GERALDINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1881, 20 April 1889, Page 1

GERALDINE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The usual monthly meeting of this committee was held in the schoolroom on Wednesday evening last. Present —Messrs W. S. Maslin (Chairman), C. E. Sherratt, J, Riordan, J. W. Pye, and N, Dunlop.

MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, HEAD MASTER'S EEPORT.

The head master's report was laid upon the table. It showed the average attendance for the quarter ending March to have been 220. The chairman had been furnished with a list of those persons who had made themselves liable to prosecution for keeping their children away from school. The master also asked for a black-board set for teaching geometrical drawing, and informed the committee that the pump was again out of repair. The report also stated that there were eleven pupils in the school who had passed Standard VI., and the master was unable to give them the attention they deserved. They were all of a high order of intelligence, and would doubtless profit by secondary instruction. The master pointed out that now was the time for representing to the Board of Education the desirableness of advancing r the school to the status of a District High School. The fact of Geraldine being the centre of a large and populous district was an additional reason.—The suggestion was made that the subject be sent forward for discussion at the next meeting. One effect of the elevation of the status would be the appointing of an assistant to enable the master to _ give more attention to secondary subjects, and to the work of the whole school: The report was read and considered, and it was decided to attend to the matters mentioned therein. ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounting to £2 5s 3d were passed for payment, and the committee adjourned. TIMA.RU HAEBOK BOARD. The monthly meeting of the Timara Harbour Board was held ou Wednesday. Present—Messrs E. Acton (chairman), K. F. Quay, J. S. Wilson, I. L. Morris, T. Toschemaker, D. M. Hobs, and J, Manchester, and Captains Woollcombe and Sutter, Mr W. J. Steward, M.H.R., wrote approving of the proposal, originating in Oamaru, for the consolidation of local bodies' loans. He was sure it coold be carried out. A number of letters were received from other boards approving of this board's proposed amendment of the Harbours Act with reference to the responsibilities of harbour ma3tors.

Mr 0. Q. Tripp wrote offering a ssggestion for dealing v?ith the Bhingle accumulation.—Letter to be acknowledged with thanks.

The Canterbury Marice Underwriters Association asked that Captain Olarkson, harbormaster, be permitted to uct as marine surveyor for the Association, — Agreed to. The railway wharfage return for the four weeks ending March 2nd credited to the board £439 17s 3d.

The harbormaster reported the arrival of 24 steamers and 8 sailing vessels, of an aggregate registered tonnage of 13,303 tons, and the departure of 23 steamers and 5 sailfaig vessels, during March. The weather through the month was fine. A screw mooring outside the chequered buoy was recommended. Some shingle was required on the approach of the Moody wharf, as it is almost impassable in wet weather.—lt was agreed to supply the shingle a*ked for. The chairman reported that Captain Cameron and Mr Cook, of the Union S.S. Company, visited Timaru on Tuesday week, and were met by himself, the Mayor, Captam Wooltcombe, and Captain Sutter, and they had, pursuant to request, forwarded a written report on the question of a tug for the port- The report stated that after due consideration of all the circumstances and requirements of the port, they were of opinion that the most suitable boat, for all general purposes and for special necessities, would ba a steal paddle boat, with compound engines of 90 h.p. nominal, 450 indicated, with boiler capable of raising steam equal to 500 h.p. indicated, for moments of necessity. Many details of the best construction were given in the report. A separate roport on the Titan, received from these gentlemen, was read in committee. —Mr Gray then moyed the motion of which he had givea notice, to rescind the resolution passed two months ago, that a new tug be got from England. He con-, demned the purchase of a new tug; the tr&de of the port was now for the most 1 part dona by Btoamers, and if they spent Borue thousands on a tug it would be money lying idle. He did not thiak it would coe.fs'o much to repair the Titan.— Captain \Coollcombe seconded Mr Gray s motion, and after a short discussion it was carried unanimously.—Captain Woollcombe then moved, and Captait' Sutter seconded —" Ths.t the Titan be repaired sufficiently ! to entixle her lo a certificate to do the work of the port until a new tug ifl obtained." Captain Woollcombe thought a tug could be procured in Punedio. Ho disapproved of the Ti ; an, if only for the reason thut she consumed too much coal, ivlr Gray raovei as an amendment —" ±hat a report on the couiiiiiun of the tug Titan

! be obtained from a .uieclumoal utigineur, and aluo ihe cost of putting her in repair to eervo for tiva ycwo." Mr Flafcrnan secouded the amendment, as tho Titan

could be repaired at a cost of £2OOO so aa to do the work of the port for another five years, and they could not sell her unless she was repaired. The motion was carried and the amendment lost.—Mr Roas moved, and Captain Sutter secouded—" That the superintending engineer in Glasgow of the Union Company be authorised to procure a new tug, pursuant to the recommendations made to the board by Messrs Cook and Cameron, suitable for the port of Tiraaru ; and that (he said engineer have the tug built by public tender." Tho mover and seconder ugreed to iidd to the motion—"the price to be cab'ed out before acceptance." An amendment was moved to the effect that furlher inquiry be made in New Zealand as to obtaining a tug, but this was lost and the motion carried.

