TIMARU HARBOUR,

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13490, 11 January 1908, Page 6

TIMARU HARBOUR,

m:i'OBT BY MB 4. I. MAXWKLL. I'BUPOSKD X K\Y BKIITHAGE. AND HABMOTR KXTKN.SIOX". "kft- following n port by Mr J. I*. Maxwell. IVnroltiiig Kngineer to tli? Tini.mi Hi-rhotir Board, was considered a* a special me'ting of the .Beard yesterday:---Pursuant to ruy letter of the Sth inst., and rh.> understanding arrived at that I sheuM give an outline scheme for meeting the present requirements and future development of your port, I have the honour to report that 1 visited Timaru on the 7th instant and examined the harbour and its surroundings with the Harbour Master. I also took the opportunity of the departure of the s.s. Tongariro to accompany the Harbour Piaster when he took her out of port. This is the first occasion fdnce the Eastern Mole wan finished that I have had an opportunity of studying the effect of the work. In submitting the scheme for tire Eastern extension to the .Royal Commission in Jtt'y. 1899, I stated that the questions sought to be dealt with by it were : fi) 'Hie littoral drift. i.2) Maintenance of the existing breakwater. (3) The abatement of send in the harbour. (4) The improvement of tin- entrance. !&) The safer accommodation of steamers. The results obtained in all these cases have been, so far, satisfactory. From the date of commencement of the extension in February. 1901. to its completion in fc'cpt uiber." 19G6. the- advantages gained in every respect have been apparent. Its cß.'etrt have now operated for a sufficient period to enable me to come to some further conclusions.

The tend, which has been very largely abated, still occasions some trouble. The verv small area of the inner harbour is one of the chief difficulties in comp.et.nv allaying it. The configuration of the coast which does not readily lend itsself to the execution of shelter works outside the harboui". without either interfering with convenient navigation or giving rise to dittieuttk's with the drift, is another.

ft was necessary in designing the Eastern Mole for various reasons to 'guard against carrying it too far. Examination lias shown me that in this respect error Ikio been avoided, and that advantage may be gained by prolonging it £OO feet, which will bring the entrance mote under cover, autt further improve conditions in the inner harbour. At such time as the ISoatd lias- funds at ite disposal, tiiiii is a work whieh may be nndertaken with advantage. To prolong it farther than this is not ti-c----sh'abfe.

The matter of harbour extension was not one which was discussed in 1899, as it appeared premature to do so until the projected Eastern extension had been carlied out and its effect observed.

At the present date the qu-estion of addi.ioual berthage, coupled with that of harbour extension, appears to be the most piessing one, and doubtless the Board will consider that its attention and available funds should be concentrated upon it, re> live harbour is already too small, and the Wthag» is found insufficient..

tn the scheme, which I now propose, ovivaion for mute berthage L« made by roj-cting a wharf from tin.- base of the

North Mole but separate from it. The reasons for keeping it away from ths Mole are to make better use of the space available for harbour extension. and u» give a convenient direction for berthing. Thji whatf is to have berthage on both sides, the south berth wilt be available first, and the north later on. The ciructui\: would be best in ferro-concrete. the reclamation is a somewhat mischievous feature. It is of no practical u.-e. and it rendered the berthage at the Moody Wharf very unreliable. I here will, however, be no serious ditticnlty in dealing wi>h it. and in making the best km: ot the apace available for carrying out a. really extensive h<trfcunr giving ample i.M.ilities for the gradual extension if b-.'r.hago hereafter.

lb*; rubble t;u:_• embankment should be removed, the fctone will be available for immediate use elsewhere. The shingle funning the reclamation will then take a Hitt ulope, and the most objectionable point witt be removed.

I h;ive carefully considered the question of harbour extension in connection with the North Mole Wharf. 1 am of opinion that the best results will be obtained by projecting a Western Mole. ;us shown on the accompanying p..an iron, l the present entrance, towards the abattoirs, and by n moving the greater part of the North Mok.

