THE HARBOR SCHEME.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 July 1921, Page 4

THE HARBOR SCHEME.

SOURCES OF STONE SUPPLY GEOLOGIST’S REPORT. SUITABILITY OF PARITUTU. 'The president of the Paritutu Preservation League (Mr. R. C. Hughes) recently received a report from Dr. W. H. Benson (Professor of Geoljtfy at <)■»* Otago University) covering investiga-l tions made in New Plymouth as loj suitable sources for the supply of for harbor development. Dr. states: “In reply to your specific queries, (aL as to the possibility of obtaining a fur-3 ther supply of stone in the Fishing Rock quarries now abandoned; (b) thq quality of the stone of Paritutu itselfj and (c) the possibility of obtaining aup« plies of good stone from adjacent ees, I have to report as follows; j (a) I am of the opinion that, except for the rock left to act as a natural breakwater protecting the approaches the present jetty, ail readily stone of the quality required for tha breakwater has been removed from ths Fishing Rock quarries. (b) The rock of Paritutu dielodgod bjf the blasting is of the same nature and quality as that obtained from the Fishi ing Rock quarry, and would prove, 1 believe, equally suitable for breakwatel construction. There is certainly a minoj amount of finely shattered or deeomi posed rock, but medium sized and larg< coherent blocks are obtained, and forni a great part of the present heap. An examination of the seaward face pf Paritutu, where this rock is exposed wave action, affords evidence of its re« sistant character. (o) Of the islands beyond Paritutu B was able to examine only Moturoa. Thial contains sound rock that would be quiteil suitable for the con-strucrttion of jthe breakwater, and apparently obtainable in large blocks; but a considerable* amount of the island (say, twenty per cent.) is shattered and useless rock. Ita is obvioue that the loss of rock in blasting would be considerable, and the expense of conveying that on to the breakwater would be much larger than in the case of the proposed Paritut.i quarry. Moreover, the whole island could, not yield, if quarried, one-half the amount; required to complete the breakwater. Of the other islands I can give bit a cursory impression. That adjacent to Moturoa is much smaller, and contains a greater proportion of shattered rock. Motu-o-tamatea is larger; it probably contains much the same proportion o£ good stone as Moturoa, but I am not in the position to estimate how much could •be obtained by quarrying. The expense of bringing it to the breakwater would obviously be greater than in the case of Paritutu.

“May I add that my visit to the region has given me great sympathy with the objects of your league, and it is with much regret that I view the proposal to destroy so striking an element in the natural beauties of New Zealand, and one so intimately connectedl with its history.”