“POLICY NOT ABANDONED”

Taranaki Daily News, 11 March 1932, Page 6

“POLICY NOT ABANDONED”

dredging at the harbour REPLY MADE TO CORRESPONDENTS QUARTER MILLTON TONS OF SAND. kaione works more cheaply. 4n emphatic denial to a suggestion that the dredging policy at the port had been abandoned was given at the meeting of the New Plymouth Harbour Board when certain newspaper correspondence was mentioned. It was stated the harbour was now in a better condition than for ye rs. x The suction dredge Kaione, which has been doing more work of the kind that, the Paritutu could do, and at least half the cost, has been engaged for a further two weeks. \ . , , Reporting on the dredging carried out from February 15 to March 5, the resident engineer (Mr. G. W. B. Lowson) said that still utilising the rotary cutter and operating as a stationary. Suction dredger, the Kaione had continued to work the sandbank inside and off the end of the breakwater, and despite tile loss of approximately 3| working days through bad weather, coaling and miscellaneous repairs, took the following Spoil to sea during the three week: ° tons From outer end of sandbank €8,850 From inner end of sandbank 23,800 Total &2 .’ 650 iSince commencing dredging operations last January, he said, this dredger had up to the time of writing removed no less than a quarter of a million tons of sand, thus considerably reducing in extent the accretion in the lee of the breakwater. Unless other arrangements could be made in the meantime, the vessel’s charter would expire on March 15, and the dredger would leave for annual overhaul at Wellington the following day. DREDGE CONTRACT EXTENDED. Mr. Cruicksliank reported that the committee in charge of the matter had engaged the Kaione for another fortnight. This was in accordance with, the terms of the original contract with the Wanganui Harbour Board. The board confirmed the action of the committee. The chairman (Mr. C. E. Bellringer) said the port was in a better condition than it had been for years. The harbourmaster (Captain O. F. McIntyre) : In the fairway it is better than it was, and the soundings are quite satisfactory. Statements had been published by a correspondent who did not understand the position about the'board’s policy of laying up the Paritutu, said the chairman. Actually the board had been doing more dredging recently than for years. It would have cost pro 1 hly over twice as much to do this work with, the Paritutu, which would have taken a very much longer time to move the 250,000 tons of sand taken by the Kaione. That had been explained time and again. The board <- >uld not have done anything else. Very excellent work had been done in th® fairway, and practically no siltation had occurred over the berthing space. The harbourmaster said nothing had been done at the berths since December, over a year ago. Yet the position remained quite satisfactory. There had been only about six'inches of siltation around the berths in about 15 months, and up to a foot inshore. There was no sand at the berths, only mud; the sand always hung to the breakwater, JUSTIFIED BY EXPERIENCE. Mr. E. Maxwell said the stand the board had taken with the Audit Department over the controversy regarding construction and maintenance dredging had been entirely justified by experience. , , # Mr. Cruickshank said he wished to give an emphatic denial to inferences by newspaper correspondents that the board had abandoned its dredging policy. The position was that it had been, found more expedient and more economical to hire the Kaione’ than to carry on the work with, the -Paritutu. Under no consideration had the board abandoned its dredging policy. “Instead of abandoning its dredging the board has adopted a more vigorous policy,” said the chairman. He pointed out that th® Paritutu, which had been in service for 22 years, was not constructed for the class of work now required and could not do it nearly as cheaply as the Kaione, or as efficiently. One correspondent had suggested the construction of a slip, but that was ridiculous. It was certainly mor- economical to hire the Kaione than to spend double the amount on recommissioning the Paritutu for work for which she was, not fitted. The Paritutu had 'been built for the heavy work of digging out the harbour. Mr. Cruickshank: It will be the policy of the board to continue to hire the Kaione until the board sees its wgy to purchase another dredge.The chairman said careful poundings would be taken by the harbourmaster and, if it were found necessary, more maintenance dredging could be done.