MAKING A HARBOUR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81843, 8 September 1906, Page 2

MAKING A HARBOUR.

HOW MOTUROA IS BEING IMPROVED. ECONOMICAL BREAKWATER EXTENSION. EEP SEA HARBOUR IN SIGHT. Mr J. IS. Connett, chairman of the si I arbour Board, placed some very. 0' lie-resting facts before the Taranaki >'i ihamber of Commerce on Friday <'< ighl in conecticn with the break- '< ;ater construction, and incidentally e lentioned same important facts in c efcrencc to the Paritutu controversy. I n February, 1879, lie said, Sir John c »ode recommended that the Break- ' vater should bo constructed of rub- j 1 >lo stone quarried from Paritutu, ' iljout 700 yards south-west of the X ilarting point, and conveyed thence t iver a self-acting incline. The work [ ,vas to have been done by convict la- ' jour, and the stone delivered with- ' mt haulage. But in December of I .he same year Mr Roes, the engineer, ' Jelivered an adverse report on the rjuaUty of the stone available. •He had driven a heading into the northoast face of Paritutu at a height of 194 feet above high-water mark.l Through the centre, the rock wast found -very hard and expensive to' work. No solid stone was met with, the seams running in all directions at from six to fifteen inches apart. Then another drive was put in at right angles to the first for a distance of 50 feet, but no solid face was f.:und. The quantity of stone above tho level of the drive was estimated at 500,000 cubic yards. To complete tho western mole to a length of 3000 feet would require some 600,000 cubic yards, and the engineer estimated there was not more than 1,200,000 cubic yards in Paritutu, from which a very large quantity must be deducted for quarry rubbish and loss by falling into the sea. "That report," which was thor oughly unreliable, was adopted," said Mr Connett, "and that report has cost the district over £100,000." Continuing, Mr Connett quoted the report of Sir John Coode, who on March 17th, 18S0, stated that from advices received relative to the proportion of stone of different sizes procurable from and in the vicinity of Paritutu, it became evident that the stone available was not suitable for a rubble mound. The tion supplied by Mr Rces had shown that seven-tenths of the stone would be cf less size than 2ocwt, two. tenths from 20 to -oewt, and one-tenth over 3ocwt. Under these circumstances there was no other course than to alter the mode of construction by substituting- concrete work for rubble stone, a course," he. reported, "which 1 foit should only bo adopted as a matter of necessity arising from the proved deficiency of stone of suitable size."Mr Connett wished to draw the attention of everyone in Taranaki to the statements in the report concerning- the size of stone that migh be obtained, and mentioned that blocks weighing from 20 to 30 tons were quarried now in the vicinity of Paritutu. If that repor had been correct, there would have been no breakwater to-day, for there would not have been stone for the necessary protection work. Mr C. Napier Bell had reported in November, igoi: "It seems doubtful if there is sufficient rock in the present quarries, and, if not, then Paritutu Hill .must be quarried. The original intention of Sir John Coode and Mr Carruthcrs was to.„use this hill as a quarry. Mr Connett gave his opinion that there would not have been sufficient stone to have carried out the original scheme. The new style of breakwater construction (concrete monolith on rubble instead of all concrete) was com menced in 1904, the first block being made in October, and placed over the end of the breakwater on to the foundation of rubble on 21st March, 1905. Since then 172 feet had been added to the breakwater, and with fair weather another 12 feet shoulc be added next week, leaving on hand enouirh blocks for a further Ico feet extension. Despite the predictions in some quarters, there had been no subsidence in the work; for that satisfactory result they had to thank the engineer (Mr Marchant) for his plans, and the foreman for tho able manner in which he had carried out his work. They could have pressed the work on at a more rapid rate—-there had been great temptation to do so but the Board preferred to go on slowly, allowing the rubble to become thoroughly solid before placing the concrete blocks on top. Although they were nowjn deep wa tor, the work was costing only £SO a fcot, whilst the original work, in shallow water, and without protection, cost £IOO a foot. At the present rate of progress the western mole would be completed to a length of 3000 feet in six or seven years, and the wharf extension and dredging would, of course, go on simultane ously. In spite of the heavy expenditure the overdraft was being reduced, and he was sure that by the time the loan matured the settlers would be able to see the completed harbour would be of tho graetest ser vice to them. The junction of the Opunake railway, said Mr Connett, was not a matter of great moment to New Plymouth, for when the harbour works were finished and direct steamers visited the port, the trade of the whole of Taranaki would bo drawn here.

Mr King explained the engineer's estimate for the present system of breakwater extension was £Bl per f.;or, exclusive of "contingencies." Mr Brooking: Yen have to get into deep water yet. Mr King: We've all been in the same mess about that. The, engin per started it, and now you're the next man to fall in. There will be no deeper water, for the bank of sand follows up the work and we will build on the same depth for another

1000 feet. Mr Connett: In other words, we are making the sand help us, and as long as we keep the work protected with stone the sand can't shift. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Connett for his interesting re marks.