NOT PRACTICABLE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1963, 21 January 1914, Page 10

NOT PRACTICABLE.

AKITIO HARBOUR SCHEMLS. » x ENGINEER'S REPORT. ■ BETTER FACILITIES RECOM-. MENDED. A report has been prcparcd : ?jsy''Mr;: J. D. f.ouch, District Enuiiieer/'under'. the Public Works Department, ■.■on. the possibility of providing, better, loading, facilities for cargo at Akitio, on the .East Cvst. Following is an .abridg-. ment of the report.:—' "The Akitio Kivcr is'navigable "-for boats as far as a rapid some threo miles from the mouth. On tho coast a long low saftd spit, covered with,' a . large quantity of timber washed down' the river from time to tiuio, stretches across the Akitio Valley, the rive- finding its Way out to sea at- the southern end. During heavy easterly weather this outlet silts up, and the large mass of timber, accumulated on tho sand - spit is blown up tho rivor as far as the bridge site. Kventualiy the river'forces its way through some point in the sand spit and resumes its old course at the southern end. "I do not consider that it would be practicable to improve „the entrance to the Akitio River to enable' small coastal steamers to. enter, owing to its shifting nature, shallow depth, and sandy bed, and also owing to'the absence of. suitable material for the construction''' of breakwater and training walls. .' The cost of constructing these, even if they would be effective when built, .which is .very doubtful, would be prohibitive. . : "Failing the improvement of . the river entrance as a means for shipment, tho forming of a harbour by the construction of a breakwater to the reefs which form some protection for coastal steamers lying ott the landing on the beacli, some half a mile' to the south of tho river mouth, would also be prohibitive on the ground of cost. This •proposal w.onld involve also the'construction of a mole from near the outlet, otherwise the harbour would silt up with debris brought down by the river. Hock excavation and dredging inside the harbour would be necessary in its construction, and annual dredging would be required to keen the harbour open. ' I do not think that either of tho above proposals need serious consideration for the reasons given. l Nor,, if constructed, could they he approached unless in calm weather. In the absence-, of sounding ami accurate survey,.., it would bo difficult to approximate the cost of carrying out the schemes."

Mr. Loucb gojrs on to remark that wool is likely to be the chief export from the district for a long time to come. D.iirina the year 1912 tho value of wool shipped from Akitio was £43,200 and this volume of trade, with tho inward freight of supplies, etc.; for tho settlers, would not warrant a heavy expenditure on a harbour. With regard to the alternative su2.2cs.tion that" the facilities at-Aolianaa- be improved, ho points out that tbo communication by land between Akitio and Aohanjja must always be so difficult that wool would continue to bo shjpped from Akitio oven if a harbour were* made at Aoliaiißtt. Better facilities at A'kitio are therefore desirable. wharf would bo costly owing to the , length that would be required, and it could never be approach- , ed by steamers, but only by boats, on account of the swell. The most suitable means of landing for boats would be by a slipway or sloping jetty, about 460 feet in length, to bo constructed on the beach at the present landing place south of the old timber-loading jetty. The proposed slipway should-he of ferro-concroto. A shod should be constructed at the head of tho sliivwav, and in the shed a lifitiHng engine would have to be installed to draw boats np the slipway on tram.lines. Boats could bo loaded either beside the-jetty or rm tho slipway. The total cost ■of ■ this scheme he estimates at £2000.