The west vn cxten.-don will require new rubble in the lirst 15C0 feet, after which the atone in the Nortii Mole can Ik- ui;eil. lifting it at the shore end tirst. In carrying out the tirst ISCO f.-a. stone will not b-.- repaired of greater weigiit than I ton blocks, so that at the qtrarri.i----a!! the lamer block.-* «-;tn be reserved for the K;i>tern Mole repairs, or extension. f'hi> .-eti.rn- will giv.- at lea<-.t- 200 ;m :re» of water area forming a. rinmt ampl • ii nbour with wdl situated berthage free fmni trouble in bad weather. Til." :'s.;uuvai of rlt r North i - xvill at i-ote improve the berthage conditions in tb; proent harbour by abating the wave

oscillation, which still prevail. - v " >oliJ approaches should be constructed in enroling Jl;iy. Tin- beach iinrl water aec»t:s should be- retained as now. The wharf approaches should be ferroconcrete tre»tlcwork. • The \Y estern Mole will be of nibble carried to 6 feet above ji.W. &.T. J his scheme of extension otfc;i> gie.it advantages from the fact that as soon as the AVesi'Hi Mole is can i d out, the work of providing fresh b. rthage and the nccestary dredging can be carried forward gradually by small instalments as may be found expedient, and the jxissible ex-.-tuion oi" berthage is so large that a great many years will elapse before it can be required. It also has the advantage that easy access can be obtained to the \Vainiataitai lagoon from the inner harbour by dredging and moderate additional works.

My opinion about dredging outside the entrance, expressed in my leport- of 12th January, 1905, remains unal.ered. It may lie possible to maintain 25 feet LAV. S.T., but the plan of cutting a channel in the clay now being followed is nn.ikely to be successful. The clay formation underlying •the drift is ncarTv at J,.\V. level or tlitre abonts at Waimataitai Beach, it has a gradual rise, if aerc.o.s tire entrance it is (lredgcd, say from 25 feet with a gtadual •tire towards the X.W.. the drift will piobably pass, and a iman depth of 24 feet may perhaps Ik- maintain! d in the shipping course. If this a'-tempt proves successful, it will be ea.->v to repeat a similar plan of operation at a greater depth. llie bcithage i.i suflititnt if it is 4 leet deeper than the entrance.

At present the approach is 22 feet, so that 26 feet depth at the berths is enough. If24feet at the entrance is maintainable, than 28 feet at the berths will be enough. It is superfluous to dredge the b-rt !ih deeper than 26 feet until it is found that more than 22 feet of water tan be reckoned on outside. There is no use at present in removing the bern:* at the Moody and Main Wharves, it will involve expense without any present compensating advantage-. The Eastern Mole iequiiex a li.tle stone in one or two plactb. It ako requires making up a little at the shore end to prevent the shingle washing over. The broken struts on the Eastern Mo!e staging should be repaired. Xone of the timber should be removed from this staging, as has been suggested, such removal would jia:«it likely wreck the structure which is now in "excellent order as a whole, and will 1>- available for possible repairs for many years. This work haa been carried out in a way very creditable to those concerned in its execution.

To work ou: the necessary details and estimates, and to carry out the works pioperly and economically, it is 11. cessary to have the services of a well qualified resident engineer, and I recommend the Board to take stejii to get an officer carefullv selected.

The Harbour Master has afforded 111 c valuable assistance in making uiy investigations. and the Secretary has placed all the infotmation of the records at my disposal, and to both these officers I am indebted for their in making this report. The cost of these worko is approximately estimated to be, say : Xew Wharf £25.000 Western Externum £35.000 Eastern Extension £IB.OOO ACCOMPAXVIN'I; PI-AX. Accompanying the r. pi>rt i.-> a iithograplied plan illustrating sonv of (he pro|>osaY> made in the lepoit. Taking these 111 the oidcr of their mention of the repoil, the plan shows fit A 500 feet extension of th- Eastern Mole, carrying the end of it into about 27 feet at low water of spring tides. (2> A new wharf. 600 feet long, olf the Xorth Mole, starting about 73 feet inshore of the point where the rechimation runs in'o the mole, and the nearer side of the wharf about 75 feet off th.? mole. The wharf is drawn not pamlle.' with, but- at ;v small angle with th- mo'e. so that its outer tiid is about 175 /• 1: from the mole, the direction of th - centre line bring towards a point near the outer end of the mole.

