WHARF BERTHAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 63, 10 June 1942, Page 5

WHARF BERTHAGE

INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINTS

HARBOUR BOARD'S ACTION

Following the recent complaints from the Northern Ste'am ship Company relative to the "unevenness of the channel which -afforded vessels berthage at the Whiakatane wharves, the Harbour Board has made every effort to obtain reports) and diata as to the actual position and the likelihood of any risks whichi might be run by vessels lying up for any length of time.

At last week's meeting the chairman an, Mr W. R. Boon, reported that 'Captain Carey had, as directed, tak-

en soundings at the Town Wharf,

• and such had been fonvarded to '■Captain Brebner on the 17th April. Captain Brebner's report had been

TeceiA T ed that day and the commit-

tee set up to consider such report Iliad consequently not had an oppor-> 'tunity of the meeting.

The report read as under: "I beg 'to report as follows on the above

subject. The soundings taken by Captain Carey disclose quite definitely that there is no< defined channel

in close proximity to the wharf

Soundings were taken from Avater level to bed level at low Avater spring tide and such soundings Avould only disclose the actual depth at each point Avhere taken and would, therefore not indicate the difference of leA r el from say one end of the AA r harf to the other. There Avould be an

"hydraulic gradient" Avith an ap-

proximate parallel "bed gradient" which Avould be greater or less ac--cording to the rate of Aoav front-! ing the Avharf.

This gradient would probably not „be very steep, but it is impossible to tell accurately without taking a .series of levels, and that is what I propose to do at an early date. Successful dredging would of course depend entirely on the steepness of this gradient. On the face of the soundings taken it would however appear that any dredging undertaken would have to be started some distance on the entrance side of the wharf otherwise a pocket would, be formed which woukl be of no. lasting value. The soundings disclose another fact, that is that it would have been of no value to have built the new wharf further out into the river as has been suggested at meet^

nigs on one or two occasions.

It -would certainly appear that no damage is likely to occur to scows while being moored alongside the ■wharf at any point. I will endeavour to take the levels previously mentioned in this report at as early a date as possible and to supply the board with a further report."

The meeting decided that a copy of Mr Brebner's report as sent to Mr Tajior of the Land Drainage Department and Captain Hammond of the Northern Steamship Co. and that as a dredge was now in the •district that Captain Brebner be asked to submit his report b)* the 20th -June; that failing Mr Brebner's being able to make his; report by such 'date, that the chairman and the secretary make other arrangements for Uaking the levels.