IMPORTANCE OF THE PORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1917, Page 7

IMPORTANCE OF THE PORT.

worked hard for it ever since, yesterday's berthing of an ocean linor was the consummation of a life's., courageous work, lie deserved the congratulations showered on him o>,v all sides. ■■

The New Plymouth Harbor Empowering Bill, ho stated, was first passed in 1875, after n previous Bill to borrow £350,000, which had passed the provincial Council, had been thrown out by thei House of Representatives. The members of the Provincial Council at that timo were:' Messrs W. M. Crompton, A. Standish, C. Brown, D. Callaghan, P. Elliott, 0. F. Sherwood, W. N. Syme, J. T. Upjolm, F. MeGuire, 11. Peacock (all of whom have since died), T. Kelly, F. ,T. Mace, J. Andrews, J. Rattenbury, R. C. Hughes and J. B. Connett. Mr. J. B. Connett is the present chairman of the Harbor Board, having taken a keen interest in its welfare ever since, and Mr. J. • Andrews is ft member of. the Taranaki County Council.' The first Harbor Board was elected in the same year. Its members were: Messrs C. Brown (at one time Superintendent of the province), A. Standish, W. N. Syme, F. A. Carrington (Superintendent of the Provincial Council and founder of the province), H. A. Atkinson (at one timo 'Premier of the colony), G. Curtis, T. Kelly (ex-M.L.C), H. Weston and J. B. Connett. The first meeting was held on July 5, 1875, when Mr. Carrington was elected chairman. Mr. At-

kinson resigned and Mr. Chilman was appointed to the vacancy, and next meeting, when Mr. Carrington resigned the chairmanship, he was appointed to that position. .Mr. Brown also resigned, Mr. F. U. Cled'hiU being appointed to the vacancy. Prior to the commencement of the harbor as it is at present, the vessels | used to lay off New Plymouth opposite where the railway station is now, and the.goods and passengers >were< brought ashore in surf boats, as is. done at Opunake at present. Mr. Connett, with Mrs. Connett, landed on the beach fifty years ago in June next,, being carried ashore by the boatmen. Mr. Carrington (Superintendent of the Province), who was sent out by the Plymouth Company to form the settlement of New Plymouth, in a Teport homo to the chairman of the company, who, Mr. Connett believes, was the Earl of Devon, stated that Moturoa was a suitable place for a harbor.

The newly-elected Board at onee took steps to commence the harbor. There was considerable diversity of opinion regarding the site. Some favored building a breakwater opposite the station, but it was pointed out that the extent of shallow water hero would never permit of vessels of any size being berthed. Others favored connecting the Sugar Loaves. This no doubt would have been the best scheme, but the opinion given by competent engineers was that it would cost at least £1,000,000 to complete the work, and unless they, had at least £7-50,001) to expend, it was no use attempting the scheme. Accordingly, it was necessary to cut the coat according to the cloth. Sir John Coode prepared the plans and estimates for the breakwater in its present situation. In-1979 the first loan was raised, viz., £200,000, at 8 per cent, for 30 years. This was issued at 05 per cent, and realised £185,000 It ex-pired in I<MW. bj{ which time a sinking fund of £05,000 liad accrued, leaving a balance of £135.000. which was paid out of the loan of £300.000, authority to raise which was obtained in WOS.

\ 'A PROMISING FUTURE. SERVING LARGE AND RICH DISTRICT. Tho importance of the port to the iliatrict can hardly be realised at present, but it will be realised moro and move a 5 time goes on. New Plymouth possesses the onlv deep-sea harbor on (he west coast of the North Island, and (he harbor will therfore serve a large area of land. The area of the Taranaki land district comprises 2,404,500 acres of the most fertile land in the Dominion, and the whole of this and more will be within reach of the New Plymouth harbor, which should be able to successfully compete with; Auckland and "Wellington. . The trade of the port is already very extensive, and must -increase, as can be seen when the ocean liners »ike regular calls here. In the year ISfll, when the shipping was tendered in the open roadstead, 127 steamers entered and cleared, representing 31,618 tons, and it is estimated that the expense of landing and shipping goods was fully £15,000 during the y?ar. In 1954, in the July of which year vessels were berthed at the breakwater, {be aggregate . shipping reached 81,120 tons, the imports and exports totalling 10.0SG tons, and the revenue front wharfage and harbor dues amounting to £2044. Last year 252 vessels, of a total of 11'8,943 tons, entered and cleared tho port, the total im-1 ports and exports amounting to SO,IOS | tons and the wharfage and dues to £ 11.800. The transport facilities throughout I he district to be served are already good, and are improving each year. The Wellington-New Plymouth railway runs through rich closely-settled country, whilst the Stratford-Main Trunk line is ' being extended, slowly, it is true, into the valuable Ohura district, which is already looking forward t6 New Plymouth as its port. A line is also being made ■ out towards Opunake. Good roads are the rule within 40 or 50 miles radius of