The removal of the rubble lacing of the irclam.ition i--. of course, not- shown.

Kxttnsion of the h:irbour by 13) Western Mole : '4» r- moval of the North Mole; (5) possib'e est.ijsion of wharfage. |3) The Western Molt- is shown as a line. 3.CCO feet from jus: beyond the elbow of tfie North Mole towards about the seaward end ot' the abattoir paddock plantation. The line iy not quit? straight -on the plan. The first half liiext the North Molel i.s drawn at right anglw; with the direction of thi- propos.d new interior wharf (2l : the oth-.r half has a >,light inclination seaward. From the end tin- distriini; to til'- abattoir clitf is about 1600 feet : to the middle of ;he Waimalaitai Spit about- 1200 f el : and to the Nmth end of. tfie Spi: about 1600 fe I. i4> ReniovaJ of ih- North Mole. This is n.'uk-d for removal. front the root I including that pan lelainhig 'he n cianiation! to where tin- propocd W..»( i u \f . e springs from it. having «nlv he aim.

(.1) I'ltvibl- • .vteusioii of nharfa<;<-. This in shown 'necessarily subject to ir moval of the North Molel as a >,-.iie.-, ol wharves pal .die! with the one pmp.-ised ir.sid • th - North Mole. '» f-C* f t: t"iij. run squarely otf a corinectin:; !:■ . -.«-»> 1c i cuiAed approach reducing the bci'li n

' 'lie smith side lo 550 fcef. Tlimsc wharves ; <uv planned to be 150 feet ;ii>;nt. The 1 approach or ba«e of the wharves >s ] shown ;is a (straight line fiwn the battling I .slied on the mole towards a point on B<n- | venue CiitT 400 feet from its northern enl. I The line is extended frvt beyond tlie [ last wharf diawn. sra! •; ab-iut 2400 feet, j and terminates :;b >ui 4CO feet from the ! nearest point "i» the c.iti. This approach |istobe of open fei ro-eoncr .*tt* work. Ihe • soundings marked show ilia', it laid out i over water rail-ring fn.m inching to 44 I ftet at. low water, and 11-:«• t!:.- .*inl of ' the propo-ed wharves a tine ut sounrding:; [ IS maiked as 11.1 to 12 4 : i\ci. The distance ' between th - • i;i. of tii.- 80.) fee: wharves : ami the Western Mole is about 900 feet.

i ;6; Dreiigtng. Tlu plan indicates that jibe >paro lielw. n the Moody Wharf and 1 :li ■ proposed Ii: wharf .-houhi be dredged J to 26 feet, and three long parallel lines are indicating a space outside iii. entrance. 800 feet wide and ; 2000 lYet lon-: i>n tJio south side to lie diedg- dlo 244. 24. and 22 feet. Ihe=e lir.r- ate nouhward of tlie eeutial line of ' the pre.sent harbour, and a shoit line of i 803 foe! in that centre line, to be dredged i to 25 fee;. indicates tlie boundaiy •>! a | deeper channel for the entrance, i (7) Shown on the plan, but not ineti- ! tioned in the report, is a gioin as [ requiredrunning nea-ily square otf from ' tlie southern -nd of the Wainiataitai bench. : Ihe length drawn scaling 600 feet. THE REPORT CONSIDER J-: 1 -)!

