NAPIER HARBOUR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 14

NAPIER HARBOUR.

THE MAKING OF A PORT. RIVAL SCHEMES EXPLAINED. Napier has for some time past been in tho thick of a controversy over the harbour question. The original harbour was" at Port Ahuriri on the western, or inland, side of Seindo Island, where vessels drawing about fourteen feet can be accommodated. In tho eighties the construction of a breakwater at the north-eastern front of Seindo Island was beguii, about a mile distant from the original port. A sum" of about £500,000 has now been expended on this work, and accommodation provided for intercolonial vessels and ocean steamers, whose draft is not in excess of 25 feet. -Most of tho regular traders arc still lightered out in the bay, and a siim of £18,500 a year is absorbed in lighterage charges, the rate on general cargo running at us. 6d. a ton. This amount would, of course, provide interest and sinking fund on a considerable loan, and the Harbour Board has twice asked the ratepayers to sanction a loan to extend the breakwater and increase the accommodation at- tlio wharf thero sufficiently to enable tho big liners to get alongside. On both occasions the loan was vetoed. Tho board is required by statute to obtain a three-fifths majority in favour of/a loan, a lid at the last polling it missed the .mark by. the margin of 20 votes. There lias always been a strong division of opinion as to whether the har- , hour should he at tho breakwp.ter or at Port Ahuriri (otherwise tho inner harbour) . The result of the last two loan polls has been variously interpreted as signifying that the ratepayers are against spending money oil any harbour scheme at all. or, on tho other hand, that they have realised tho' inexpediency cf the outer, harbour scheme and have voted against sinking more money on it becauso they now see that the only proper place for a harbour is at the original Port Ahuriri. However that may be, the board, after its fruitless attempts to proceed with tho breakwater, lias again turned its attention to tlio . inner harbour, and lias adopted a scheme for tho construction there of a large port of 248 acres with accommodation for 21 ocean liners. It is now. proposed to proceed with a por-.

tramp ocean steamers up to about 4000 lolls—are unable to berth .in heavy weather. Tlio hoard's records show that from 1596 to the end of 1012, 4086 vessels were berthed at the breakwater, and 125 were unable to berth owing to the weather. In addition a number.of other vessels had to cut their stay short on account of the sea getting np. last year the Jlokoia was unable to get alongsido oil one trip, and the Jlonowai liad to move out after landing part of her cargo. In 1911 every vessel calling in was berthed. In 1910 six vessels could not berth. The extent to which the present port facilities are meeting the needs of the district will be gathered from the following figures, which ' show tlio amount of general cargo inwards and outwards handled at the outer harbour, tlio innor harbour, and in the roadstead respectively during last year: Breakwater 90,850 tons Innor Harbour G2,050 tons Roadstead 72,980 tons 225.880 tons Theso figures are typical of tlio position during recent years. One-third of the trade of the port therefore is not met by the present harbour accommodation. Tlio Napier Harbour question has a wholo literature to itself, and to get a grasp of its history it is necessary to read through shoals of documents. Many eminent engineers have reported on tiio harbour schemes during the last thirty-five years, and on the latest of theso reports—by Messrs. Cullen and Keelo in 1912—tlio board is v now moving to obtain, tlio statutory power to construct a big inner harbour. Tho engineers estimate that the inner harbour will cost at least £180,000 less to construct than it will take to complete the outer harbour. The work of construction olfers much less difficulty, and can be carried out in less time. On the ..other hand tho cost of maintaining tho inner harbour is put at about £8485 per annum, while the maintenance cost of tho outer harbour onco completed would be £2000 per annum. This extra maintenance charge, if capitalised at 5 per cent, is £129,700, which sum goes a good way towards equalising tho cost of tlio two schemes. Tho engineers "in their report aro at some pains, however, to point out that tho outer harbour may run into more than tho estimates, as a good deal of dredging will have to ho done to obtain sufficient depth, and, in tho course of this it is probable that much rflck will havo to be blasted and shifted. No borings havo been made, and tho nature of the bottom is at present unknown.

sent time docs not exist, and on the completion of the harbour scheme there would at best be very restricted. There is already a good area of land availablo for expansion at the inner harbour site, and the. spoil from the dredging could be used for reclaiming the two lagoons at l'ort Ahuriri and various other areas ill the vicinity of tlio town, totalling in all 500 acres. The value of this land, Air. Nelson puts at : something over £400,000. It would bo automatically reclaimed by the adoption of the harbour scliemo." Such in barest outline are the pros and cons of the Napier harbour question to-day. Each scheme lias its advantages, and the critics have found drawbacks in each. The proposal now definitely adopted by the hoard, subject to the sanction of Parliament and the ratepayers, is to borrow £300,000

for the purpose of constructing a first section of the inner harbour, as_ proposed by. Messrs. Cullon and Kcelo. The engineers estimate that the work can he completed in . throo and a half years from tho time the plant is ordered. .1