RE SILTING- UP OF OUR, RIVER HARBOR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13393, 29 May 1914, Page 4

RE SILTING- UP OF OUR, RIVER HARBOR.

(To the Editor ot the Herald.)

Sir/ — Without a tabulated comparison it is impossible for any person to judge the result of the recent river sounding, so I have therefore compiled a schedule of souiidin'gs. As a basis of working I have taken the official sounding of the Harbbi* Board that was taken, on the 13th of December last, beiii,^ three days before the recent Harbor Board poll was taken. v ßetwcen tlie soundings of the 13th December and the 25th- April, the schedule shows that there is a considerable reduction m the depth of the whoie inner har.boi*. At the main entrance tliere is a loss of.tWo feet, and the whole of the inn<?r harbor from the cattle wharf upwards shows a shoaliiig up from' 2ft to 4ft, except m one place, where there is only a loss of Ift m depth, and this during an absolutely dry period, with t\vo dredges working, is, tp say the least, extraoroinai'y.. ' At ' the beginning: of ' May there was a small-f resh, and it? was the soundings j'egardinvr this fresh that I was refiised. information about a* the Harbor Board office ori tlie 13th May." It is to be noticed there are no; official soundings between the 26th April and llth May. Why there should be this big tfap. at the very period there is a small fresh m the river is again strange, but the official soundings that; are now on record, as for the llth May show that tliis small fresh has caused a considerable and general silting up of our inner harbor from 2ft to 3ft 6in and these soundings are only taken many days after .the fresh, and the dredges presumably working all tlie time.'" How far the latter had improved the sounding spots the public can never tell. 1 am creditably informed that the Maui was actually stuck m the river right m front of the Harhor Office .while the las;t harbor meeting was beirig held prior to, the flood.

NOw we come to the main flood which took 1 place oh the i7tli May: Again no. official soundings are recorded until ,the 23rd May, six days after the flood. I caused s(riuidin.gs to be taken by Capt'. Brown on the Slst May, which were accurately and carefully takeii m the presence of a representative of the press and myself who both noted the sOundings at the time, arid* both of us hud an opportunity of seeing arid checking the flgures bf each sounding as reported by the rod m the water before it was withdrawn. Upon* comparing these soundings with the Board's official .soundings taken later, on the 23rd, there are iiQ\..seri t o.vs l .differences.' between tlie soundings worth nuestipning, except m the".cas*e of the depth shown opposite the slip, the cattle or lower' town wharf and the mouth of the small stream', Kaiti. At these points, the official soundings showed there was -7ft ,6insj' 10ft. bins and -Bft 3iris respectively more water 'at 'tresis' places than our soundings disclosed. Tlieii to again check' the position, I paused a further set of soundings to be takeii on the 26th by Mr J. O'Connell, who holds a master mariher's certificate. These soundings were made m the presence of a press representative and myself, we beirig^ both able to check the sounding' as it was called out, and while these second lot' of soundings cbnfirmed the others which I had caused to be taken of the 21st, as regards the maximum depth, ".it showed m. every instance a further shoaling up except where the dredges had, been noticeably working. These second soundings confirmed the "big discrepancies' m the official soundings, consequently I wrote t.be chairman .of. the Harbor Board }\^l asked hini to have the soundings checked. I -was subsequently on tho 27th inst. invited ,t,o accompany the Harbormaster with press representatives, when it was intimated ho woyljd .take, soundings m tho usual way. T went, but I regret to say had no oppovtiinity. /Of cbecking the soundings, rioi* hatf' any of the. Others, present m the boat, as the young man who -took tlie soundings kept iri the forward, part of the fbbatWitli the face of the sounding rod .'showing the depth mark afway from us, and although 1 specially asked several times for the rod to 'bo "turned round' so that we' could check the depth called out, this was' riot done, qonsequei*ttly.we.wpr.o quite unable to verify the depths 'called out. lii my .opiiiiori,' these' Kolnuljiigs were .takeii m a moat liiisatisractorV' way, 'arid it would be inipo^sible for anyone present tp say '.that they accurately recorded the depths. JTho' launch was travelling too fast', the rod was a light bent one with a piece fspliccd on to it to mako it the full length, it was not rigid like the other, rod our .records \^ere takeii with. And when you. take into account the rapid rate the launch trp;elled at, as well as the current, ,the s^updings taken might easily be fr.om. 6fiiiß : to 2ft l ' out,. >vhile /with tlie soundings .we had taken from a rowiiig bp.at- fulled slowly and the oars^ stopped a£- eyery' 'sounding, aU present could," I am sure, certify, they would be within 2 "or/ 3ms of .the actual depth.' Consequently I have no 'hesitation m a,s|ting the public to attacli riiore value to the soundW-gS taken by .Cap*. .-.Brown, arijjl Mr .O'.Corineirthan to those of the harbor officials,' aiid. all I can say is the soorie^ , the Harbor Board sees that 'more careful soundings ai"e Jtaken ,the better, as I- -was 'given t6 under-jtai^d ..that the. soundiixgs taken- m ouv pr'eseiico were talien m the usual, way. "Jt Was ceitified to the Board .that: tliere was l'2ft 6iriß' of Wflte'r'"'sji'''thti'"Ssrd"irist f at the cattle or loSver .to.wJ.i.'Vhfriff,' "when on that .very *i)a'y witjh a rise }}\ the tide pi a.bout v 2ft/I tobkl a jihOfo of a y man slaridinfj 'm the water aj this very spot with the wa£ v r; j dsii ' above his jmddle. To me, Mr Editor;" the position is most unsatisfactory, and I publicly acknowledge that it Is niosjt-'-, 'distasteful and Objectionable to pie w be compelled m order to ascertain the real position to disregard and( 'quest'**" official data. Tr am hot seeking a quai-rel \yith any of tlie Board ' bifid tils-4'hes' are nothing to in'c', but the" -'actual is; what 1 desire the public v nrid myself to know. In conclusion; 7 Mr Editor, V desire to thank your joiiiiial-fo^ its jissistatic'e m send m (r" a represeritative With me to check the soundings and publishing the •■same',, as I 'recogniae it. is impossible fpr us to '"progress" on: sound lines 'unless tlie public' : 6f' this district know the true facts vegai'diiV oui' harbor, be they ..good or bad.--I any. etc.,' y yj ', ' ■-;"/• ■■, W. HGIiJGLAS lA T SNA.U.

]> ii_^Wh6n. I'lvrote' the above! was not 'aware, through being out of towjtt} t'hatM'r'Towiilev had handed .to--yie press -yesterdhy' 'a sTntetrtenf Regarding ? the <r souhdings..iii the tfive^. Tltts statement I will Vleal; with-' later, as. it ' i.s, ilnfortunat'elv, hl6St"iYra?!Curate, and purports to give TjaVticulars' of soundings taken bn Wednesday, when press, repreFeiitaiives aiid ; myselff were, present -that were never taken;— W. 1)- Lysnar.