Plant was obtained from England, including the Thomas King, which was a the time. In 18S1 the first stone of the breakwater wars laid by Mr. F A. Carrington, and the work proceeded with until a length of lflSOft of the breakwater was completed, when the work was discontinued, the loan money being exhausted. During the proi gress of the work great difficulty was

experienced in getting a proper foundation for the concrete blocks, on account of the drift sand, which made the workvery expensive, costing roughly £IOO per foot, and, there being no .protective I work, it was not long before the heavy seas caused serious damage and threat-

ened to destroy the whole structure, one gale carrying away 30ft and damaging another 20ft. At this time Mr. Connett, who was living in Bell Block, was invariably assailed on his visits to town by numerous queries as to how musk more of the breakwater had been carried flway. Not only did,the'gal* destroy the end of the breakwater, but they did serious damage in various sections, and as no funds were available to carry out

protective -work matters looked serious. The people of New -Plymouth, however, eamo to the rescue and subscribed £IOOO at once to protect tho damaged sections.This war, In 1885, and that year the late Mr. F. V, r . Merchant was called in to advise the Board, end be remained their consulting engineer right through. He recommended the provision of apron work, and Mr. Henderson, the -present 'superintendent, who was then foreman 1 of works, commenced the work under Mr. Marchant's direction.

the port, and out back, where the -oads are only summer ones, the main industry is grazing and wool-growing, and very little difficulty is experienced i\\ getting these products to the railway, save in some isolated rases. The sea coast rivers and ports, Opimake and Patea in the south, Tongaporutu, Mokau, Awakino, M&vokopa and Ka-whia northwards, are going to prove valuable feeds, more .particularly if a line of coastal steamers is established as contemplated at present.

Taranaki's exports comprise butter and cheese from numerous dairy factories and creameries closely scattered throughout the district, the butter and cheese being stored and graded for shipment in freezing works situated at Moturoa and at Patea. There are also large meat freezing works at Waitara, Smart road and Patea, from which beef, mutton, wool, hides, skins, pelts, tallow and the minor by-products of the grazing industry are already exported in a very large and ever-increasing quantity. Wool-is also laigely exported. There are also bacon factories and some flaxmiils. Then there aro also the oil wells and thu| manufacture of iron ore, which will shortly be in operation. In 1915 there were over 40,000 tons of produce sent away from Taranaki. In addition, of course, there .are the imports. These will be no small item when the requirements of a closely populated area are considered.

This v/ork was continued v/hen the Board was in funds, and a frst-c'nss job resulted, which has nroved the salvation of the structure, the maintenance of which has since been a trifling matter.

Mr. Marohnnt converted the bf.rge into the dredse known as the Thomas King. ] which has done excellent work in'coping ■ with the sand drift that the Board always had to contend with. Later she was altered so as to use either t|'c urab or tho sand pump, according to tho na-

(v,re of the. material to be dredged. At the time the fir?t loon was raised the Harbor Board's rutins area comorisod the whole of the Taranaki provincial district, with the execution of Haw era and south thereof, but in 1-009, when the "Board went before the ratepayers with a proposal to raise a loan of £30(1000 to nav off the original loan, on which £133.000 was due," and the balance _to be used for further improvements, including the purchase of the Paritutu, which was designed by Mr. -Mnrchant.

