NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOUR

Taranaki Daily News, 16 March 1928, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOUR

MEETING OF THE BOARD ACTIVITIES OF PAST MONTH. REPOP.T BY THE ENGINEER. The monthly meeting of the New Plymouth Harbour Board was held yesterday, when there were present: Messrs. C. E- Bellringer, M.P. (chairman), It. Maxwell, J. It. Cruickshank, D. J. Malone, W. C. Clement, J. H. Holm, W. T. Wells and C. 11. Burgess. Leave of absence was granted to Mr. J. MeCluggage. The engineer (Mr. G. W. B. Low-son) reported as follows for the period from February 13 to March 10: - Continued fine weather and smooth seas render further breakwater extension inadvisable at present, and constructional work during the past month has been limited to further building up the foundation of section No. 53 with 748 tons of quarried stone (up to 12 tons in weight) as well as with concrete blocks, while block-making ashore has proceeded steadily. Fifty-three more large breakwater blocks (Nos. 1768 to 1760) were moulded. A new loading bucket, built in the workshop, was fitted to the concrete mixer. Stone was sent from Fishing Rock quarry to the breakwater, to the crusher and to the blocks direct. Supplementing the local supply with 473 cubic yards delivered under contract No. 35, 720 cubic yards of gravel were carted to the bins. No gravel was supplied under contract No. 40, however, and steps are being taken, under terms of the conditions of the contract, to make up the deficiency elsewhere. PROGRESS OF DREDGING. Before leaving port tor annual overhaul, the Paritutu removed the following spoil and deposited it a', sea: Suction dredging, outer fairway, 2400 tons, inner fairway, 41X) tons; total, 2800 tons. After coaling and preparing for sea the dredge left New Plymouth on February 15, arriving at Wellington the following night and going under overhaul the next morning. The vessel was thereafter taken on the patent slip on February 20 for cleaning and painting, when the tail-shafts were drawn and a good deal of work done in the hopper, including the fitting of four new lloors (built in the board’s workshop), the complete renovation more or less of the timber work, the rivetting of a new plate on the buoyancy tunnel, and the electric welding of hopper door etc. Coming off the slip on February 28, the dredge returned to the wharves, where repairs to the sand pump and io the top . tumbler shaft bearings were completed and new ladder springs inserted, enabling the vessel to leave Wellington on March 6 and arrive in New Plymouth the following evening after being absent from port exactly three weeks. The New Plymouth portion of the annual overhaul was commenced on March 8, and will include the overhaul of the main engines and the winches, the re-lagging of the boilj'' and all steam pipes, and the renewal of per girders as well as undry deck olates. per girders as well as sundry deck plates. The new flashing lantern was Installed on the breakwater end on February 16, and is proving a good light and giving absolute satisfaction. The horizontal-luffing electric crane, although erected, has not yet, pending completion of the official tests, been handed over to the board. The greater part of the track-work along the wharf, however, has been laid.

The inshore end of the Moturoa whart overseas berth was for a while opened up for repairs, when three new bearing piles were driven and stringers renewed. Further sheathing at the end of this wharf has been replaced, decking renewed, and tidal bracing repaired, while the diver has been engaged in making the usual periodical underwater inspection of the coal bunker and Newton King wharf piling. SHIPPING AT THE PORT. The harbourmaster (Captain W. Waller) reported that during February 31 vessels had entered the port of an aggregate of 49,566 tons. Imports had been 10,233 tons and exports 4533 tons, making a total of 14,766 tons handled. A total of 663 tons of Government coal had been landed. The following overseas ships had worked the port: Port Caroline (8263 tons), loaded 1553 tons, draught 22ft; Kintyre (4937 tons), discharged 3322 tons, draught 24ft 4in; Port Melbourne (9152 tons), loaded 825 tons, draught 25ft; Middlesex (8569 tons), discharged 1283 tons and loaded 1597 tons, a total of 2880 tons, draught 22ft 3in. The weather was exceptionally fine, easterly winds prevailing with smooth seas. The engineer submitted a design of a small concrete building, complete with all sanitary arrangements, suitable for a ladies’ rest room at the port. It was resolved that the chairman and engineer confer with the Borough Council with a view to the provision of lavatory accommodation at the port generally. The chairman stated that he had been waited upon by the secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Union, who were anxious that the room the board was to erect should be available by the coming winter. He had informed the union that the board was anxious to provide the room and would do so •.is soon as matters were finalised with the Railway Department, so that the site would be available. In view of the presumably early settlement of negotiations with the Railway Department regarding the transference of the wharf approach land to the board, the engineer suggested that a lease of a section suitable for up-to-date tearooms be offered by auction and steps taken immediately thereafter to demolish the present necessary but unsightly structures. The matter was deferred.