OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 72

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Otago Harbour Board was held on Thursday evening; present—Messrs J. Loudon (chairman), H. E. Moller, H. Driver, H. C. Campbell, J. M. Dickson, T. Anderson, A. Campbell, D. F. H. Sharpe, W. Begg, »T dvtlS, vy. itx -LZVllci ivt, nua J.’ . it,. Tyson. CORRESPONDENCE. A communication was received from Messrs Richardson, M'Cabe and Co., Scotland, intimating that backs for buckets of the Otakou dredger were being shipped to Dunedin. In reply to a letter from the Y.M.C.A. it was decided to grant £5 5s to the association’s funds. THE BOARD’S FINANCES. The chairman said the Economies Committee had had two lengthy meetings of great interest, but no report on the board’s finances would be brought forward until they could see, with some degree of accuracy, the returns for the year. Up to the end of July the revenue and expenditure were just about square. August wag apparently satisfactory, but, of course, they could not tell what would take place in September. About the end of September they would know pretty accurately what was likely to happen, and, after that the committee would prepare a pretty comprehensive report on the position at present and the prospects for the coming year. The meetings had been lengthy, many matters had been discussed, and they had a tacit understanding about what was likelv to be the outcome of their deliberations. Mr Sharpe: Is there no cause for immediate action before the report is brought down? The chairman said he did not think there was. Mr Sharpe: If we are not in a safe position we ought to drop the anchor. A member: It might not hold. — (Laughter.) The chairman added that the bo.ard had been shrewd and deserved commendation for what it had done. He questioned whether there was another board in New Zealand that had managed to scrape together something like £130,000 without a statutory obligation to do so. “ I want to make it clear,” he added, “ that our obligations are not statutory. It was all done by resolution of the board in face of the fact that the big loans raised 45 years ago did not carry a sinking fund. If the 1 per cent, sinking fund had been established at that time it would pretty well have wiped out the loan to-day. “ The matter of making provision for a sinking fund was left to a later board. Reserves had been set aside, and what had been done in that way was not obligatory on the board: it was decided on by the good sense of the board. Mr Anderson expressed the opinion that on the chairman’s statement, the board had nothing to fear. FINANCE. The bank book showed a credit balance of £5213 14s 6d. Accounts amounting to £12,047 were passed for payment. UNEMPLOYMENT. The Standing Committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the Mornington and Maryhill Ratepayers’ Association, forwarding a resolution passed by the association relative to the recent dismissal of 30 employees, that the communication be received and no action taken beyond the formal acknowledgment already sent. The recommendation was agreed to. The committee also reported that it had noted the communication from the Labour Department relative to a reduction in the days of work allotted to the unemployed.

The chairman said he was afraid the board could do nothing in the matter. Mr Anderson said that everybody was paying the levy and the tax on wages, so that the Government was getting money in. That being so, the money ought to be paid out to provide work for the unemployed. He thought the Government ought tp exercise better judgment in the matter of distributing its money. Mr A. Campbell asked, Why should not waterside workers be given work as other men were? There was no reason why discrimination should be made against the waterside workers. Some of them made very little money on the waterfront at present, and they should have every chance to add to it. The chairman said the board had al ready protested against the discrimination, and Mr Lightfoot, of the Labour Department had been written to. Mr Anderson hoped a protest would be made against the amounts allocated being altered from time to time. These alterations- were confusing to the board’s officials. Mr Moller said it was evident the board had not much money, and was trying to use it to the best advantage. Mr Anderson: They have collected the money, and they ought to spend it. Mr Sharpe said he would like to make an explanation. The board had been slated for making a donation to a certain officer. He wished to say that he was not in favour of the donation. The report of the committee was received. MUSSEL BAY. The Standing Committee reported that it had noted the report of the engineer with respect to the probable date of commencing reclamation at Mussel Bay, and the Port Chalmers Borough Council was to be advised accordingly. The report set out that the reclamation could be commenced about July, 1932. Mr Anderson remarked that Mussel Bay was reclaiming itself. The outer end of the bay would be reclaimed before the inner part. The report was approved. DOCK LEASES. The Standing Committee recommended, in regard to the communication from the senior surveyor of ships with respect to the installation of a caliphont system in the room of the dock building leased to the inspector of machinery, and the engineer’s report in connection therewith, that the work be carried out in terms of the engineer’s report, at an estimated cost of