A LONG AND HONORABLE CAREER. THE "FATHER" OF THE HARBOR. ' TALK WITH MR. J. B. OONNETT. Mr. J. B. •Connett, who has been a member of the Harbor Board, with the exception of two terms, one being on account of his absence in England, since the Board was constituted in 1875, and who has been chairman since IQO2, gave u News reporter yesterday ail interesting resume of the hafbor construction. Mr. Gonnctt '.-. the "father" of the lnvbor. For forty-two years he has battled for the harbor. Ho,realised, its l -li J£liJ! ! >*, L _

the Thomas King proving unsuitable and insufficient for the work of deepening the harbor, the Waitara and Opunako districts had formed separate harbor areas, and were excluded from the New Plymouth rating area. As is well known to most Taranaki residents, there was a good deal of controversy throughout the country district? over the loan proposals. Several members of the 1 Board laid the position clearly before settlers at meetings in country districts, and the result was that the loan was carried very easily, the figures being: 4G17 for and 010 against the proposal. After trying to raise the loan in New Zealand at a satisfactory figure, Messrs ,T. B. Connett (chairman) and Newton King (treasurer) were authorised by the 'Harbor Board to proceed to England, where they succeeded in raising \£275.000 at the rate of £lOl per cent., with interest at 4'/, per cent., and the balance of £25,000 was raised from the Bank of New Zealand on January 1, 1910, at 5 per cent at pai As soon as hinds nei» available, the Board commenced

tlio extension of the breakwater, tut, profiting by past experience, they decided to, ascertain if it were possible to adopt some more satisfactory way of carrying out the work. On. Mr. Marchant's suggestion, after consultation with Mr. N'apier Bell, the Board decided to tip stone on the sand until reaching low-water mark and then complete the work witli concrete blocks. Six hundred feet were addedto the new principle, at a cost of £53 foot, as against' £IOO per foot which the previous portion in shallower water cost. The

work was under Mr. Henderson's management, and has been a great success, there being not the slightest sign of sinking in any part. ' It must have required a good deal of courage on Mr. Marehant's part to recommend it, as most engineers condemned it. The total length of the breakwater is thus iHOOft. Tlio intention of Sir John Coode was

to utilise the breakwater as a wharf, and bollards were prepared for the purpose of mooring ships, and cargo waß landed there for a time. It was found

that for days together it was impossible for ships to work here, and accordingly

the Board decided to build a wharf on the present site, which has since been widened and extended sufficiently to accommodate Home boats. It was at first intended to extend the wharf at an angle for a further 600 ft, with the idea of utilising this extension for Home liners. After due consideration it was

decided Jiot to extend the wharf but to dredge in-shore and so obtain greater shelter. This necessitated a much longer time, as there was far greater difficulty in dredging, the material encountered close in-shoro requiring the use of a large quantity of explosives on account of its hard nature, whereas further oufN the bottom was more sandy. Since her arrival in July, 1910, the Paritutu has been constantly employed in deepening the harbor, and has removed a total, during the last six years, of ] ,460,250 tons of spoil, despite the fact that at times only one load (400 tons) could be removed in a day. The Thomas King has also remoyed~during the same period 64Ji.72-0 tons of sand, making a total of 2,110,970 tons. . For 670 ft at the outer edge of the wharf the harbor has been dredged to a depth of 33ft at low water for o widtli

of 270 ft. The balance of the approach and swinging basin has been dredged at its shallowest part to a depth of not less than 25ft at low water, with a

rise of tide of 12ft, giving a depth of 37ft at high tide. Dolphins and all the necessary. appliances have been provided for berthing the 'Home liners.

The Board still intend to continue this progressive policy, and contemplate the erection almost immediately of a large transhipment shed on the wharf, and a committee has been appointed to consider and report on the erection of a shed opposite the homo liner's berth, where it will azt to a great extent as a Break-wind. ONE OF THE MAKERS OF THE HARBOR. MR. E. MAXWELL'S STERLING SERVICE.

Everyone knows that Mr. E. Maxwell, 8 of Rahotu, -has been closely associated 1 with the work of the harbor for many I years. To be exact, the period is 23 | years, during part of which he acted as jj chairman of the Board. But few realise B that but for the sterling service of Mi. I Maxwell there would have been no berth- | ing of Home liners to-day. When the I loan scheme was put forward some year? ~ ago there was no warmer'advocate than Mr. Maxwell, just as there was no stronger opponent of a previous scheme

which he held did not do justice in the matter of rating to the country districts.