The Harbour Hoard held a special meeting yesterday to consider Mr .Maxwell ti teport". All the in. Mb were pies.-nL except Mr Skinner. Mr Maxwell came down from Welling.on to comer with the Hoard if required. The Hoard spent a couple, of hours on tlie question. Mr M ixwell being present much of the. time. 11l - lesu.'t was tho passing of two resolutions, one that the interior wluirf proposed be < onstructed. but modifying its position so as: to make k- parallel with the North Mole, and at the same distance (150 feel) as the outer end of the plan. The second resolution was that applications be invited for the post of nskunt- cngiiK-er at £4OO a vea r.

In opening tin: inectiiij; the cbainnan Kiid that Mi Maxwell had evidently looked a long way ahead, and it was quite light, tiiab everything done J'luau time to time should be done with ,a view to working in with some comprehensive sihime for luturo developments. He (Mr Ciaigis-) thought the most important qiiuition for tho Board at present. w;»> lhe provision of additional wharfage. Lust week there were five steamers and a sailing vessel :h port, and one of the steamers had to lie idle at a buoy al! day for want of a berth. Mr Maxwell proposed a wharf in ferroconcrete, in a position evideiuly selected so that the wharf should fall in with hus scheme for the future enlargement of the harbour. Mr . Maxwell evidently thought they were carrying on the dredging extravagently by digging out- the harbour deeper than there was auv need for, ;i£tbe depth required inside must be ruled by the depth of the approach. He lecommended working to a Jess depth, and they could always go over it again if required. The amount of funds available for harbour improvem.nl was about £30,000. Another important question was that of appointing a resident engineer. He (Mr Craigie) ieared that appointing a new man uieant that he would have to spend some years at Timatu learning the local conditions. The report recommended aciuing 500 feet to the Eastern Kxtension. That, no doubt, would be a good thing, but it could etand over for the present. Jn was satisfactory to know that the staging was in good order except for a few broken struts, and Mr Maxwell was pleased at the way the mole had been carried out. He approved Of everything that had been done except the leclaination, but said the worst defent of that could be remedied.

t-jome desultory discussion took place on the report a.5 ;i whole. Mr (Jrbell did hod think the proposed wharf gave room enough on thy inside, and iis adoption must depend on the adoption of the sclieme for removing the Xorth Mole. Mr Fraser said the mole was put where i r . is by one mistake, but it would be a bigger mistake to shift it. It was a good base for a wharf on each fide oj it, and gave valuable space for -sheds. There was no need to talk about wharv«.t> in Caroline Bay, for a -wharf alongside the North Mole would give them berthage enough for t lie next 20 years, fewer vessels being required nowadays to do all the 'work. As for extending the Eastern Extension that could wait, and it was no nse thinking of going to tiie rat-epayein for money for anything not absolutely required. That would apply to the West era Extension. It was then decided to auk* Mr Maxwell to come in, and explain his reasons for placing the wharf whcie he did, and for removing the Xorth Mole. THE XORTH WHAUF. Regal ding the wharf, Mr Maxwe'l explained that he proposed to make it independent, instead of attached to tiif Xorth Mole, in order that the Board' might be free to carry out at some future time tin scheme for the economical enlargement of the harbour, which he had indicated; and lie placed it near the North Mole, instead of midway between the mole and Moody Wharf (as Mr Baynes had proposed) bec-nrae the haibour master said he wanted 400 feet of space between the wharves. The line of direction had been fixed go as to give easier access for ships. A berth for ocean steamers could be provided on the south side, and ono for a small coaster 011 the north side. Placing the wharf there could not bind them to remove tlio mole; but it would leave them free to do so if at- some future time they decided that it should be removed, and they wotdd have the wharf in the meantime.