In his monthly report the eDgineer suggested that n sort at pirnpet should be formed along the south side of the breakwater with the spare blocks on hand and those lifted from the top of tho wave, breaker. This would prevent to a great extent the heavy bodies of water which now sweep over the breakwater during atoms, and keep tho harbor much calmer. He recommended the procuring of totara and ironbark timber for wharf repairs. The screw, moorings authorised had now been put down, and the cost had not exceeded £6O. Since last meeting tho TaDiwha had dredged and discharged about 1700 tons of spoil and 20 tons of rock. His report on the accumulation of shingle was enclosed, and the plan ot the land endowment the Board needed was well forword.—The report was adopted, the material required to be obtained. The Chairman said that it was possible, a purchaser would ba found for the old crane, in the Otago Dock Trust.—The board agreed to leave the question of price to the chairman and town members if an enquiry were made before next meeting. _ Captain Sutter moved, Mr Morris eecondad, and it was resolved—" That the Btanding committee report at next meeting if in their opinion it be advisable to make any alteration in the charges on coal imported and other goods." This, it was explained, was in view of the rocent reductions in charges at Lyttelton. On the motion of Captain Sutter, it was resolved—" That the secretary draft a bill for the endowment of Caroline Bay to the harbor board, and advertise the sarno in accordance with the law, for the purpose of giving charge of the bill to the member for Timaru." Accounts amounting to £1578 3s 7d were passed for payment. The engineer's (Mr Marchant) report on the shingle accumulation was then read. Taking Sir John Coode's excellent survey ef the beach as his basis, he estimated the total accumulation of shingle between the breakwater and Heotota Street—a distance of about half amile—at7so,ooocubic yards, including in this amount the quantity of shingle used in the construction of the concrete breakwater. Of tbi3 total, 600,000 cubic yards were deposited in the first seven years after the commencement of the breakwater and 150,000 cubic yards have accumulated in.the last 3 years. Of this last named amount, 60,000 cubic yards accumulated in 1886, 50,000 cubic yards in 1887, and 40,000 cubic yards in 1888. During 1887 and up to the present time the following causes had combined to effect the accumulation of the shingle | besidathe breakwater :-" 1. That since tht completion of tho contract work some 18 months ago, no shinglo has been removed from the beach beside the breakwater. 2. That during the construction of the breakwater a long row of concrete blocks nearly always stood on tho parapet offset, thuß opposing a broadside six feet high to the action of/vavos during storms and so greatly increasing tho force of the waves of concentration. Since the removal of these blocks for the completion of the works, the waves sweep over the breakwater in great volumes during storms, thus reducing l heir ncouring effect. on the beach. 3. That the upper blocks of the wave breaker, standing above low water mark, have reduced tho inshore run of the waves along the breakwater. This is the only reductive effect of tho wave breaker, as the strength of the reflected waves south of the breakwateris as great as ever. 4. That duriug the past two years, and more especially so during the last nine months, we have had unfavourable weather in so far ?s shingle accumulation is concerned." To reduce the shingle accumulation it had been arranged with the railway department to take their ballast shingle from besida the breakwater, and shingle for town purposes was to bo removed from this point ; the upper blocks of the wave beaker were being lifted and stacked along the south side of the breakwater, in order to increase the waves of concentration. After dealing with the configuration of the coastline from Pareorato Timaru, .7 miles, the report stated that during the three years the engineer had been in the service of the Board he had continually made experiments and observations, and satisfied himself of the following statements :-—" 1. That the movement of the beach is intermittent and varying, sometimes stationary, sometimes from north to south, and at other times from south to north. The greatest movement is from south to. north, but these movements are not on the immense scale that has heretofore been supposed by some. 2. That when the beach is projected into deeper water by »ny obstacle, and is thus exposed to a heavier w-ava' stroke, its reduction into sand is much accelerated. 3. That a great quantity of bench accumulation is destroyed by bom" ground intothefinest sand,and is deposited on the sea bottom aud drifted northward in suspension by a strong current, v','h:ch is created by every S.E. storm or heavy sea. Tho undestroyod balmce ultimately accumulates near the breakwater." At present he advised the hoard not to lake any further steps than those described as being in course of adoption, but to wnit and closely watch thuir effect under ordinarily favorable circumstances. The beach had yet 1000 feet to advance before

it was possible that any ill effect could arise from it, and its progress must be very slew in. fu'iire, if not stationary or retrogressive. Eventually, should tho board desire to check its possible further increase, he recommended the construction of two timber groynes, on« at Patiti Point and one at the rock island, the first about 150 feet long and the latter about 200 feet; tho cost of theae would not exceed £I6OO. These groynes would carry the adjacent beach into deeper water, and so expose it to a heavier wave stroke, consequently causing its speedier reduction into bihkl, also by causing tho beach immediately southward of them to assume an outline more nearly at right angles to tho prevailing direction of the waves; the northward travel of tho shingle would be much checked at these points, and the accumulation would be liable to be drifted southward agaih by the next N..K. sea. The reason The 'Breakwater did not act as, a groyne in this manner was because it was unfavorably situated • all the undestroyed drifting beach was trapped at the one point only, and by reason of the configuration of the coast, once there, it remained practically in the one place. He did not think mechanical removal of the shingle should be thought of until ev&ry effort hud been made to effect the 'balance of tho accumulative and destructive forces, if, however, such means must ba resorted to he recommended that tho Friestman dredge should dredge from the breakwater and discharge the shingle into a raised hopper, which should be counected by a shoot running under the wharf with the dredge Taniwha. The Taniwha could take the shiDgle to Dashing Rocks and discharge. He estimated the coat of removing 50,000 cubic yards per annum, the average rate at which he estimated the shiugle was now accumulating, at about £9OO par annum at the most, including cost of repairs, etc. Consideration of the report was deferred until next meeting, and the board rose.