MR. MULLINS REPLIES TO MR. BURGESS ON HARBOUR POLICY

Wanganui Chronicle, 9 November 1950, Page 6

MR. MULLINS REPLIES TO MR. BURGESS ON HARBOUR POLICY

Addressing electors on St. John’s Hill, Mr T. G. Mullins, Independent candidate for the Harbour Board, [made a vigorous reply to criticism levelled at him last week by Mr G. G. Burgess, Citizens’ candidate for the board. Mr Mullins said that, he had engineered in I he Works Department for 15 years, while Mr A. C. Nixon, another independent candidate, had spent 27 years in India as an engineer in the Delhi Electric and Transport Company, being for several years engineer in chief. In referring to them as “street corner engineers” Mr Burgess was not only discourteous but. also very wide of the mark. Mr Mullins was confident that the peopl ■> of Wanganui would reject Mr Burgess’s policy of disparagement and support the policy of action and progress advocated by the three Independents. SCHEME EXPLAINED With the aid of plans Mr Mullins explained the principles upon which his scheme was based, quoting many world authorities. He asserted that Wanganui Harbour Board had not followed the advice of their own consulting engineers as stated by Mr Burgess. Messrs Barr and Oliver had warned boards to keep the channel away from the South Spit. But the board of the day had directed the channel straight at the spit. Messrs Barr apd Oliver had also advised that the outer end of the South Mole should not be built up high, but in 1938 the board raisedthe end of the mole, and this caused the deep water to leave No. 1 wharf. The importance of free flow, in and out, with no impediments, such as jetties and groynes, was stressed by Messrs Barr and Oliver, L. F. VernonHarcourt, E. S. Shankland, W. Shields and many other outstanding river engineers but in 1949 the board built a groyne, contrary to this advice, in spite of the fact that a groyne built at the same place in 1927 nad caused such siltation that half of it was pulled out. This reinstated groyne was again causing siltation off No. 1 wharf. When the Mawhera was hired to dredge she could not work satisfactorily because of the bank of silt so formed. Although this groyne had been in operation for 12 months and the dredge Wanganui had been working for seven months, the Inaha hit the bottom and the dredge was then put on the bank to clear it, but in spite of this, on October 6 the Puriri and the Storm both struck this bank. Mr Burgess was one of the people who recommended that this groyne should be built to clean out the berthages at No. 1 wharf. ENGINEERS QUOTED Mr Mullins then went on to quote the works of Messrs H. L. Partiot, R. R. Gales, F. A. Leet and L. H. Reynolds, all of whom reemmended low or permeable guiding walls, and he showed that his scheme was strictly in accord with these authorities —men who were not “street corner engineers.” Mr Mullins asked if Mr Burgess had ever heard of M. Fargue’s Fundamentals, upon which his scheme was based, particularly to get deep water at Castlecliff by restoring the flow as in 1919, when there was 17ft of water at No. 1 wharf. SCHEME NOT STUDIED Mr Mullins stated that the Works Department had not studied his scheme thoroughly, but saw some merit in it. The department recommended that the board should clear from the inner channel the wall oft Imlay and use the rock for the completion of the wall at the spit; but the board had done nothing about it, and there was a grave risk of another break-through if the spit were not strengthened. In conclusion, Mr Mullins asked whether Mr Burgess could quote world authorities or any estuary harbour engineer to back his statements. It was obvious that the only person Mr Burgess could quote was himself. In fact, it was due to this self-com-placency on the part of Mr Burgess and some of his colleagues that the spit had been neglected after definite warning and the bad breaks had occurred.