THE DOCK.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 922, 15 September 1910, Page 4

THE DOCK.

• ■.;, A DEADLOCK/;,.;:; V;v';":'. 'The-deadlock: .over- the-'construction of the dock at. Te'Aro for'the .Wellington Harbour Board still .'continues." : : It is! how stated that the contracting firm, Messrs. John. M'lean and Son, will .".hot- proceed nnder the. original conditions, and that the firm has relinquished its interests in the undertaking. -Mr". E. Fletcher,' chairman of the board,. declines to say anything for. publication- on' the: question. The position regarding the dock is pmtty well known to the public. ■ In layuv the concrete floor in about 48ft. of water it was discovered that the concrete perished through ,'laitance" (whereby the cement lost its: virtue, and the concrete becomes soft, and non-water resistant); v. On this being reported the work was stopped,'and for some six' months:or so experiments were conducted with little success, until finally it was reported that/a method'of laying the concrete had been discovered which would; prevent "laitance" taking effect. Thin, was a method of. shooiing the concrete to' the . bottomV of. the. dock through steel pipes. ; There was some talk of getting a plant 1 , to lay, thel concrete" in the manner proposed, but beyond drawing .the plans nothing; has been'done; so': far as the public.is aware.. .': :; '':;'..' ■'■, ■ There is ,a strong feeling, in.the" .city, that the board'has evinced, no particular | keenness on ithe'cqntract being proceeded with; and that assuming .the contracting firm havt. withdrawnUll- interest in" the : work, the board is not'likely -to'prosecute the undertaking, which has'.so often:been' stigmatised as "a 1 white:elephant." '-. ' A special meeting: of the .Wellington Harbour -Board will. bo held on Tuesday' next, at which ; tho dock question'will (probably ■be discussed. ...