HARBOUR MATTERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 31 March 1926, Page 4

HARBOUR MATTERS.

: To the Editor of the “Timaru Herald. I Sir,—Having carefully read Mr | Evans’ letter, also your leader on the ' above, .1 must sny that I. am surprised ( that you wish to call in another doctor, j and a voung inexperienced one at that. I ‘Usually when ,Um patient is very sick I then the family doctor calls in an I experienced fellow medico to give his j opinion, and what happens? The two .have a long consultation, and then it is made quite clear that the family I doctor was doing quite right, but Mr |‘Specialist must do .something, so he ! adds on .some little alteration to the ’■ medicine or if the windows were open, I fries them shut, or vice versa. So it | has been with, the specialists who have 1 been called in to sec our sick harbour. | They have pumped our engineer and harbourmaster dry of information, at least- I guess that is what was done, quite a natural thing' for strangers to our harbour to do. Then they put in a report with a few little alterations to justify the lees, etc. I cannot see whv the Board cannot take the word of their own paid servants who have been with them for a number of years, and who have had extensive experience of the harbour. -As for the shingle, ,we know that it is all 'the time passing from south to north, and always wall do so; probably in: one hundred years it will have banked up to the cud of the Eastern Extension, then wo shall have to go further out to sea with the harbour, 'file drift has been tested some time hack by wood blocks all thrown up on the north of the harbour. The thing that troubles the -harbour mostly is the surge. "When one looks at tho shape of tho. month of tho harbour, it would appear that it has been made, for the purpose of directing 'a wave to roll in and strike the main wharf. The overlap of the old breakwater extends beyond, the north mole and waves are induced to roll upon the main wharf. It has been tested that any seas •striking the Dashing Rocks rebound and return across Caroline Bay, and naturally arc directed into the harbour by tho. formation-of the mouth oftlie harbour. I believe Air Evans is right when' lie says' extend , tho North Mole. Even a; matter of. 50 feet, I believe, would- make a. difference in the scend of the:.wave.

The breakwater from Dashing Rocks has been condemned on account of the :.cast. If it were constructed the question is, would not tlic shingle accumulate in front of it and make a long beach out to sea again, blocking tho harbour entrance ? r ' There is an idea that in time Caro- ' line Bay will have to become the har:bour,t but owing to tbe shingle drift it is my opinion that wo shall have to ' go.out to sea to build up the harbour. '-'Then the present Eastern Extension will be the main wharf for large steamers, say in 50 years from now. If the North Mole is extended, then the future harbour is made, and you will have reduced the amount of dredging considerably, and the waves reaching the inner harbour will be so small as to be of no account. Unless our harbour is made safe the larger steamers will try to avoid calling at 'Timaru, and then wo shall have Lloyds putting up a special insurance on Timaru cargo. As to the, dredge, there is talk of a suction dredge, hut it is questionable if it would do the work as there is quite a large amount of hard clay deposit in the fairway brought- down along j with the shing'o. This clay sets very hard, so hard that a suction would not .be abje-.to deal with it. —I am.’etc., TIMARU. Timaru, March .30.