THE HARBOR WORKS.

Colonist, Volume XLIX, Issue 11990, 17 July 1907, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE HARBOR WORKS.

EXHAUSTIVE [REPORT BY THE

CHAIRMAN.

At yesterday's meeting of the Nel- j, on Harbor Board the Chairman t( cad the following report on tbe c •.{arbor Works : — r At' the last monthly meeting of \j hoviSoard I had the pleasure cf pre- j enting ....a"' statement showing the c )ositibn at which the work of con- v itruoting the new harbor entrance lad arrived. The report then prolented was received with satisfac;ion by the Board ; and, judging by ,he many personal expressions of d latisfaction Subsequently conveyed t ;o me by citizens who fare keenly I nterested in, and desirous of its t mccess, by the public also. A 1 nember of tbe Board on that occa- c sion expressed regret that the total s ;ost of the work to date was notjn- I iluded in that report. \ The last annual statement of ac- i counts, which bad been printed and j circulated, showed what tbe total, ex- c ponditure had been up to that time, j ind,in at least one previous monthly 1 report the respective amounts paid on \ acsount of plant and upon the actual i work of Harbor improvement were j also given ; but, for general infor- < mation, I take the opportunity to i again, report, and bring the infor- ] mation down to the date covered by my last monthly report, vi 2, May t 31st. 3 Another member desired a state- j ment showing the quantity of mater- 1 ial removed each mouth and the i monthly cost of such removal ; also ; the total quantity and the total cost ■ to date, The monthly cost has been dis- ■ closed at* each monthly meeting in the accounts presented to, and passed by the Board, while the total cost, as the work proceeded, has been < given in each annual statement of accounts; besides having been sum- < marised in previous roports, as stated herein. With regard to the total quantity of spoil removed from the cut through the Boulder Bank to date, the information can be fairly accurately given ; a3 well as, approximately, \ the monthly output since the discharge pipes were dispensed with. Ofjthe earlier portion, of the wor kbe'fore that period, the monthly output cannot be given with any reasonable degree of accuracy, because much of the spoil was ejected in liquid form through tbe discharge pipes. My very frequent personal visits to and close observation of the work throughout its progress has naturally placed me in a position to possess greater facilities as compared with others,for knowing that the monthly output, if it could be given, would be very unequal in quantity and in cost per ton, consequent upon stoppages, by reason of breakdowns of portions of tbe plant, especially during the period, when the discharge pipes were in use; when the wages cost was all the time going on during repairs at such periods, although, of course, the work of I dredging was suspended. The Board will probably agree with me that, while as a matter of information it' will bo interesting to possess, as nearly as possible, a knowledge cf the cost per ton, it will be more satisfactory to calculate it on tho average cost of thee total amount of dredging done to date, than to be infoimed, even if it could be accurately done, of tbe necsssariiy unequal quantities dredged each month. ? Members will also doubtless agree that it is oi much greater consequence to tho people, who are guarantors for the cost of tbe work, to know that a good navigable entrance can be completed to a depth of 15ft l.w.s.t. (which means 27ft to 29ft at b.w.s. t). within the mean 3 at the disposal of tbe Board for that purpose, and of which there is now no reasonable doubt. In addition to supplying me with the quantity of spoil lifted from the cut through the Boulder Bank since the discharge pipes were-dis-pensed with, the Board's officers, at my request, supplied me with a carefully compiled approximate estimate of the quantity dredged previous to that period, taken from sectional plans of the work as it existed before dredgitg began. I am therefore repeating the total cost of the work, bringing the information down to the 31st May, and showing again, separately, the proportion of the total cost that has been expended upon the plant; the cost of the stone contract, and labor of building the mole; the cost of engineersng and incidental expenses; and the cost of wages, coal, and stores, expended upon the work of dredging (in which is included the cost of depositing the spoil on the reclamation), together with the total approximate quantity of spoil removed and its cost per ton : — TOTAL EXPENDITURE. £ Out of loan 51,200 Out of savings 8,572 Total £59,772 Allocated as follows : j Plant, including cost of dredge, hopper and skip barges, flotation punts,discharge piping, cranes, trucks and skips, tug"Gordon, " iron rails, locomotive, sleepers, piles, and timber, weighbridge, pontoon: Total original cost £23,334: renewals and alterations £2578. Cost of plant to date. . . . 25,912 Rubble stone for mole .. 10,795 Labor building mole.. .. 1,562 Civil and other engineers - . . 3,045 Dredging Boulder Bank .. 14,547 Dredging inner mud bank .. 1,5y9 Miscellaneous 2,312 Total .. ... .. £59,772 The last ite„m,- "Miscellaneous, £2312," is tbe* total cost of all services not particrlansed ia tbe statement, and includes a large amount of preparatory work, such as boulder retaining wall from the new entrance to Haulashore Island, pilot boat channel through Boulder Bank, etc., as well as £395 paid for accident in su ranee and exchange. DREDGING THROUGH THE •3 BOULDER BANK. The totafquantity of spoil "removed from tbe cut through the Bank up to May 31st was 393,983 tons, at a cost (for labor, coal, and working stores) of £14,547. The pump discharge pipes were used for 21J£ months, and during that period the quantity of spoil removed was 153,806 tons, the cost being £8093, or 12J4 pence per ton. In 14 months' dredging, after dispensing with the discharge pipe service, the quantity of spoil removed was 235,477 tons, at a cost of £6454, equal to 6 l-3rd pence per ton. This satisfactory result sufficiently demonstrates tbe wisdom of the dredgemaster's repeated advice to me that if the pump discharge pipes were dispensed with, he could do more work, and at the same time relieve the strain on the machinery, and the cost for coal by one-half The increased output and reduction of cost speak for themselves. I am glad the occasion has arisen I to give an opportunity for this report, because it will~be satisfactory to the reople of the district, who are deeply interested in the work, which to me has been a burden of anxiety and duty, not unmixed with satisfaction, for a long time past. SAVINGS BY FINANCE. The facts stated in this report having been, to some, unknown or unremembered ; the knowledge of tho amount saving that has accrued, consequent upon the arrangement of the Board to obtain its loin money when required, by instalments, as the work proceeded, may also not be clearly remembered. The original 'psriod of the whole loan was thirty (30 years) -years; but owing to tho method a-''c, tod, thp : *Rviug of inr.f.Ttis; l> win '• t ? on the Kfil.QbO rui-tui [. • "<i.i!;-i lias been £2920, while £L 3,800 of tbe authorised loan is still unraiscd. i'Mva years of the loan poriod_will have elapsed at the rend of .next .month, and tlmsjt , further gum of

