HARBOR IMPROVEMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3299, 16 September 1873, Page 2

HARBOR IMPROVEMENT.

The Committee appointed at the meeting of persons interested in the above had an in* terview with his Honor the Deputy-Super-intendent this forenoon. There were present the Provincial Secretary and Secretary for Works. Mr J. Davie, M.P.C., introduced the deputation, and called on Mr R. Gillies, who explained that the object of the deputation was twofold—he might say threefold. First of all they desired that the Government should undertake a complete survey of the whole harbor, from the Heads to the town jetties. This was a matter which was of moment to the whole Province; it did not affect Dunedin alone. The deputation conceived that this matter should have been done long before now. He might state that it was a quarter of a century since any survey of the Otago harbor was made. This survey was made by Capt, Stokes, and was a very good and reliable surrey at the time ; but it did not represent the present state of the harbor. A glance at Capt. Stokes’s plan showed this at once. For instance, at Portobello there was a portion of the harbor shown as of extremely shallow water, having less than six feet of water on it at high tide. Now, the steamers at dead low water went right into that portion of the bay and discharged passengers, which showed that a great change had taken place there. There were other places in the harbor where changes had taken place, but they did not know where these changes were exactly. The evil effects of the harbor changing in this way were enormous. He would simply instance one case, which was alluded to in Mr Balfour’s report, viz., Chester, where, through the local authorities not having taken proper surveys of the harbor, it was suddenly discovered that in twelve years there had been absolutely lost four feet of water all over the harbor. He thought that was sufficient to show, bearing in mipd what no doubt his Honor was aware of, that the smallest reclamation taking place in the harbor must affect the depth of water at

the Head?. We had not got too much water there, and the influences at work at Dunedin—the streams and town sewers discharging into the bay, and the reclamation all around the sides of the harbor —must affect the depth of water at the Heads and all over the tidal estuary. The second object the deputation had in view was to ask the Government at a very small expense—for he believed the Government had the necessary material and men—to make a few borings at Black Jack’s Point, by the short channel. It was well known that the only difficulty that would ever come in the way of dredging the harbor would be met with at that point. It was thought possible that a bar of rock stretched across this channel as the water shoaled at the point and became deeper beyond and below it, and the Government might at very small cost test, under the supervision of either the Harbor-master or Provincial Engineer, whether or not this rock would be met with in dredging. If not, this scheme of a water channel to Dunedin would be a very small affair, as a great many difficulties would be removed if no rock were found there. The other point he wished to urge was one that possibly most of the deputation had not thought of, but one which those who had given any attention to these matters would at once see the advantage of. It was that the Government should cause daily observations to be made and records kept of the tidal rise and fall at the three points—the Heads, Port Chalmers, and Dunedin. There were officers connected with the Government who could do so at little or no expense. At present we had no knowledge whatever of the laws which rule the tidal action in the harbor, and the proposed observations would be of immense service in bringing to light those laws, and he of gr at practical service in regard to any plan which in the future might he adopted by any engineer or by the Government for the improvement of the upper or lower harbor. The cost of a survey of the harbor was estimated at L 1,600 by Mr Balfour, but he (Mr Gillies) did not think it would now exceed LI,OOO.

His Honor promised to bring under the notice of the Executive the several matters touched upon, and the deputation withdrew.