TIMARU HARBOB BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2754, 22 December 1894, Page 4

TIMARU HARBOB BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Timaru Harbor Board was held on Tuesday. Present—Messrs Stuart (chairman), Hill, Evans, Stumbles, Flatman, Teschemaker, Talbot, Sullivan, and Pringle. An apology was read from Mr Wilson. THB SHINGLE. THE. CHAIBMAN'S PLAIT. The chairman read the following report on the shingle question: — The report of the Royal Commission was tabled at our last meeeting. No member of the board signified his approval of the suggested alternative extension of 600 feet at the end, by taking the initial step of proposing a resolution to take the necessary action to forward the project; The ratepayers may be desirous of ascertaining, from an official source, what has been done in the past, and more particularly of having an assurance of our means and ability to safeguard the harbor against the time when the travelling shingle will have given its safe maximum of beneficial p/otection to the and shipping. I therefore deem it my duty at the closing of another year to make a few remarks thereon. Shortly after assuming office I became aware that we had no power to reclaim any portion of our 275 acre area, which virtually meant' that for all beneficial purposes accruing to the board our reserve was valueless. lat once urged the board to get a Bill passed at the next session of Parliament for liberty to reclaim the background of said area, and also about 7 acres in the inner harbor, the latter to be also invested in ; the board. . . . The Timaru Harbor

Reclamation Bill is now law, and this, prompt action of the board secures the handy landward removal and profitable utilisation of the surplus shingle, as well as many other advantages which need not be here specified. Simultaneously with this action a majority of the board voted for resolutions making three strenuous but unsuccessful efforts to gee a scheme within our means sanctioned by a Royal Commission, making provision for the future; removal of the shingle by sea at the end of the main wharf after the shingle bank; had given its safe maximum of shelter.: In the words of our application " its construction will enable the seaward removal of the shingle to become practicable with our present appliances, without interfering with the shipping or railway traffic." Meanwhile the new tug-dredge arrived. The harbourmaster has reported that she cannot work with any safety outside on the bank Bouth of, the breakwater, such a procedure might also invalidate the insurance policy, the dredge being insured for £Booo—half her original cost. The suction-pump cannot reach the shingle Tbank through or over the breakwater, from the inside of the harbour, consequently she is helpless to operate direct under the conditions existing at Timaru., In anticipation of the harbour being visited by still larger vessels, the dredge meantime has been kept constantly at the work of deepening the inner harbour. The landward removal of the shingle (if adopted in preference to trapping) can be commenced at a week's notice. In addition to the experience of railway ballastmeu for many years the following evidence of the late engineer to the board places its BUccesß beyond dispute. u The alternative scheme I suggest ia that the shingle should be removed by using the Priestman crane to lift and dump it into tip waggons and haul them to the proposed dumping ground in Caroline Bay. I estimate that the present annual accumulation could be removed in somewhat less than 4 months work at a cost of about £IOOO annually. Taking into consideration all the conditions existing in this case, I am of opinion that the system of land removal recommended is the only one that would give satisfactory results. (Report, October 16th, 1889.) '* The annual shingle drift could be kept in check with ease by the present means." (Report, December 22nd, 1891.) "I know there are no difficulties in the way of ÜBing the Priestman crane in hand for the work required. We have this crane in hand and it is fully capable of lifting all the shingle required in a very satisfactory and economical manner." (Report February 23rd, 1892). In the face of the long-felt want of unfettered communication between the Main and Moody wharves, the concentration of work, and the preparing of the mole wharf for ordinary traffic, my opinion is that when the time for shifting comes the shingle should be used to reclaim an area in front of the railway property sufficient to accomplish these desirable objects. The work would all be reproductive, and would absorb several years' gathering of the shingle. I am aware that before the north mole was built the .foreshore reclamation project was briefly discussed, and wisely postponed, as then the north-weit jobble would have swirled the shingle into the harbour. Later on we could improve the value of our northern area by cover- ■ mg up unsightly nuisances, and converting the dangerous and ugly approach to the Bay gauds into a safe aud sightly terrace. It has been mooted, but not discussed by this board, to lift the shingle by crane and store it into bins beneath the main wharf; then when Bluice doors would be opened, the dredger would again lift the shingle and steam with it to near Seadown beach. Would any member of the board, or any ratepayer, construct bins, lift shingle twice, employ a £17,000 vessel voyaging to and fro several miles, burning coal, paying a big crew high wages, with excessive tear and wear going on, were the harbor his private property, when instead, the shingle could be profitably utilised within the harbor precincts for far less cost ? The distance from where present soundings give 18ft to the centra of the curve, the approximate point at which the forward movement of the shingle might be accelerated into the fairway of the harbor by south-east seas is 320 ft. The benefits derived from the past three years' accumulation of shingle are indisputable by any impartial observer. The Commissioners indicate that most likely they would sanction an extension from the end, were such an extension properly put before them. Although personally strongly opposed to further borrowing I think the ratepayers throughout the rating district should have an opportunity at the general election Ju February next of voting for or against borrowing £50,000 for the purpose of constructing tna said extension."

