GISBORNE HARBOUR A SINK FOR MONEY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 58, 31 May 1927, Page 14

GISBORNE HARBOUR A SINK FOR MONEY

THOUSANDS SPENT _ QUARRY A FAILURE C Special to THE SUN.) Realising the difficulty of carrying harbour construction to a stage which would make the port suitable for immediate requirements, the Gisborne Harbour Board has called in the services of the Government Engineer-in-Chief, Mr. F. W. Furkert, with a view to obtaining a report from him. The board meeting yesterday, at which Mr. Furkert was present, lasted all day. The present problem is that while the bulk of the inner harbour work is complete there is no protection for the outer breakwater. The quarry which was being developed has proved a failure, and operations have been abandoned. Unfortunately no other stone supplies are available at reasonable cost, apart from which the authorised expenditure of £750,000 has nearly been absorbed. Mr. Furkert is now asked to report as to whether the inner harbour will be satisfactory without a protecting breakwater, and, if not, what alternative he would recommend as feasible and with the funds available. That the position has become serious is indicated by the fact that one member has given notice of motion that the services of the engineer, Mr. Robert Campbell, be dispensed with immediately. The board is now placed in its former position of a battle between the inner and outer harbour, which has long been a bone of contention. The ratepayers voted for a loan for the outer scheme, but a section of the board persistently advocated a modified scheme, and the present depletion of funds gives them grounds for reviving this proposal. Already a sum exceeding £600,000 has been spent, and unless Mr. Furkert reports that the present work without the breakwater is satisfactory the board will be faced with the position of having spent that sum practically for no result, or the alternative of raising an additional large sum to complete the work. After spending about £50,000 on the acquisition and development of the quarry at Whareongaonga, the Gisborne Harbour Board is forced to the conclusion that the quality of the stone is unsuitable and that the expenditure has practically been a dead loss. That the board realises it made a bad investment is indicated by the remark passed by the chairman, Mr. \V. G. Sherratt, at yesterday’s meeting, when a tree-planting proposal on the site was discussed. “If we decide to plant trees at Whareongaonga,” he said, “we shall have to fence the property, for we have 70 goats there, not including ourselves.”