THAMES HARBOUR.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5127, 18 May 1927, Page 1

THAMES HARBOUR.

COST OF SCHEME EXCEEDED.

UNFORESEEN DIFFICULTIES.

The doubt expressed that the Thames Harbour Board would not have sufficient loan money to complete its harbour works is now' proved to be a sound deduct),on. The board is proposing to seek the authoiity of Parliament to raise a loan or £6OOO without first obtaining the authority of the ratepayers. Since the estimates for the £60,000 loan work were prepared and the loan sanctioned by the ratepayer, the Thames Borough, the necessity for other works has been shown. These works were authorised by the Harbour Board, which anticipated being able to raise an additional loan of £6OOO being ten per cent, of th amount of the big loan.’ Most loca bodies are permitted to borrow 10 per cent, more than the sum sanctioned by the ratepayers in the even of the loan proving insufficient, and the Harbour Board, comprising as it does many members of other loca bodies, was therefore very surprised to learn recently that harbour boards did not have this statutory authority Hence the application to Pailiament for enabling legislation. It is understood that of the £60,000 loan only about £BOOO remains to complete the work, but the engineer has assured the board on several occasions that with this £BOOO and the £6OOO anticipated the work can be completed. Members of the board, ratepayers of Thames, and other interested observers have expressed their private opinions that the money would be insufficient, but the engineer is confident, and has convinced the Thames members of the board that the money will be sufficient. Pessimistic opinions are natural when the amount of work completed is noted. As yet only one side of the retaining wall has been constructed, the wharf built, and a very small hole dredged. Unforeseen difficulties in connection with the dredging have arisen. Soundings were taken, but, unfortuately, none of the soundings revealed anything but easily dredged mud; w’hereas patches- of dense shell beds’ have been struck. At the last meeting of the board it was agieed to adopt a new method of removing the shell bank. This bank is too hard to be worked by the suction cuttei dredge, and it was therefore decided, on the recommendation of the engineer, to use a drag-line bucket, such as it used by the drag-line dredges of the Lands Department on the Hauraki Plains. Beyond the cost of the bucket and some wire rope no expense on machinery will be necessary.

The suction cutter dredge is now working towards the end of the wharf, and it is hoped that within a short time it will have excavated a channel sufficient to allow the steamer to reach the wharf at any high tide without grounding.