Harbour Board Decides To Seek Authority To Shift Rocks From Harbour Entrance This Month

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 20, 10 February 1948, Page 5

Harbour Board Decides To Seek Authority To Shift Rocks From Harbour Entrance This Month

Assured of the blessing of the Marine Department, which has advised the Naval secretary that there is no objection to the proposal to seek authority to blast out the rock pinnacles in the entrance to the Whakatane Harbour, the Harbour Board, at its meeting on Friday, decided to seek authority to have the work done this month.

It will be recalled that Naval experts who visited Whakatane recently said it would be quite practicable, even simple, to blast the crowns off the three pinnacles and the outcrop from the inner beacon to the pinnacles. It was pointed out at the meeting that the time to do the job was m the summer while there were good prospects of clear calm water, and it was generally agreed that the present month Would be the ideal time if authority could be obtained. There seems little doubt that the Navy will undertake the work immediately once the formalities are completed. In the annual estimates, tabled and approved at the meeting, provision has been made to the extent of £2,000 for groyning in the upper river and removal of rocks from the harbour entrance and £SOO has been placed on the estimates on account of reclamations. Under the heading of Wharves Maintenance an item of £l5O appears, to which will be charged' the cost of the reticulation of the wharf for the supply of electricity to ships. The tugs and

For several years now a rate of f d in the pound has been struck, and the meeting decided not to alter that figure. Cargo Statistics Inward cargo up to September 30 last was 19,513 a- tons in comparison with 14,450 tons the previous year. There was an increase in benzine of 1,495| (1,069 a) tons. There is a further decrease in the wine and spirits inward cargo of 24| (220) tons. It is understood an effort is being made by the Northern Steamship Company to recapture this trade which irf pre-w r ear years was nearly 900 tons per annum and it will be remembered the Board recently reduced the wharfage on wine and spirits to the general cargo rate. Manure increased by 262 tons to 1,792 a tons, but of this 933| tons was for Government Departments on which no wharfage was payable. Outward cargo was 14,8401 tons as compared with 12,3751 tons (194546), an increase for the year 1946-47 of 2465 tons. In outward cargo there was an increase in butter of 1145 a tons to to 56821 tons. Similiarly there was an increase in the cheese export of 108 f tons to 1,1861 tons. This outward cargo increase however, includes 7,2751 tons of empty drums.

Channel In Good Order The Harbourmaster, Capt Carey, reported that the channel was still in good order at last inspection, with nine feet of water at high tide. He said there had been some silting at the wharf itself, where there was now about a foot less water. In answer to a question, he informed the meeting that the rock pinacles in the channel were still exposed and would thus be accessible for blasting.

Launch Hire Increase When it was pointed out to the meeting that the Northern Company was still being charged the same rate of hire for the services of the Port Whakatane as was the case when there was only one boat a week coming in here, the Board decided to ask the Company for an increase. It was mentioned in discussion that shipping freights had risen considerably, and £3OO a year was agreed upon as a reasonable rate of hire to ask for in the present circumstances.

Wharf Approaches There was considerable comment on the state of the gravelled wharf approaches and the desirability of sealing. The meeting agreed that sealing would be a considerable improvement and that, if it were to be done this year, it would have to be done soon. Therefore the chairman (Mr W. R. Boon) and Messrs H. G. Warren and H. W. Brabant were appointed a special sub-committee to receive the engineer’s 'report as to costs and to decide whether or not to go ahead this year.