The Daily News. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1900. THE HARBOUR PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 225, 17 November 1900, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1900. THE HARBOUR PROBLEM.

The members of the New Plymouth Harbour Board paid an official visit to the breakwater yesterday to witness the working of the sand pump, and courteously invited the representatives of the local press. On arrival at the breakwater, under the supervision of the engineer, -Mr. Marchant, the sand pump was run for nearly an hour and a-half with apparent success. Opinions appeared to vary as to the measure of success attained. On the one hand we were told that the boiler power of the two locomotives used was altogether insufficient, and that this opinion was held by the engineers of several steamers trading to the port, On the other hand, Mr. Marchant declared that the boiler power was ample, that the engines were not being forced at all, and that after pumping for over an hour they had more steam up than when they started. Then as regards the sand pump, there was certainly a considerable quantity of water and sand going through the pipe and out at the end, where a short length was taken out go that the members of the Board could see the result. In connection with this it was stated that the outflow pipe being open at the end instead of under water, caused a great loss of power "owing to the air pressure. On the other hand, some stated that without this opening the sand would not travel at all, but would block up the pipe. Statements have also been made that it was impossible to shift the ironsand with the pump, but the sand we saw coming through the pipe was the purest iron sand we have ever seen, and the suggestion wag made to Mr, Marchant that he had evidently discovered a satisfactory method ef separating the iron sand from its impurities. Regarding the quantity of sand being sent through the pump there was considerable differonce of opinion it being put as high as 50 per cent. As f.ir as we could see, if you put a bucket into the outflow at the bottom you got 00 to 70 per cent, of sand, but if at the top the percentage of sand was very small. Probably about 10 per cent, of sand would be about the average. Even at this low average contiEUOUs pumping would remove an enormous quantity every 24 hours on account of the onormous capacity of tho pump. As a proof of the power to pump water end a certain quantity of sand tho trial was an undoubted success, but of the wisdom of pumping the sand over through the breakwater in this manner there is a i wide difference of opinion. In fact the i whole sand difficulty is one upon which hardly any two persons appear to agree, and on the whole question of the harl bour there is equally an wide divergence of opinion. The difficulty is to know i what is the value of the opinions, and 1 it appears to us thai: this want of unanimity of opinion is the cause of most of the dtlliuulfcics which tho Harbour Lhui'd has to contend v.-Lh. The harbourmaster, Captain Hood, who coi ■ ■ tainly has worked a wonderful change 5 for the bosix-r ju thu condition of the ! past tills us that in iihe course of j working the harbour he has found the opinion of aiiay of the oklestjind apparently Most. OApeiieticed residents •o be entirely wrong. It appears to us that what is wanted is a really strong man to -bring down a definite scheire of,harbour improvement, and for ail parties to agree to assist in carrying it out. The lime has come thieg must be to to cojia w® the

increasing trade of the port, and to ; provide accommodation for the steadily increasing number of vessels frequenting the port. The sooner all parties agree to sink all difference of opinion and adopt one settled line of policy the better it will be for the Board and the whole district. Years of precious time and enough money to have given a good safe port has been, and is still being wasted in making experiments,