There was considerable opposition: to the Bill in the southern pa - .c of the harbor district, and it whs here that Mr. Maxwell rendered sue!; signal service. He met the ratepayers, who were strongly organised in opposition, at Manaia,

Okaiawa and Kaponga, and by his tact and good generalship turned the opposition into support, securing the undivided assistance that was subequently, during the progress of the Bill through Parliament, to prove so valuable. It was a difficult problem, but Mr. Maxwell was the one man to handle and solve it. That was the turning point. Had the opposition prevailed, had it shown itself in Parliament, where the Bill, owing to its clauses running counter to -the ideas of some of the ultra

democrats, there would have been nb big loan Bill, and the work of fashioning the harbor would have been delayed for years. Taranaki owes great deal to Mr. Maxwell for the important work he did at this critical stage of the port's

history. A representative of the News interviewed Mr. Maxwell yesterday, feeling he could give some information of in-

terest toneerning the harbor during the period of his eonneetion with it. In 1894 Mr. Maxwell stood for and was elected to the vacancy caused by | the death of the late Mr. Thomas King, 'atlter of Mr. Xcwtou King, who was ■hairman at the time of his death. Mr. 8.. Cock was elected .chairman. The following year the whole Board went out af office., and a new Board, composed entirely of :ountry members was elected,

r-omprising the late 'Messrs Geo. McLean and P. T. Ralfe, Messrs R. Davies (now General Davies), Shearer (Okaiawta), Bluck (Waitara), and Mr. Maxwell, who has been on the board ever since. The Government nominees were Messrs Eli Sarten, J. Ward, and Cliff. Mr. Maxwell was appointed chairman, a position he occupied for some years. Although the New Plymouth people had subscribed a considerable amount of money and the apron work commenced at the shore end, Mr. Gillbanks being foreman of works, the breakwater nt this time was in a deplorable condition, there being manv breaches, the largest one being almost completely through ajl but one block, and the sand encroachment had so extended that the side of the wharf next the breakwater, which is now a berth of loft, was dry sand for a considerable

distance, and the only channel, known as a crooked channel, was driven over shorewards, giving only Bft 6in of water at low water. The result was that the chairman was sent south by the Bonrd to see about securing a dredge, and during that visit met Mr. Mar-chant, who was then engineer in charge of the Tiinaru harbor works. He was so impressed with that gentleman's qualifications that he hastened back and obtained authority for the Board te secure Mr. Marchant's services. This was done, Mr. Marehant continuing to be the Board's engineer until his recent death. Mr. Marchant's first work was to throw stringers across the gaps and fill thein with large rubble instead of waitin" to 'make them up nith concrete. Grouling I was placed over the top and rubbje

placed outside for a protective npron. a | metjiod that proved very effective.'- The next work was to overcome the sand trouble. Ho designed alterations which converted the Thomas King from a grab dredge into a saud-pump dredge, ilis estimate of the cost was £B4O, and ho considered the dredge would last fqr several years. The tost was somewhat below this, and the drodgi is still doing excellent work after 2'} years' service. This was evidence of his engineering ability and his enrfe in hi* estimates. The Thomas Kins; not only overcame the annual drift, but steadily deepened the harbor throughout, making the present direct channel into a minimum depth of 12ft at low water. He could ttuthfully say that Mr. Marchant Was the saviour of the port of New Plymouth. The wharf was thei 400 ft loag by 3-2 ft wide, with a narrow approacli of 300 ft. It was under Mr. Marehant's excellent direction that tho present excellent wharf of ,loooff by including, the straightening of tfjo curved approach, giving a straight berthage face of lOiwt. W(U constructed., la JBOB hi

designed the works of: the harbor provide n deep-sea port, as the £300,000 loan, and. designed and constructed tho dredge 'Paritutu a cost in round figures of £35,000, day wc see tho fulfilment of his by the present position of the port ing excellent accommodation, The sent superintendent of works vat I'. Henderson, who has been with the works for. the past years, and under whose supervision work of making a deep sea harbor been carried oui. Before concluding, Mr. .Maxwell PfuLjl ri tribute to the sterling sen ire the port by the lato Mr. Clarence uell the late secretary, and his son, thO-J present secretary. The father was M '" ideal secretary during the seven ye«*#' - Mr. Maxwell was chairman, his wojif ' s always being up to time and invariably ,' accurate, and he could say the same w ,,'r? the present secretary. Good were halt' the b'tttlc; and in this reapftjrfrvw the Harbor Board had been most fortttgjpS