The chairman having suggeßJied thai members might like to make a few remarks upon his report. Mr Tescbemaker questioned the correctness of the references to Mr Marchant's reports. He had a conversation with Mr Barr a few months ago on the subject, and he, like Mr Marchaufc,wa* decidedly in favor of sea carriage. The chairman must also be wrong in miming £50,030 as'thfl post of an extension at the end, 500 ft would not cost that sum.

The chairmau said 600 ft. was the length, and the cost at £7O a foot would be £42,ooo,—say £50,000 at once. Mr Talbot thought it an extraordinary statement for the chairman to make, as the chairman is supposed to speak for the board. The chairman said it was not to bo adopted at oneo; ho simply invited remarks.

Mr Evans said the chairman had only given them his opinion. . .. , Mr Talbot said the ratepayers had not been given a chance to vote oh, a £50,000 loan at the general election. They muat first have plans, a Royal Commission,land a Loan Act, before the ratepayers could be asked to vote. Such a suggestion should not be made by the chairman of the board. Mr Stumbles said.any.reasonable mah could see that it would becheaperto carry the shingle by land. M the pump would lift the shingle over the breakwater it would be a different thing, but it would not; it would be moat wasteful to keep a £17,000 vessel with an expensive crew to act as a barge. He had no doubt the quantity mentioned could be shifted landward for less than £IOOO a year. It would cost three times that to shift it by sea. Mr Pringle said this board could do nothing so near the next election. The incoming board should go into the figures and see what it would cost, and take into; account the reclamation, which ought to. be worth a good deal for store sites across the back of the harbor. The chairman said, he would ask the foreman to get out estimates of cost by February! , Mr Hill said the chairman deserved great credit for bringing up his report.; Ab to the estimates they were not a patch upon what the opposition had given them; iu the past;. They were to get a dredge, for £BOOO, and she cost more than twice' as much. At a later stage Mr Flatman remarked that it was continually said that the board had machinery for Bhiftiog the shingle, whereas, they had not. They, had only a vessel that would carry it if it were put into her. The public should know that they had not machinery for lifting it. . The chairman wished to remind Mr Talbot that two and a-half years ago he advocated land removal. Mr Talbot said he might have done so; but even professional men change their opinions on fuller consideration. Mr Parr submitted a memorandum explaining that from the laws of wave action shingle could not be carried across the harbor entrance until a beach had been formed across. [This was in answer to some remarks by some members at a late meeting that the shingle would go across the entrance and do no harm.] Mr Parr also stated that it was not safe for the dredge to work outside the .breakwater. Some damage had been done to her by the little work that had been done there, by the vessel coming down on a sinking wave, with her weight on the PipeCORRESPONDENCE. Letters were read from the Bank of New Zealand, re inferest accounts paid and renewal of fixed deposit. From the 'Mackenzie County Council, forwarding half year's levy, £290 0s 2d, From the Geraldine, Levels, Waimate, and Geraldine County Councils, Mount Peel Road Board, Temuka and Geraldine Town Boards, returning petition, duly signed, against alterations in railage rates oh frozen meat for long distances. From the Otago Harbor Board, thanking the board for the opportunity given them of seeing the pump dredge at work, and expressing their full satisfaction with the efficiency of the dredge for sand and such material as theirs. A copy of their inspector's report waß enclosed. From Mr G. M. Barr, C.E., pointing out that rubble work in Otago harbor had been much cheaper than concrete work, and offering fuller information if desired. STANDING COMMITTEE. The standing committee reported that they had terminated the