GISBORNE HARBOR BOARD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1949, 4 December 1906, Page 2

GISBORNE HARBOR BOARD

Yesterday afternoon the adjourned meeting of the Gisborne Harbor Board was held. Present: Messrs Townley (chairman), Hepburn, Sievwright, Hard-, mg, Lysnar, Matthewson, and Captain Tucker,

The Chairman said they had met to discuss Captain Tucker’s motion proposing the building of a retaining wall or wharves along Eaiti side of the river, and reclamation work.

Captain Tucker said he had not come prepared to deal with the matter, as he had not figures or data to go upon. With reference to the building of a wall or wharves, he thought it would be far better to leave the work alone than not do it properly. From the bridge downwards they should follow the line of low,-water as far as the creek. Then they should be guided by the Harbormaster as to what space to turn a vessel of say, the size of the Haupiri, hot that he expected the Haupiri would come in, but it would give them plenty of room for turning vessels for a long time to come. He thought they should have more information to go upon. Mr Sievwright agreed with Captain Tucker that they should not decide anything until they had some report of what material there was to be dealt with. He thought they should take the line at about half tide. If they went down to low water he doubted if they would have enough material to fill in. In any case they should have the Overseer’s report before they decided anything.

The Onairman ssiu the river should not bs narrowed too much, say at the Bridge 800 feet, from the creek to the junction of the present wharf, not lese than 450 feet. In fact there should not be more taken off the river than what may be required to provide a good wharf to the creek bridge. They might provide a dumping ground above the creek to the bridge for river spoil, and try the experiment of selling the spoil. They should not commit any aoi which would very greatly oripple the shipping at present using the river. In anticipation of a harbor in the futnrp, they should make best use of the harbor they had now in nee, and make it as complete as possible, as it would have to answer the requirements of the port for several years. The speaker pointed oat that the harbor should be considered before the reclamation scheme, and if wbaves were built they would be for all purposes, for harbor and river alike.

Mr Hepburn thought they should have an estimate of the retaining wall and also of the wharf.

Oaptain Tucker said there was a difference of praotically £SOOO between the ooat of a retaining wall and a wharf ; 1100 ft. of whatf on the Haiti side would ooat £6600, a retaining wall £ISOO. Alter some farther discussion and several unseoooded motions had been moved, it was decided on the motion of Mr Olark, seconded by Mr Sievwright, that the meeting be adjourned for a week to enable the Harbormaster to prepare a report on the matter for the guidance of the Board.