In -reply to .suggestions that- there was not jiiuch loom for working ships between wharf and mole, and that putting an additional 50 feet between them would not make much difference. Mr Mux well dwelt upon the need for room between the two wharve-., and finally agreed that the wharf might< lit- made parallel witli the Moody Wharf, but not nearer than the outer end as he had placed this-'. lie pointed out I hat hi» two-sided wharf gave as much berthage as a wharf all along the North Mole; and it left them free to enlarge the harbour by removing the mole. In reply to Mr Rolleston he said the cost was estimated at more than Mr Barnes' one-sided wharf; but the Marine Department said that was' not .strong enough therefore the estimate for it was too low. It was essential to shift, the nio'e, in order to get rid of the scend.

Asked whether he believed in ferro-con-erete, Mr Maxwell said it had been used in so many and all kinds of .structunthat it must, be taken to bs reliable. He had seen the Auckland work and thought it excellent.' As to cost, in the only case he was personally acquainted with, ferroconcrete cam-.- cheaper than ironbark. ENLARGING THE HAKISOUK. The purpose of the removal of the North Mole, t-aid Mr Maxwell, was to obtain :i large area of water over which the scend which comes in (and cannot bo kept out) may expend itself, and cause l.e.s inconvenience to shipping. Removo the North Mule, i-oiistrucl the Western Mole shown, and they would have a harbour that would serve lor all time. In reply to a quest ion Mr Maxwell said th- <:M:d • <■ iil iid! <-i.m: loirml the end ■■f the W.. . -r ii Mole in ei y appreciable •i -a "! iii iinigii- !>:■ --'iru deposit- in->-ii:e th - -lid of it. ;• n;I 'hi- uould foiin a

hairier '<> any furlher drift inwards. It was <isenti;il to get rid of the North Mole, and there should be no solid work insid-e a harbour which a scend enters. Wellington was mentioned by a member, but there was no scend there.

Mr Hayman suggested that reir.oving tlie outer half of the ino'e would do. and Mr Maxwell said no; they should get rid of all solid work in order to Abate the ficend. It would not be an expensive business. They would want stone lor the Western Mole, and they could pick up the mole material more cheaply than they could get fresh stone from thy quart v. Ho would urge the Boatd to keep in view the removal of the mole: ceitainly they should leave themselves free to get rid of it..

In reply to Mr Young. Mr Maxwell said that Mr Baynes' plan of the outer wall from Da-sliing Rocks to mstt the outer end of the Eastern Extension would be a great mistake, because it would place the harbour entrance in deep water and exposed to heavy beam seas ; and it would allow a strong scend to come light into the harbour. The enlargement he proposed would leave the entrance sheltered as now by the Eastern Mole. The Dashing Rocks scheme would make a. more dangerous entrance than. the old one, and it would make a trap for drift going round the Eastern Mole. It would also lie very costly; wlieieas he now proposed a better and cheaper mole, giving them. :i quiet harbour largo enough for all tijut. Mr Thew a-sked. whether there would not be a current set up in storms and round the end of the Western Mole that would bring silt into the harbour, causing a large amount of dredging. Mr M.ixwtll thought not. 'lhere would probably be some deposit under the lea, of the» end of the mole, and this would bo a barrier to the further travel of the drift. If there w;us any jnaterial reflex wave from Dasliing Rocks it would be neutralised by the groin he had shown from Waimataitai .spit, for the purpose of clucking the drift of shingle from, the spit into Caroline Bay. He however did not think this would be found necessary. KYSTERN MOLE.

The chairman referred to the proposed iiddition to the Eastern Mole, and Mr Maxwell said that when designing that uiole lie was afraid of going too far, but seeing the effect of the -work now. he thought an addition of 500 ft. would be an advantage. It was not however imperative to extend it at once. The root end should be raised to keep shingle from going over, as was provided in the original plan, and any weak jilaces where stone had* subsided should be made up. He had seen the shingle that had got over, and it aws doing no harm. In reply to Mr Manchester and Mr Smith, Mr Maxwell said emphatically that all three and it was ding no harm. In reply to repair. The staging was put together as one structure and to take one road away might endanger the others, allowing them to become distorted and useless. With some small repairs the staging should be serviceable for the next ten Tears. DREDGING.

