HOW THE ENGINEERS DIFFER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1236, 19 September 1911, Page 4

HOW THE ENGINEERS DIFFER.

WANGANUI HARBOUR. (Dy Tclegraph.-SDecial OorrcEDondent.) Wanganui, September IS. Tho Harbour Board held a special mooting on Saturday night to consider the repqrt of Mr. K. W. Holmes, engineer in chief, on the scheme, of harbour extent sion as designed by the board's engineers— Messrs. Leslie Reynolds and C. H. Howorth. Mr. Holmes estimated tho cost of tho full scheme for the harbour at' Castlcclilf at ,£335,000, this bum including moles, floating basin, wharves, sheds, dredge, ctc., as agaiust £200,100 estimated by Mr. Reynolds. It was pointed out that Mr. Holmes a figures had been based on tho assumption that' each ton of stono would cost' Bs., whereas tho cost of tho stono in position in tho works already in progress has only been ss. Mr. Holmes thereupon consented to reviso his figures and, on an assurance that experience had proved the cost of tho st'ono to bo as stated, he reduced his estimate by ,£«,000, bringing tho total down to ■£202,000. , „ _ At tho request of tho board Mr. Howorth prepared a memorandum on the revised report in which ho showed thai, with less elaborate wharves, sheds, ctc., than those provided for by Mr. Holmes, as well as witli reductions in other directions, a further reduction of .£61,000 was possible, making the' total <£231,000. Referring (0 a doubt expressed by Mr. Holmes that the stono used was not of a durablo nature Mr. Howorth showed that some of the same stono used in tho works constructed thirty years ago was as hard as 011 the day on which it was put down. As to its cost ho pointed out that the board's books placed it at ss. per ton while, for the month of August last, 2800 tons had been put out at a cost of 4s. 9d., including nil charges. After full consideration and long discussion (ho board resolved: "That having considered Mr. Holmes's two reports and Mr. Howorth's comments ('hereon (liu board is of opinion that the proposed work can bo dono within tho amount (<£250,000) of (lie loan money proposed to bo raised."

Tlio debate was exceedingly lively, ono country member being strenuous in Ilia opposition to (lie whole scheme, but being finally outvoted by seven to three. The board also passed a resolution thanking Mr, Holmes for the exhaustive way in which ho had dealt with t'ho matter, and t'he Minister for Marine for placing Mr. Holmes's services at the convenience of.Uio board.