TAURANGA FAVOURED BY WORKS DEPT.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 15, 3 November 1950, Page 5

TAURANGA FAVOURED BY WORKS DEPT.

Factors strongly in favour of the development of a harbour at Mount Maunganui as a port for the Bay of Plenty were referred to in the report submitted by R. A. Simpson, Works Department marine engineer, when the Bay of Plenty Port Committee of Inquiry resumed at Rotorua on Wednesday. The report was prepared by the Commissioner of Works, Mr F. R. McKillop. Natural conditions, he said, at present provided safe entry to the port in any weather for the vessels that the Union Steam Ship Company would use in coastal or intercolonial service and could be developed to full overseas standard. At Whakatane, it was proposed to build the harbour in the open sea under the protection of breakwaters. Such construction could not be closely estimated in first costs, nor in maintenance, and substantial contingency items would be necessary.

Berthage at Mount Maunganui would be free from “range” and would allow of mechanical handling of bulk cargoes, including phosphate to adjacent works. At Whakatane, range would occur similar to that experienced at Napier and New Plymouth. Records showed that the ntrance at Tauranga had changed little since the first soundings were taken. Dredged channels in the harbour had not deteriorated and as a result, maintenance could be expected to be light. At Whakatane, the proposed works would seriously alter the natural regime of that section of the coast. The amount of littoral drift was at present unknown, but its direction was believed to be from west to east. The proposed works would divert the Whakatane River outlet to a short distance west of the breakwaters and it was considered that silting would occur in the entrance to the harbour and to the west of the protecting breakwater. The degree of silting and dredging required would need lengthy study to evaluate. Stage Development At Tauranga Tauranga was capable of stage development, with port facilities provided as trade expanded. Initial costs would therefore be low and revenue would be comparable to outgoing. >

The major expenditure at Whakatane was in the breakwaters, which would have to be constructed before any trade could be expected. As a result, there would ba a considerable period during which revenue would be very small compared with interest charges. The first stage works could be constructed at Tauranga much more rapidly than at Whakatane and so provide some relief to the present transport system. This was highly important in securing overseas timber markets.

If the large-scale exploitation o! the Kaingaroa Forest did not take place as quickly as was envisaged, there was sufficient potential trade to warrant the commencement of works at Tauranga. A port as proposed at Whakatane could not be considered until the timber, paper and pulp proposals were definitely under way. Geographical Advantages Tauranga was much better placed geographically to relieve the congestion which was so troublesome at Auckland. It also commanded a greater present and potential trade. The area to be served by a port at Tauranga included 490 square miles of privately-owned forests. That for Whakatane contained 420 square miles of State-owned and 170 square miles of privately owned forest.

The Maori Affairs Department re - ported that the following areas were under development or immediately contemplated: Maraetai area, 10,000 acres (to be completed next year); Taupo (Rotorua side) 10,000 acres ;Tirau, 10,000 acres; Waihi, 2000 acres (in hand); Morrinsville, 1000 miles (with the possibility that other areas might be under co sid • eration by the Auckland office), west of Tauranga, 2000 to COuO acres; west of Whakatane 10,000 and a small narrow area in the coastal belt near Opotiki. This showed that approximately 45,000 acres would be coming into production in the next few years. Rotorua-Tauranga Highway

The department looked to improvement in the Rotorua-Tauranga highway connection rather than to the use of Whakatane as base for development. Action was being taken to subdivide lands at Mount Maunganui for housing.