The section of the report dealing with dredging was briefly discussed, and Mr Maxwell explained that it was usele-s to dredge the interior harbour deeper than four feet moie than the depth of the entrance. Mr Eraser suggested that :i greater depth would give a, stroeroom for drift; and Mr Maxwell said there was very little drift coming in now. j'-: r the reason he had given it was not necessity to remove the berms alongside the wharves where a greater depth than necessary had been dredged. With regard to dredging outside he explained that it would be useless to dig out a hole or a r!-;ch; it would simply fill in again, .lint if dredged so as to slope the bottom rp-li-.r.'d to leeward, the drift would be iv< ywl over the clay and carried on. It •» ox.id useless to tiy to maintain ;i de.'p rarrcw chanuel. In reply to Mr. Mancu.es.ter, 'h- said the dredge was a very fine * I 'i<= buckets were weak, but . mil ' e strengthened as thev came under r-?pair. ACCESS TO NORTH WHA-IVGS. Mr Bowker raised the question of access to the northern reclamation, \ i ich w not dealt with in the report. In ]eply to remarks by Mr Fraser ai-o'it tie. nc-cffiity for obtaining an ndeue l lent road to the Moody and norther i\:n u ves, .\!v Maxwell thought there vas item II ough inside the railway for a 'r ~o : Lut in aii* case there s'houdl i e mo snl'd •vork put there. I t was a standing rule: 'Never reclaim the head of a bay." They :*iituld not put a single stone tlic-re. {Mr Fraser pleadingly : "Just a few —< my a few.") They did not need a Kind t" flic lcihiruatiou for it was of no iu? at alt; i> it- if they made a road ocvjpc- I lie '.vatu ic must be of open trestle work. It wa;- ;< peat pity that- a wharf cos'-, ng £]5,000 or £20,000 should have its usefulness reduced by a valueless reel.) ■; • iion. 'l'.c mischief of it would be minimised l.v causing it to take an easv slope. TOWAGE. Mr Manchester asked Mr Maxwell's opinion about the need for a tug; the dredge was suposed to be suitable for towage too, but it appeared she was not. Tht chairman said she managed to bring vessels in all right. Mr Maxwell said he had not considered that question; but lie understood that the harbour master managed to handle all the vessels that came very well without a tug. Mr Fraser said the dredge had done the towing needed for the last twelve montlis. THE BOARD'S DECISIONS. Mr Maxwell and the harbourmaster then withdrtw, after being thanked for their assistance. 'J he Board then spent another half hour in further discussion. The chairman said Mr Maxwell was strongly in favour of the independent wharf, near the mole, and the harbour master supported him. Jf they spent £15,000 or £20,000 on a wharf alongside the mole and a future Board decided to adopt Mr Maxwell's enlargement scheme the wharf as well as the mole would have to be shifted, whereas an independent wharf would remain. Mr Orbell wondered where another wharf could be placed, lif necessary, if they adopted the one now proposed. Mr Fraser preferred a wharf alongside the north mole—whicli would "never be shifted in a creation of cats"—and the mole would be a good site for slieds. for Railway* and Customs purposes. They should put a wharf-out halfway along the mole now, and extend ib when necessary. Jf Mr Baynes's plan did not meet the requirements of the Marine Department it could be altered till it did. He questioned the correctness of the chairman's statement that there was £30,000 available, thinking that some thousands had been borrowed from the ordinary account for permanent works and that should bo lepaid and the rate reduced. The secretary said the statement was correct.

-Mr Besley thought the wharf should be further from the mole. And it, was just what Mr Baylies hail proposed, except that t'hey had paid £IOO to shift it lOCft. northwards. Mr Orbell said that was not fair. Tho report was got for the satisfaction, of members as to the harbour generally. Mr Manchester said lie was greatly disappointed with the report wlien he got it, there seemed to be so little in it for the money, and he 'was struck by the absurdity of pulling to pieces work that had cost £30,000 or £55,000. They -would have to spend a good many hundreds on reports before they could get the ratepayers to agree to pull the north mole up. He thought they had got very little for their money.

