SHINGLE QUESTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2283, 21 November 1891, Page 3

SHINGLE QUESTION.

At tho Timaru Harbour Board meeting The engineer submitted the following interim report on the subject of shingle shifting : " Since we commenced work a few alterations have been made in the gear, since which the work has proceeded Bmoothly and satisfactorily. " If the tide serves, we work 12 hours a day during which time we are able to work 7 or 8 hour 3at shingle shifting. From high water to near half tide it takes too long to load the dredge on account of the then flat grade of the shoot. The dredge then goes on with her ordinary dredging work inside the harbour. Erom low water to a little past half tide we are able to fill tho dredge with a full load in 17 to 30 minutes.

" The total number of men employed i a 6—5 of our permaneut staff and 1 extra man. When not employed at shingle shifting the permanent men go to other work, and the extra man is not employed at all, so that there is no extra cost to the board by this intermittent working. "If the weather is favourable we are able to load and discharge 4 loads a day, sometimes 5, if tho dredge is loaded overnight. The capacity of tha dredge is 57 cubic yards or 86 tons when filled to the deck line, and 75 cubic yards or 112 tons when filled flush with the copper combings. Her ordinary load is a mean between the two, about 96 cubic yards or 99 tons; we count 95 tons as an ordinary load. "In establishing the present gear, it was my object-to spend no more money than was necessary to make the trial working. By using a band conveyor to carry the shingle from the hopper to the dredge we should be able to load the dredge at any state of the tide, and then I estimate our working capacity at 600 tons a day fully, if the Taniwha could regularly put to sea. A great improvement also would be to fill up the parapet offset with concrete to the level of the top of the breakwater and lay a railway line on that for the crane to travel on; thus giving it increased reach over the bre.ikwater, and so clearing the top layer of random blocks which now prevents us from dredging deeper than about 10ft below the top of the breakwatei*. At present we frequently have to shift the shingle from outside back into the hole we have dredged, because we are not able to dredge deeper than above stated. The additions described above would, however, cost a considerable sum of money, which it is not worth expending on a trial working such as the present. " I have thus described in outline only the various points in the case. When the time for trial working has expired I will review the whole subject and make definite proposals for the future. " If the weather will allow us to discharge the loads with fair regularity, I hope by the end of the time authorised that the results of this trial working will convince all common sense and unprejudiced minds that to remove the shingle and thus maintain the works against its further encroachment is the only true and final solution of the problem ; and that it can be accomplished at, comparatively speaking, a very small annual cost."

A discussion took place of the usual character, after which the engineer and harbour master reported as follows : "We have taken trial soundings outside the harbour and across the Bay, and compared with soundings taken in 1890, we find them to be practically unaltered. The silting observed in Caroline Bay fringes the shore only, and does not extend out into the body of the bay." Members remarked that that was very satisfactory. The Board then rose.