JOTTINGS FROM WANGANUI

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1646, 13 January 1913, Page 3

JOTTINGS FROM WANGANUI

HARBOUR WORKS. (By. Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.) _ . ' Wanganui, January 11. Despite continuous search tho body of John Brady, drowned by falling > overboard from the river steamer Waimarie three days ago has not yet been found. That Wanganui was not established as a dairy produce grading port beforo its time is shown by tho fact that produce' is now coming forward in such volume that the storage room which sufficed last year is now quite insufficient to cope with the rush, and tho freezing company at whose works at Castlecliff grading is carried on has beon oompelled to undertake the erection of a new store to meet the difficulty. Dairy farmers are : having! a good time, and the industry in this district is showing great expansion. The entrance of the port at tho end of tho moles is now' 23 feet deep,'thero are' 25 feet where the bar used to be, and ft little further out there are 29 feet. As ,tho clay bottom is still covered with several feet of sand, which is easily amenablo to scour, the engineer (Mr. Howorth), after taking soundings and borings, considers the desired depth of 32 feet can be obtained .with much less difficulty than at first expected. In fact 6b good are the prospects that ho believes muoh less extension of moles will be necessary than designed,. which will mean a saving 'of .£20,000 to the board. In order to have corroborative expert opinioii on the point Mr. ,Howorth will shortly.proceed to. Wellington to confer with j Mr. Leslie Reynolds, the board's consulting engineer, on the matter. Gratifying results have, also followed the raising ana extension, of the training • wall 9 withmtho river itself, one shoal spot having deepened two feet within the last.month by scour alone, with the prospect of further deepening at this and other places. This will mean a saving of a large sum in dredging, which it had been intended to undertaKo. shortly,, and the results, both within the river 'and at the entrance, may therefore be deemed a striking testimonial. to the professional skill which laid down tho alignment of the training walls and moles. The Hajbour Board last night carried a resolution to once more introduce to Parliament a Bill empowering it to borrow a quarter of A million'for the'extension of harbour works. The rating area proposed will be considerably less than that provided in last vear's Bill. The county members of tho board were' divided on the resolution, the Waitotara County representatives supporting it, while, those from Wanganui County opposed It,