PATEA HARBOR.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1919, Page 3

PATEA HARBOR.

HARBORMASTER'S REPORT. At the monthly meeting of the Patea Harbor Board on Tuesday, the pilot (Captain Tinner) reported' as follows: The channel over the bar at the present tune is very bad, being shallow outside on the bar and alw inside My. eon the walls, wllich I think is caused by the j long spoil of westerly winds and heavy j seas, with very poor tides, with no chance to scour out. I sounded the ; bar on the 20th and got lift, and al>o | lift between {he wnils, with tift show- [ nig on the tide guage. The weather : has kept.so bad that I have been unable to take farther sounding.-. There have been 14 arrival.- and 111 departures since m\ last report. i-our went out on the tights. On the 20ti. when the s.s. Kapuni was going out, drawing lift ♦in, she toadied the bottom between,the walls and lost her way, which caused her to sag down on to the end of the eastern wall, which* she struck, causing a little damag- U> her top side. After being here for about 2(1. minutes she '.vent -tern first out. tt m-' blowing very hard (west-north-west) at the time, but not enough (o keep her in. Everything at th e stiition is in good working order. The position of (he bieakwater extensions account to dale is as follows: Payments for eastern bieakwater £2!).442. 13s Id, western breakwater £23,039 lis od, cap. eastern breakwater £3431 3s Cd; total payments; £50,50S Ss 4d. Total advance made to contractor in cash for material £10,168 lfis Od, amount refunded in cash £>GIB3 17s 9d; advance balance.. £3!>75 2s 2d. Total amount of contract £07,500, cap. eastern breakwater £5104 J 4s; £72,004 14s. Total payments. £50.508 Ss 4d; £10,150 5s Sd; less advance balance, £3975 2s due, £12,181 3s Od. Th ( . engineer reported that he and the engineer had interviewed the contractor with reference to further extension of the eastern wall, but he was not anxious to do any more work, considering i that in the interests of the Board it was not advisable to carry out the proposal ; suggested at the previous meeting. The contractor said he would complete the work at present in hand and finish it so that it could be added to if necessary. : The matter was left to the engineer.' j