NEW HARBOR SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 115, 12 June 1909, Page 5

NEW HARBOR SCHEME.

MR. MARCHAXT AND HIS CRITICS. Mr. P. W. Marchant, consulting engineer to the New Plymouth Harbor Board, writes to us as follows: A newspaper report of the last meeting of the Taranaki Chamber of Cornmere© has been sent to me, at which. Mr. T-enn is reported to have said that Captain Bone "utterly condemned" m y proposal to extend tlie length of the .wharf. He did condemn' it, but not "utterly." He likewise condemned Mr. Napier Bell's and Captam Hood's extension' projects, as he held strongly that any extension of its length ait all was undesirable from his practical experience in working cargo on wharves. He raised no 'dbjWction toi my extenffloa proposals in comparison wJth the others;, on the contrary, he admitted that my scheme provided two berths for the larg-' est vessels instead of only one in the other cases, and it would be no worse to handle large or small vessels at it than is the case at the main breakwater wharf at Trrnaru, .where the concrete treafewater covers the line of the shipping berths. When Captain Bone raised an-uncompromising objection to any extension of the length, of the wharf I pointed out that we had no money wherewith to build a new one to the eastward, as undoubtedly was the proper thing to do. and that we were driven back to dealing with the existing wharf somehow or other to fit it lor the use of the largest vessels If the existing wharf were to be used is it stood, then a considerable sum of money must be expended to stiffen it up after a 30ft berth had been dredged alongside, feeing things were so I th£ suggested as a solution that the should 'be widened to 80 feet The widening would provide tlie necessary stritemng and afford room .for transhipment sheds besides. Captain Bone immediately fell in with this widening project He discussed it fully with Captain Hood, who also gave it his lmqualifHl support. Mr. Connett and Mr. Kin" had previously expressed to me their desire that room opposite the shipping berths should, if possible, be provided on any wharf extension' project. Mr King urged it very strongly indeed. He Held that the future prosperity and success of the harbor was very largely bound up with the development of "the small .steamer traffic to north and south, of the port, and which would to a considerable extent draw supplies from these sheds instead of all goods havin" to be railed up to the New Plymouth station and brought back to the' harbor again .for transhipment. This was one of,the chief reasons prompting me to suggest that the wharf should be widened. When Mr. Penn desires to pose as a hostile critic and guardian- of the pubic interests, he should make sure of ins facts and not listen too much to unreliable hearsay. He did not ask for my reasons or for the history of events, which-1 should gladly have, given him. He was content to declaim against the whole thing, which I suppose is aecordl Mg to newspaper ethics and businessanything to boom the paper. Timaru, June lOtth, 1909