Mr Young exprcs-rd s:i'i>f:n-tion wilh the report, though he with Mr

Fraser tliafc the north mole would never be lifted. The harbour requirements had increased greatly in the last 15 .rears; lie anticipated that 15 years hence the harbour must I>e enlarged ; and Mr Maxwell had gi* them a .scheme tor enlarging it'. It was not fair, then, to say tliey had [jot little l'or their money. (lilie chairman agreed that it was money well spent. The haibnur had been a. great success but tlui. ,«i* bound to bo some mistakes.. Messrs Young and llolh'.;:>n then moved ''Tliafc the wharf .shown <>n Mr Maxwell's plan be modified so far as to make it parallel with the north mole and at the same distance front it as the cud of the proposed -wharf." Mr Fraser said that vessels lould not i>et into the north bertii for fear of scrapIn"- on the boulders of the mole, and Mr Chisholm added that the berth could not be dredged out without piling the mole. Mr Rolleston thought these were matters for the consideration of tiie engineer and h irbour master, and they weie The motion was put and carried, Messrs Fraser and Cliisholnt the former saying he wanted the wharf 50ft. nearer the Moody wharf. Mr Fraser moved the motion -mo had held over from the previous meeting, that, applications be invited for the post of resident engineer. Some discussion look place on the question whether the resident engineer should be independent, or work under a consulting engineer, in the former case he must be a- better man at a larger salary. It was agreed that that- question had 1 better be left until thev they got the applications in, though Mr Manchester pointed out that that should be one of the conditions laid before applicants. Mr Fraser at first proposed to offer £SOO a year, but accepted a suggestion !„ make it £4OO. The motion was put and earned, Messrs Young and Smith Undenting, the former saving they did not want, an engineer at present. The concluded the consideration of Mr -Maxwell's report.

INTERVIEW WITH MR MAXWELL.

The "Herald" reporter had an interview with Mr Maxwell after the meeting and asked him by what means the north mole could be lifted. M.r Maxwell said it. coidd be easily done by grabi dredging, and tlio stone" lifted much more cheaply than new stone could be got from the quarry. "Just imagine my proposal carried out, and you have a harbour of 200 iicres, about three times as large as Lyttelton: and with its well sheltered en--1 vanee, ib would be the best 'harbour on this coast. And you can have it for the small sum of £35,000. The fact that the North Mole is there is not an obstacle; ir is an aid. for it will yield cheap material. The Western Mole proposed will give a, quiet harbour for that small sum, whereas you must spend at least £150.000 on an outer mole that would not secure a quiet harbour and would make a. dangerous entrance. I thought over the further enlargement of the harbour anauy times, and no other plan seemed so feasible, so satisfactory, or so cheap as the one I have proposed." The risk of sand travelling into the harbour round the end of the mole was suggested, and Mr Maxwell said there probably "would be some come round and travel at liv-!. but. a bank would be formed under tlx ; belter of the mole, and any further drill would be stopped.

"By and l by," added Mr Maxwell, "Timaru may want docks and engineering shops, and these can b? located where the • Waimataitai lagoon now is. But the main point is the enlargement of the harbour to get rid of the evil of the scend. which now has net enough n»»n to expand itself harmlessly. 'TQie extmsion has been of great benefit in that l spect, but. its final reduction can be. mo i cheaply attained by carrying out my proposal." Mr Maxwell also pointed out to the reporter, and laid some stress upon it, that this enlargement scheme would not interfere with Caroline Bay as a bathing resort. It would put an end to the accumulation of sand there, and any further beautifying and improvement work undertaken would ha>ve a definite lowwater limit to work upon. There would be no solid work to interfere with the bathing, and for generations no trestle work either; and the water would always be calmer even than now.