arrangement with Mr Barclay, the dredge builders'guarantee engineer. In reply to a letter from the Wsstport Harbor Board the committee had placed the p.s. Mana under offer at the board's reserve. The committee had accepted the tender of Mr J. Buchanan, viz £3, for painting the lighthouse. SHIPPING REPORT. Qaptain Clarkspn reported the arrival of 19 steam and 9 sailing vessels aggregating 12434 tons, and the departure of 19 steam \and 8 Bailing vessels, aggregating 10897 tons during the month of November. The weather during the month was moderately fine. The usual .soundings had been taken : and recorded. The harbour master reported that the tug dredge Timaru had been to Port Chalmers for an overhaul, and during the month had dredged and discharged 3200 tons of spoil: He also reported on some improvements and alterations he had found it necessary to have made in different parts of the vessel. The following memorandum, dated 10th December, and addressed to the chairman by Mr Robert Barclay, the builders' expert, was read : i "As my term of engagement as engineer for the builders of the dredge Timaru has expired, and 1 am about leaving Timaru, I would like to make a few remarks re the working of the dredge before I go away. In the first place I wish to state that I have wrought the suction pump to the best advantage. I had nothing at all to do with mooririg of the dredge; all I could do was to make the most of the pump under the various conditions, which I did. In the next place, my opinion is that the silt will not seetle in the hopper, being held in suspension too long. I think the only way to deal with the silt would be to discharge it over the walls direct from the pump, and I cohaider the discharge pipe of ample height for that purpose. As to the silt going through the hopper, doors, I do not think it ever reaches them, but is carried over the combings with the overflow. What does rerch the bottom of the hopper is fine sand mixed with or underlying the silt. I will here quote an extract from a letter I received from the builders, Messrs Lobnitz & Co,, dated 11th August, 1894: 'Of course silt will not settle in the hopper as well as heavy shingle, for whioh the whole pumping gear was specially arranged.' I would just repeat that to make the most of the dredge and get the best results possible, I thiuk it would be advisable to dredge the harbor in sectious, beginning each section by taking the silt off the top with the grab buckets and finishing with the pump. I am perfectly satisfied that you would attain better results, as the shingle and sand underlying the silt would run more freely to the pipe if bared of the silt. As dredging is carried on at present, we have to ljft a lot of silt along with the shingle, and as it does nof settle but ia carried over with the overflow to in auother part of the harbor, the dredge 'is re'ally taking out no silt at present. By dredging iu sectious the work could be done systematically, whereas there is no system at present- With regard to the hopper doors not being tight, at the trial in the lower harbor, Port Chalmers, I way state I asked the dredgemaster before commencing if the doors were tjgjht, as it was very fine sand we were going to work amongßt,,and he said they were tight; and he " could not got the point of his knife into auy part of them." They are good fitting doors, and when the dredge came out of Lyttelton dock it took the water two hours to rhe in the hopper to the jtoyoi of the water outside-

. .Mr Hendry, engineer to the, dredge, reported on repairs and -, minor improvement effected in the dredge whilst in dock. . ~ , , ... accosts., The wharfage returns for four weeki was reported by the Railway Department as£4s9i2s6d.. Accounts Amounting to £939 la lOd were passed for payment. RAILWAY. STORE SITES. . Some conversation took, place oh the action of the Railway Commissioners in advertising store sites for lease just as they are. going .out. of office, and it was agreed that the letter of. protest. already j sent to the Premier be backed up by a I telegram to be sent at once. The board rose at 12.30 p.m.