live years' interest payment has beeni saved on the £13,800, amounting to £2760. These savings of interest amount c together to £5686, and it is this money, added to the accrued say- s ings. that has enabled the the Board / to contribute out of its General Ac- •, count the £8572, shown in this report, towards the cost of the Har- f bor Works ; and upon that sum no , interest has to be paid, which is | equa^ to a : saving of nearly £350_a , year. < FURTHER SAVINGS AND A ' ■ SINKING FUND. j I; believe the time is now not far ! distant when the completion of , the increased facilities of the \ Port of Nelson, to which we ( have all, with morejor^less anxiety, long looked forward, will bejan accomplished fact; when the delays and inconveniences of the past will have ceased to exist. Shipowners will then derive material increased advantages from the saving of valuable time, and consequent increase of profit, and it does not appear unfair that tbe people of the Harbor District, who have rendered the work of harbor improvement possible, by becoming guarantors"; for the payment of interest upon its costs, should participate directly, to at least a small extent, in the extra profit that will be gained. With a view to that object, I hope shortly to have tbe pleasure of submitting proposals that will not only assure the continued payment of interest upon the loan without the necessity of levying] a harbor rate for that purpose; but will also provide a sinking fund of at least £44,000 towards the repayment of the present harbor loan at its maturity, in addition to any other means that may be available for the same purpose from the natural expansion of business; and 'at the sauna time to maintain the harbor dues and charges of our port among tho lowest in the Colony. While I cannot expect- to personally take part in the repayment of the loan at its maturity, I shall be glad to assist in providing means whereby that object can, without difficulty, be attained.