DREDGING THE HARBOR

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2165, 14 April 1908, Page 2

DREDGING THE HARBOR

One would liavo thought that tho local harbor authorities would liavo been sufficiently cognisant of the disabilities this town labors under through its inadequate harbor facilities without permitting these to be unnecessarily accentuated, but apparently this view is not tho correct one. During the past few days shipping has been seriously inconvenienced through tho small depth of water alongside tho wharves. This is duo to tho large quantity of silt which was swept down tho river by the recent floods. Tho harbor authorities cannot, of course, prevent this filling up, but they certainly should leave no stone unturned to have tlio silt removed as quickly as possible, yet, so far as can be ascertained, no special steps have been taken to make the channel thoroughly available for such shipping as can use it under ordinary circumstances. The dredge appears to have been working away at its regulation rate, doing a certain amount of clearing iu the ordinary hours, but with very little, if any, attention to the berthing needs of vessels. No overtime lias been worked, and the dredge was idle on Saturday aftornoon and the wliolo of Sunday. The circumstances were exceptional, and it would have been only reasonable treatment to shippers and to those concerned in tho reputation of the port if the dredge had been kept working every hour that it was possible to work until the harbor, shell as it is, had been restored to its normal condition. As it is, the Union Company was seriously handicapped on Sunday iu bringing passengers and cargo to and fro in tho Tuatea; yesterday tho Kaeo only just “scraped in” on a full tide, whilst the Regulus was kept out In the bay tho whole of tho day through the shallowness in the berthing area. It is poor encouragement to those who are endeavoring to induce shipping companies to provide more frequent services to the port to find that so little consideration is given them in such matters as that just referred to.