the channel was now 32ft. At | the George street pier, however, the depth of water was only 27ft and the largest | vessels trading to the Port could not make it their final port of departure, nor could the board dredge to a sufficient depth at the George street pier owing to the danger of undermining the piles. The board desired the Minister to consider the question of lengthening and widening the pier so as to , enable the board to provide an adequate depth. At the present time the board was losing revenue owing to lack of adequate berthage at Port Chalmers. Mr Walker said the Minister would realise that the board’s loss of revenue also affected the revenue of the Railway Department in the case of the export of butter and cheese. The Minister would probably know that once a fortnight during the season transhipments were made from Dunedin to Lyttelton instead of going down by rail to Port Chalmers. If adequate berthage was obtainable at Port Chalmers many oversea ships would make it their final port of departure. They had sufficient water from the Heads for the largest ships, but they could not accommodate them at Port. The question was a serious matter from the board’s point of view in that if improvements wore not effected either Bluff or Lyttelton would be made the final ports, handicapping the port of Otago very seriously. Th- board was anxious to give every facility to the shipping companies to induce them to bring their large steamers to the port. Mr Wilkinson emphasised the previous speakers’ remarks. Mr Mason traced the steady improvements which the board had effected since the time the Railway Department constructed wharves suitable for shins much smaller than the present class of trading vessels. He pointed out that the board had had much trouble in removing hundreds of tons of boulders which had fallen from the rubble wall into the berthage at the George street pier. He pointed out further that the size of ships was increasing rapidly, and it was necessary for the board to do all it could to provide adequate accommodation. Tile Minister asked if they had any authority from the shipping companies that they would make Port Chalmers a final port of call if the berthage was improved. lie would like to know how other boards might be affected by the proposal. Mr Wa liter said ho understood that (he New Zealand Shipping Company was prepared to make Port Chalmers a final port of departure. Mr Herrics : I may say straight out that I don’t think that I can authorise any expenditure this year to lengthen the wharf. All our expenditure has been mapped out. and I am afraid the financial position will not allow' an expenditure of anything like £30,000, which I am told is the estimate for the work. I will got a poport from our engineers as to the cost of widening it. That, I understand, will bo a much less expensive matter. I think you ought to got some expression of opinion from the shipJ ping companies. I do not want to go to a 1 large expenditure unless I am quite certain j it is demanded by the shipping companies. I quite understand that it is a vital thing for the board, but I want to be quite certain that this extra expenditure is demanded bv the shipping companies as well as by the board. There is no use of my abetting the board if the shipping companies do not want it. I shall get a.n estimate as to the I cost of widening.

It was mentioned by Mr Ronayne, who was present, that the department’s engineers would consult with the board’s officials.