HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, Issue 17693, 6 July 1927, Page 9

HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT.

MR W. EVANS’S OPINION/ ,

“With the heavy burden which the ratepayers have to carry at the present > time, it would be foolish to spend £200,000 on the class of harbour iui- , ' ■ provement suggested by the Board,” said Mr William Evans, when conversing on harbour matters with ai “Herald” reporter. “All that is necessary is the extension of the present , north mole a few hundred feet to th® east, which will'prevent the silt, which, has for so many' years past been ac- | cumulating in Caroline Ray from encroaching into the harbour. If thia ; small inexpensive extension (compared with others now proposed) is made, no further expense need be incurred for.some, yours to come, or until the’ trade of the port very much increases.” Mr Evans, in referring to the reports - made by the various commissioners appointed. by the Board from time to time said that they had all been given, with an uncertainty as to results. Sir John Code, acknowledged the most able harbour engineer of his day, 'in ci private conversation had agreed that i a 600 foot viaduct between the shore and the breakwater mole would be a successful and permanent structure. Sir John Code had made a careful ■ examination of the circumstances connected with the proposed harbour - improvements, and gave it as bis opinion that the best solution" of the pioblem was the 600 foot viaduct. That pro- : posal, commented Mr Evans, wfcs turned down, and for a long time harbour improvements were suspended ,: until- the 3000 foot rubble mole extension, which' was proposed by himself, was decided' on. Since the construction of that mole, nothing in the shape , of a legitimate attempt at any- -permanent improvement to the port had been taken in hand* except repairs to ■ wharves and dredging, at heavy cost to the ratepayers. Mr Evans said that he had several times endeavoured < to show why the improvement of the' harbour should bo continued, if it was- ' intended to keep abreast of the im- . provements being carried out in other ports. “Since my retirement from the Board, now over 20 years ago,” *aid Mr Evans, “several chairmen have been in office, but all have adopted the ‘wait and see’ policy. Meanwhile two railway engines, other, machinery and trucks”have been lying idle, and it was not until recently that they were re- ■ commissioned, when repair work to ihe eastern extension was decided on. The position to-day seems to be -exactly what it was years ago. Commissions and men who are better known as railway engineers than -bar- f. hour experts, have been appointed; they arrive in Timaru, remain a day \ or two, but none of them has seen a heavy sea in the harbour. They write out lengthy reports, send them in, charge between f3O and £SO a day. for their services,, and nothing is done. I have said over and over again, and I still maintain that some Of the reports have not been worth the paper / they were written on. “If the present Board is really sincere in its desire to improve The harbour,” added Mr Evans, ‘ it will . accept the plan of Messrs Dobson and Clarice (the present: engineers), which. . makes provision for the extension of - the north mole a further 500 ft. If this is done it will gpve all the bar-• hour accommodation required for some years to come.” Mr Evans’s attention was drawn to the fact that the Board’s present proposal was to raise' - a loan of £200,000 to carry out a further scheme brought down by Mr Clarke, but Mr Evans replied. “It will only be throwing money into; the , sea. There is no need to saddle- the ratepayers with another big burden, for they have enough to carry now. . If they proceed with Dobson’s plan, the cost will be very small, and. they will - have all the accommodation they require. . . 'l. “A good many people,” continued Mr Evans, “seem to hold the opinion ; - that the future of Timaru lies in the growth of the town as a health and Holiday resort, and look adversely on. any proposed harbour improvement • - which might have the effect of spoiling Caroline Bay. The scheme at resent proposed by Mr Clarke would certainly encroach on Caroline Bay, and would also involve a large_ outlay . of ratepayers’ money, which, in my opinion, would be useless' expenditure. ' T consider Caroline Bav a good asset, • hut only a subsidiary improvement to the Harbouiv town and district. Tf.tlm > members of the first Harbour Board set up in 1877, had depended on the ‘wait and see’ po’icv which has been adopted for the, past 20 years, there . would be no port to-day and no Caro. “ line "Bav.” •