HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS. A Big Scheme of Works. Auckland, May 8.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 154, 15 May 1886, Page 6

HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS. A Big Scheme of Works. Auckland, May 8.

A special meeting o£ the Harbour Board will be hold on Tuesday to consider the Engineer's report on harbour works, and plans of same. The plan prepared by Mr McGregor provides for a complete scheme of works for future development. The whole plan is estimated to cost for its completion £1,167,747, and Mr McGregor remarks: — "It seems to me that there cannot be two opinions with regard to the general principle laid down in the design as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but from the great length of the foreshore, stretching from Okahu to Ponsonby Points, a distance of four and one-third (4£), and the imperative necessity of including the whole frontage in designing a general scheme of harbour improvemements, it involves a scheme of considerable magnitude, and can only be carried out piecemeal from time to time, as the trade oi the port grows and demands increased shipping accommodation, thus providing for the ever- changing type of ocean-going vessels that may be employed in the carrying trade of the world The works forming portion of the general scheme that I recommend the Board to undertake at once are ; - (a). Construction of new wharf 360 feet along the eastern side of Hobson -street reclamation, (b). The extension of Hobson-street Wharf (1,000 lineal feet) to the Quay frontage, wi'h the eastern arm (700 lineal feet) extending to the entrance of Basin No. 2. (c). The extension of Railway Wharf in the directions shown on the plan, as far as the entrance of Basin No. 4 (lengths 420 and 1,540 feet), (d). Construction of jetty of Quay-street 340 lineal feet. The estimated costjof the first section is £248, 755, as follows : —

The length o{ new berthage provided by the first section is 7,410 lineal feet, having depth of water varying from 27 to 18 feet at low water, and capable of accommodating about twenty vessels from 250 to 500 feet long, where the inward and outward cargoes could be handled with safety and rapidity by passing the goods through sheds capable of holding about 20,000 tond in all. The whole scheme provides berthage 34,630 feet long, or about 6£ miles of wharf frontage, so that an extra berth or two can be grafted on to the last section at any time when required, and at the came time be carrying out a part of a uniform and comprehensive design of harbour improvements, which will no doubt be completed some day."

The Customs authorities claim £600 duty on the Victorian wines imported for the Exhibition in consequence of their strength being one-fourth over proof, The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Sir P. C. Owen, vieit§4 th^l^hibitipnto-dayg

Lnl. ft. £ £ Hobsonstreet Wharf, on east tide of present reclamation, including 760 ft of road 3GO 7,022 Extension northward to main front wall .. 1,000 55,501 Arm eastward .. .. 700 45,085 Railway Wharf bend .. 42J 14,796 Railway Wharf arm eastward 1,510 91,889 Quay-street Jetty .. .. 340 15,939 4,36.3 230,285 Sheds on the above wharves— Hobson-street Extension I northward 600 3,000 Hobson street Extension eastward 800 4,000 Railway Wharf eaatward 2,000 10.C00 Quay-street 300 1,500 18,500 3,700 £218.785