HARBOUR BOARD. MONTHLY MEETING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13635, 14 April 1908, Page 7

HARBOUR BOARD. MONTHLY MEETING.

The monthly meeting of the New Plymouth Harbour Board was held at the offices of the Board this morning. Present: Messrs Coimett (in the chair), King, Ward, TJiomson, Price, Marx, Hughes, Hine, and Maxwell. GRAVEL SUPPLY. The secretary read the following letter forwarded by the foreman to the consulting Engineer, Mr . F. W. Marchant: "We have lately had some difficulty in getting a 'Sufficient supply of gravel for block making and for mass work at the end^of the wall; the quality, too, has gpeatly deteriorated, and now it is merely fine sand, mixed with a few loose round stones, but very little of that sharp and gritty material so necessary in making good concreto. Since your departure we have had a good deal of westerly weather with heavy sea, and at the present time there is not a load of gravel from Mikotahi to the' Fishing Rock. There is a natural gravel bed on the western side of Mikotahi formed by the high reef which runs out towards Moturoa Island. The gravel is caught by th.c reef driven into the bight, washed to and fro by the waves and thoroughly freed from fine sand, and consists entirely of coarse sand, shell grit, and very fine gravel. From observations which I have made during the last two years this bed can be depended upon to yield a continuous supply. Two years ago I made a rough track dowr to this inlet for the purpose of working it with the bullocks, but the sea continually displaced* the roading and there was no room in the inlet for the bullocks to turn except at dead low water, when they could go well out; but the gravel we then got was the best we had ever had. I have several times considered, the advisability of Jaying,,cLown a lwie of rails from^the yard via the prison embankment to Mikotahi and extending out to about the middle of the high reef alongside the inlet; and lifting the gravel by moans of the 5-ton crane and grab bucket and loading direct into the. trucks. The gravel could thus be landed in the yard or mixing house at a cost of 6d per yard as against Is 6d at present paid During 1907, 2070 yds. of gravel weWused,"so tliat there would be 1 a saving of upwards of £100 per anmtm. A great saving would also be effected in handling l the -explosives to and from the magazine. The cost of labour and material for this line (16 chains) would be £250. The gravel bed was not injuriously affected by the. heavy seas, but rather improved, and the crane standing fully 9ft. above high water mark could work at all states of the tide, and in weather from calm to moderate. There are fully 1000 yds. of gravel within reach of the crane." In his # reply Mr.Marchant said that, on' considering the matter^ he agreed with the 1 opinion of the fdreman. They must have proper grit and shingle in order to make good concrete, and that must be got wherever deposits existed. The work was authorised. HARBOUR MASTER'S REPORT. The Hatbour Master reported : — During the month ending April 11 40 steamers berthed at the wharf, the aggregate gross tonnage amounting to 30/630 tons. aThe imports amounted t0:5277 tons, including 669 tons of rail-way-.C084 and 43Q\tons of. private coal. The exports for the same period totalled 1219 tons, making a total of 6496 tons of cargo handled. There were fresh south-west , and south-east winds and moderate s^as. The dredge resumed dredging on'Marqh 16, and worked 15 days, making 169 trips, removing 1014 cubic yards of sand from the spit. FOREMAN'S REPORT. Tho foreman, Mr Henderson, reported : — < Breakwater Extension — The amount of stone quarried arid tipped during the month was 1470 tons. Owing to th© scarcity of gravel on the beach, six concrete blocks only, had been made, the number ndw on hand being 86. Another section was completed on the 9th inst., the total length of the extension being now 418 feet. Wharf, etc. — Three piles had been driven in the old wharf and repairs effected to braces and chafing-pieces. Four longitudinal beams 14 x 7 had been permanently fixed on the gridiron in order that the doors or hinges of the dredge might not be damaged by coming ins contact with the cross-beams. Quarry — Quarrying was still confined to the upper quarry; the crane had been moved back 24ft, and the stone was again improving. On Mr Marchant's suggestion a short tunnel was being 'driven into the centre of the remaining portion of this work with the object of firing a large blast. GENERAL. Messrs Walker, of Wolverhampton , England, wrote notifying a decline in the price of Muntz metal bars, sheathing, waTshers, and nails. Pearson's Pepto-chlor, worth gold per bottle to dyspeptics. All chemists —Is, 2s 6d, and 4s. - 13 Dorr/t neglect yourself in the rantter of winter clothing; just step round to "The Kash" and see their Union shirt k with bands for the ordinary linen collars to fit on*. These-' shirts save a lot of washing, as there's no starching to he 'doitej , Try them this, winter: wo have tjiem liotn 4/6 to 7/6/ in v variety of patterns. -^-Advt. i; ■v. V : . - . '