RIVER IMPROVEMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15276, 26 July 1920, Page 3

RIVER IMPROVEMENT.

Respecting the suggestion of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce that some immediate steps should be taken to alleviate .the present unsatisfactory state of the river, the following letter was received by the Harbor Board to-day from Mr. Wm. Ferguson: "I thank you for your letter of the 3rd. inst. in which you inform me that you have been directed to enquire what fee I- would ask to visit Gisborne at ah early date to advise your Board as to tho merits of three schemes which have been put forward by the local Chamber of Commerce, which body is urging that some movement towards immediate, relief of ths inner harbor ,must be attempted. You also slate that the Board would desire mo to advise as to the feasibility of the three schemes, .and that if I could not recommend either of them, .to submit my own recommendations for immediate relief. Tlie three schemes are (1) a propositf by Mr. F. deLautour to' pump the silt from the river by electrically-driven marfliinery moving along the breakwater and wha.rf. coupled to pipes and fruhling system of draghead carried on a punt in the river. (2) A further proposal by Mr. deLautour to place a wall across the upper reaches of the Waimata river and create a large settlement area to retain silt and also provide water power. (3) A diversion of the river to the west (as proposed by Mr. Reynolds). Whilst greatly honored by your enquiry, I feel as the first . and third points on reference might clash with the report as to an outer harbor made recently to your Board by the Commission of three engineers, the proposed enquiry should be- referred to (hat Commission and not to om- of ils members only. Mr Cyrus J. H. Williams lias had unique .-experience .hi connection with the : Fruhling methods of dredging, and both Mr. Blair Mason and myself have had experience in pifmpirig spo.il ashore through long pipe lines, and I believe that the, ComntisSion. of engineers would bo able to ■ideal effectively artd satisfactorily with the reference and that any recommendation they make would carry more- weight with the public than a recommendation emanating only from one member] j thereof. I thereforo recommend that your Board should, before pressing its! enquiry with me , ascertain what would bo thtS cost, of a joint report?" ' I I Mr Mouat* said he did not think the engineers would need to attenu here, [the members of thc Commission had the. necessary data already in his opinion. He thought it a wjso procedure to have the opinion of tins three cngfticers. He moved in that direction: — Mr G. Smith saifl he thought it ah absolute waste of time to get any more reports on thc matter. It was. time the Board set to work and- did something, even if a mess was made of it — instead of spending the money on reports — reports, the whole time. He felt there was no necessity to refer the suggestions to the engineers. Tho Board should put a scheme' into practice. All reports were complicated, 'and only put the- Board further and further into tho mire. He moved as an amendment tja&t the three engineers be not asked for a report on the scheme. If necessary, the motiJon carried at the previous meeting to ask Mr Ferguson to report could be rescinded by notice of motion.-— Mr Wallis said he -agreed that is was too expensive a matter to get the three engineers, here, and he supported the amendment.— Mr Wildish spoke on the same lines as Mr Mouat, and supported motion. Something had to, be done immediately, and thc money spent on the report would be money well spent. The Board had to do something immediately, or otherwise it would lose, its trade, as some of the South Island towns had done. He realised ,the necessity of a decent harbor to this district.— Mr Holdjen suported the amendment, and opined that too much money had already been spent on engineering advice. — Mr J Mouat, in speaking to Mr Smith's amendment, pointed out that the Board must I have something to work upon ; otherwise under whose authority should they work? — Mr Tombleson moved as a further amendment that the three engineers! should be asked \p quote a price.— Mr Peaeocke seconded, for the reason that he felt something should be done with respect to the river, and before the Board did anything they, should have a scheme to work upon. — Mr Witters said that Mr Smith's amendment was too sweeping, and would Spoil the Board's chances of consulting them in any matters in the future. Outside the Commission there w,ere few, if any, engineers of repute who would be available to the Board. Therefore he supported the motion. — Speaking against the motion Mr Smith said the Board would not stagnate the' port by not having these reports. One of the men might come to Gisbome on a salary as a consulting engineer and something put in hand. .Reports were of little use to any Board; tho man required was the one to "put them in practice. . Even if tho Board spent 500 .guineas on the report where would they be then? The 1 Board would only have to get a resident i engineer to supervise, carrying out the jplan, and that money would be more or Lless wastcd. ; He did not think any satisfaction would be supplied by this rcpVt. j_Mr Wliito said the three engineers jwere asked, to give a report on. the outer j harbor scheme, which they did. He 'thought they should be. asked to prepare a modified scheme.— Tlio chairman: You are out of order, Mr -White; the subject before the Board is that of the river improvement.— Mr Witters said that Mr Smith did not oppose Mr Ferguson coming to Gisborne on his own.— Mr Smith: That's so.— Mr Witters: The resolution jwas only to invite Mr Ferguson without i his two colleagues.— The chairman opJ posed the motion, on tho grounds, (1) that a consulting engineer would be appointed, (2) that Mr Ferguson had already reported on the silt question.— Mr Sm'th then read extracts from Mr Ferguson's report to* tho Board in 1916, nnd contended that the report would not differ frhm the original. I On being put to' tho meeting Mr Tombleson's "amendment was carried, to the effect that the engineers bo asked a price to present a report to the Board. Rustle-« and Stainless Knives and Carvers (English") - . Bit? stocks just tn .hand. Opt in early.— W. Good nnd Co * If yrro have furniture or anything to ppII, Coleman and Son ("The Ark") will be pleased to give you a price for the lot; they are cagb buyeri of large or JH-ftU loti. #