£2B 3s, subject to an increase in rental of £1 10s per annum. The recommendation was approved. SAND EROSION. The Standing Committee recommended with respect to the report of the engineer that the work on the wall be proceeded with, the engineer to report when 1000 feet of the wall is completed. The chairman said he had taken it upon himself to stop this work until the board had considered the position. It meant au expenditure of £3OO, and in the engineer’s report it was stated that no shoaling or other trouble had taken place for a long time. The board already incurred £2OO of capital expenditure, and he thought the work might now stand over. Captain M’Donald moved, and Mr Waters seconded “That the chairman’s action be approved.” The motion was carried. WHARF SHELTER SHED. The Standing Committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the Port Chalmers Waterside Workers’ Union, asking for an enlargement of their shelter shed and the installation of a hot water system, and the engineer’s report in connection therewith, that the work be carried out in terms of the engineer’s report at an estimated cost of £l7O. Mr Tyson said that it had been represented to him by the Dunedin waterside workers that certain promises had beenmade to them with reference to their shelter shed, and that these promises had not been fulfilled. The building was a perfect disgrace, and he considered that it was the board’s duty to supply the waterside workers with a building which would provide some degree of comfort. The chairman said that if the matter were left to him he would see that something was done in the matter. Captain M'Donald said that he did not believe in one member taking over the responsibility which rightly belonged to the board. The engineer had been instructed to carry out some work in the Dunedin shelter shed, and he (Captain M‘Donald) would like a report by Mr Wilkie. The engineer said that hot water had been connected to the hand basins, the secretary’s office had been made draught proof, and repairs and additions had been carried out to the fire place and lockers. It was decided to leave the matter in the hands of the chairman. HARBOUR MASTER’S REPORT. The harbour master (Captain J. MacLean) submitted the following summary of shipping returns for the month: —Arrivals at Dunedin. 36 vessels (57,190 tons); arrivals at Port Chalmers, 5 vessels (18,147 tons); —total arrivals, 41 vessels (75,337 tons). Departure from Dunedin, 34 vessels (47,110 tone); departures from Port Chalmers, 7 vessels (22,283 tons); —total departures, 41 vessels (69,393 tons). The following pilotage exemption certificates were issued:—No. A/44, to Thomas Ewart Bevan, tonnage 1000 tons; No. A/45, to William Jesse Mead, tonnage 500 tons. The Victoria channel was sounded during the month, and the least water in the middle was 20 feet 6 inches at low water. The least water on the line of leads in the north channel was 36 feet at low water. The Lower Harbour was maintaining 30 feet at low water. Harrington Point bend, width 350 feet and 33 feet at low water; Deborah Bay, width 300 feet and 30 feet at low water; Hamilton Bay, width various, and 30 feet at low water. The pilotage for the month amounted to 27 vessels, of a total of 110,703 tons. The total time under steam was 63 hours, the distance steamed was 332 miles, and the coal consumed was 45 tong lOcwt. The report was adopted. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr J. M‘G, Wilkie) submitted the following report for the month: — The dredge Otakou removed 41 loads, totalling 60,680 cubic yards, from the Victoria channel and the Rattray street wharf. The whole of this material was deposited at the dredge Vulcan, which pumped it into the south endowment reclamation area. During the month the dredge steamed 148 miles and consumed 86J tons of fuel oil. During the mouth no docking operations were carried out. The drainage pumps were in operation for nine hours 45 minutes, and the sheerlegs for five hours. During the period of five weeks ended August 8, 4410 cubic yards of stone were tipped on the mole and 670 cubic yards of debris on the root of the mole. One hundred and five cubic yards of debris were placed on the Port Chalmers road, and 40 cubic yards on the beach wall protection works, a length of four chains of which had been completed. Bad weather considerably reduced the output from the quarry, when the opportunity was taken to carry out repairs to the locomotive, No. 1 steam shovel, the .cranes, and the trackwork at the quarry. No. 19 tunnel shot was fired on Thursday, August 6. Some large blocks of stone weighing up to 15 tons were placed on the mole during the week ended July 25. In the Victoria wharf reconstruction work a length of 20 feet of old concrete decking was removed, and 37 new and old deck beams fitted and bolted in position, seven bays of sleepers placed and spiked down, 120 feet of decking laid, and two pairs of 30 foot cra’he rails laid and fastened down. Repairs were executed to various portions of the sheathing and decking of the Birch street wharf. At the George street pier, Port Chalmers, five new piles were driven, eight piles were fitted with fish pieces and bolted in position, and the braces and walings for seven bays were replaced and bolted up. Various repairs were effected to the dockyard and freezing works fences, and a portion of the iron roof of the dock workshop was renewed. New steps were erected at the Ravensbourne boatshed wharf. Four new beacon houses had been constructed at the board’s workshop, in readiness for erection at Harrington Point bend, when the pile structures had been completed. A new beacon to replace the present beacon on Quarantine Island was being erected on the edge of the reef to mark the available width of navigable channel between the halfway islands. For the period of four weeks ended August 8 dredge Priestman lifted 741 cubic yards

