ENGINEERS’ REPORT ON GREY HARBOUR IS DISCUSSED BY BOARD

Grey River Argus, 3 June 1948, Page 2

ENGINEERS’ REPORT ON GREY HARBOUR IS DISCUSSED BY BOARD

Need ta Stop the Deterioration at the Breakwater

“The long, long looked for report is to hand at last,” said the chairman, Hon. J. Ryall. M.L.C., yesterday, at the meetina of the Greymouth Hartbour Board when the report of the engineering committee on West Coast harbours dealing with improvements for Greymouth harbour came up for 'discussion. “If all the padding and the recommendations of the boards engineer (Mr D. S. Kennedy) were taken from the report ther« would be very little left of it,’ said the chairman.

The whole matter would have w be taken up with the Minister of Marine and the Marine Department as regards the financing of the proposals in the report. He recommenced that the board adopt the report and delegate its engineer to discuss the nancial aspects with the Minister and the Marine Department. Supporting the chairman’s motion, Mr E. W. Heenan said it might not pa> 7 the board to discuss the matter until talks had been had with me authorities. After Mr Kennedy had discussed the matter with the department, he could give the board iuri details of the scheme. Another member in favour of the motion, Mr C. Coxall, said he felt there was much more work yet to be done in the matter and that the engineer possessing the required technical knowledge, was the one to do it. The question was one of urgency. If the engineer could do any good bv discussing the matter in Wellington he should do so immediately. The motion was carried. It was decided to gnlist the aid' of Mr. J. B. Kent, who was present at the meeting, in the representations to the Minister.

The engineer said that the sooner discussions with the department took place the better. Clause I, dealing with the entrance., should be dealt with immediately. The matter was only being played wdth. Something definite would have to be done to avoid a lot of headaches. Mr W. E. Pring: As long as it doesn’t lie in a pigeon hole like a lot of these commission’s reports do.” Mr Kennedy said that at the time the inspection of the harbour was made by the visiting engineers, the position at the tip heads looked alright, but it had deteriorated since then Mr Kent pointed out that there was now at Timaru, plant of the type required for the works here. That plant was not working at the present time. It could be brought to Greymouth. It was only a matter of discussing it with the department and the Minister. Mr Kent said that if something were not done quickly with the entrance, a lot more of it would be lost. Greater deterioration had occurred in the. past six weeks than in the previous 20 years. It was decided that Mr Kent and Mr Kennedy shall proceed to Wellington in a few days and interview the Minister of Marine and the Marine Department regarding the works. BRIQUETTING WORKS The Minister of Mines, Hon. A. McLagan in reply to recent representations advised that after the advantages of all sites in the South Island had been considered, it was thought that Sockburn was the best of them. At present, however, an engineer was visiting overseas countries studying various types of plant for the works. The principal purpose of the proposed briquetting plant -was that of upgrading lower grades of coal. A plant was to be established at Sockburn, and, if that proved successful then other plants would be established. INCREASED SUBSIDY The secretary of Marine advised that the board’s application for an increase in its annual subsidy from £15,000 to £17,000 has been forwarded to Cabinet for consideration. NEW WORKSHOP Advice was received from the secretary of Marine that the building permit for the new workshop had been deferred until July 31. COMPLAINT ABOUT LIGHT The Union Steam Ship Company forwarded a complaint from the master of s.s. Kartigi that the fixed white light on the tidal wall was not functioning when he entered this port on the night of May 17. Captain Moar, the harbourmaster, reporting in connection with this matter stated that the white light referred- to and the beacons were only ordinary kerosene lamps, and in times of heavy seas and high winds, they were sometimes extinguished. This was what happened on the night complained of. He suggested more modern lamps in place of the present ones. . . Mr Heenan asked the engineer whether the beacons could be electrified. The engineer replied that there would be one and a half miles of wire involved, and the cost would be too great. Captain Moar said that there was a type of beacon on sale that turned on with the setting of the sun <md turned off as the sun rose, de thought that type would prevent embarrassment on the occasions of power failures. BLAKETOWN FOOTBRIDGE The Greymouth Borough Council forwarded a communication from the Advance Blaketown League, suggesting the erection (of a permanent footbridge across the lagoon. The council had given its support to this proposal. , ~ The engineer said that the matter was one for the Marine Department. The lagoon was a navigable waterway, under the Harbours Act, Many people had been wondering ■why the erection of a new structurehad been delayed so long. Now it was revealed that it was tied up with the lagoon wharf scheme. Tne matter was referred to the Marine Department. HEATING AND LIGHTING The heating and lighting of ships’ installations was mentioned, the secretary stating the charge by the Power Board commenced on June iWestport was charging £2 per connection and about 2s per hour xor the ships during the service. A charge for ships here was to be worked out.