THE PORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1921, Page 7

THE PORT.

THE PAST MONTH’S WORK. MEETING OF THE BOARD. The New Plymouth Harbor Board met yesterday. Present: Messrs. Newton King (chairman), C. E. Bellringer, E Maxwell. C. H. Burgess, C. E. McGuinness, J. S. Connett, C. A. Wilkinson and D. J. Hughes. An apology for absence was received from Mt. J. McCluggage. HARBOR MASTER’S REPORT. The harbormaster (Captain W. Waller) reported for the period of four weeks ending 4th inst. that the number of vessels entering the port had been 21, their aggregate tonnage being 42,169. The imports' were 12,577 tons and the exports 2836, a total of 15,413. The City of Winchester, 7981 tons, arrived from Wellington on May 11. She landed 828 tons of cargo and sailed for Wellington on May 14; draught, 19ft lOin forward and 22ft lOin. aft. The Maindy Lodge, with 3250 tons of coal from Newcastle, arrived on the 14th; draught 18ft forward and 20ft aft. She was ten days in port. The Australcrag » arrived from Auckland on May 17, landed 3000 tons of basic slag, and sailed for Sydney on the 27th. The Waimate, which arrived from Oamaru on May 27, took in 1550 tons of frozen meat and sailed on June 4 for Wellington; draught 17ft lOin aft and 20ft 6in. forward. The Tregarthen arrived from Port Chalmers on June 4 and landed 503 tons of basic slag. She sailed on the 9th for Brisbane; draught, loft forward, 24ft aft. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. G. W. Baxter Lowson) reported:— Repairs were effected to the Mikotahi wall early in the month, 466 tons of atone being tipped on this embankment; 769 tons of large stone were placed on the apron protecting the breakwater, white 1000 tons were dumped at sea on

the line of the breakwater extension. Dredging.*—During the montlrwattieParitutu removed 3500 tons from the third outer cut, 900 tons from the inside cut, 1600 tons from alongside the coak bunkers, and 3600 tons from the fairway cut and the sand spit, a total of 9600 tons, of which 4000 tons were dumped on the line of the breakwater extension. The Paritutu left for ■Wellington for her annual overhaul on May 30tfa, arriving there the following evening. The work of removing the dredging gear wheel and opening up the suction pump was commeiicwl on June 1, and the patent slip being available the next morning, the dredge was placed thereon on June 2. Inspection later revealed that in addition to the work already known to be necessary, fairly extensive repairs would have to be done in the hopper and in the stokehold bilges. General. —Repairs to the board’s cottage adjacent to the harbor master’s residence are now practically completed, rendering the cottage tenable for a few years longer. Wharf maintenance and other general work has been attended to during the period. RE-SURVEY OF COAST. The question of having a survey ade of the coast line from Cape, Egmont to White Cliffs and approaches to New Plymouth harbor was brought before the board in a letter received from the master of one of the overseas vessels which recently visited the port. The chairman stated that the board had endeavored for some time to get th? Admiralty to re-survey the coaet, but a reply had been received to the effect that there was no vessel available. Captain Waller (harbormaster) said there was no doubt another survey was badly needed, as the present Admiralty charts used by vessels only gave the position in New Plymouth as it existed about 1850, and none of the additional soundings or harbor works were shown. The chairman, engineer and harbormaster were delegated to report to next meeting on the advisability of having a survey of the harbor and approaches made by the engineer, with a view to

securing the adoption of such plan for ■uw *n>«w»junction with the Admiralty charts. GENERAL. Owing to Friday having become market day in New Plymouth, the board decided to alter the day of the monthly meeting to the second Thursday. The board received advice from the Bank of New Zealand that the minimum, rate of interest on overdraft would be 7 per cent as from June 2.