of stone from the. top end of the half tide wall. This material was loaded on punts, and, except for 60 cubic yards deposed round the new beacon at Quarantine Island, was deposited on the lower end of the half tide wall near the cross channel. The work of removing this wall had been considerably hampered by bad weather. The punts forming the fisherman’s landing, Port Chalmers, the boat harbour landing, and the floating stage at Birch street were slipped for cleaning, tarring, and general repairs. At the south endowment wall a length of 3360 feet of the seaward face of this wall was hand pitched with stone. Relief workers under scheme No. 5 were employed erecting walls for reclamation purposes at the Leith estuary and south endowment areas. . The question of the removal of the halftide wall was referred to by Mr Sharpe, who asked how much more of the wall remained to be removed, and if, when as much of the wall as was necessary was removed, the work would be stopped. The engineer stated that about 1000 feet of the wall had been shifted, leaving about 2000 feet to be removed under the original scheme. Mr Sharpe said that he was under the impression that the wall was to be removed in order to give ships swinging room when leaving the basin. The engineer said that the complete scheme provided for the removal of the wall to Ravensbourne. He pointed out that the channel would eventually have to be widened at Ravensbourne in order to allow ships lying at that wharf to swing. At the present time those ships had to come to the steamer basin to swing. Mr Tyson expressed the opinion that the work should not be left half-com-pleted. He was under the. impression that the removal of the half-tide wall was to deflect the tide into the Victoria channel and provide a greater scour. Captain M‘Donald said that that the engineer’s recommendation, but at the time when the scheme was adopted by the board, the question arose as to whether or not the board could stand the expenditure. The engineer was therefore instructed to carry on until he received contrary instructions from the board. Captain M'Donald was of the opinion, however, that the work should continue. The chairman stated that the total expenditure on the work to date was £384. , , , < Mr Tyson said that a great deal of the expenditure was caused through bad weather. Mr Sharpe said that the reason why he' had brought the matter before the board was that rumours were current to the effect that the board was laying up the dredge, although these were not confirmed. He would rather see the dredge kept in commission and the work on the wall stopped, as he was convinced that the dredge would bring in much more revenue.

In reply to a question by Mr Waters, the engineer stated that the total cost of removing the wall and constructing a tide deflector would be in the vicinity of £490.

Mr Dickson said that he was averse to the work being continued. The wall was originally erected to deflect the tide into the Victoria channel, and the board now wanted to remove it. No complaints had ever been received from the shipping companies with reference to the wall, and he thought the matter should have been postponed. The board had the Leith canal work to carry out, which was of far greater importance than the removal of the wall. The engineer was now working in the vicinity of the boat harbour, so that the wall offered no obstruction to ships swinging in the basin, and he was of the opinion that the work should stop now.

The chairman said that the matter would be placed before the board in the Economies Committee’s report. The report was adopted. DEBORAH BAY BEND. Mr A. Campbell stated that recently he had seen a ship being towed round the Deborah Bay bend by the board’s tug, and as this was the first occasion in his experience that such an action had been taken, he desired to ask the harbour master whether the bend was unsafe or not. Captain Maclean (harbour master) said that in bringing very large ships into the harbour he took every precaution to avoid accident, as the damage which would be done to the harbour by a mishap to a large vessel would be enormous. He pointed out that the Deborah Bay bend was only 300 feet wide, and as some of the largest vessels, such as the Rangitiki, Rangitata, and Rangitane, entering the harbour were 70 feet wide, and the difficulty of estimating distance to within even 20 feet was so great, he preferred to adopt a safety first policy. Mr A. Campbell said that if the bend was not wide enough the engineer should look into the matter. GENERAL. The Standing Committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the director of forestry, referring to the matter of dues on wood pulp and paper, together with the acting-secretary’s reply thereto, that the communications be noted and approved, and referred to the Dues Committee. —The recommendation was approved. The same committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the Dominion Fertiliser Company, Ltd., relative to provision of a level crossing over the railway line to give access to the Ravensbourne wharf, and the engineer’s report in connection therewith, that the chairman and engineer discuss the matter with the Dominion Fertiliser Company and the Railways Department as suggested by the engineer, and report.—The chairman said this matter was not finalised, and it was ordered to stand over. :

The tender of Metropolitan Vickers, Ltd., in the sum of £44, was accepted for material for repairs to a rotor. The telephone return, as submitted by the acting-secretary, was referred to the Economies Committee.