OUR HARBOUR PROBLEM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 72, 27 April 1929, Page 6

OUR HARBOUR PROBLEM.

H. R. FRENCH.

To tlie Editor. Sir, — ls it not possible to proceed to view the harbour question. from a point of conimon agreement-, and then to explore some course to attain finality in tlie poliey of future development? c (.'annat we agree tbat tlie trade oi our province requires better harbour facilities than at present exists?. Our expoi't of meat is liglitered to overseas vessels ancliored in tlie roadstead. Even when it is so handled, under the most favourable conditions, it is not to be compaved to the trausfer froin railwav vau to sliip. t The cost at present is a hurclen ou one of our chief industries, which niust haiidicap tlie meat companies in meeting outside competition. Mr Oaiuly, i.11 his evidence to the Royal Commission, deposed that the lio-hterage charge alone cost the three meat companies about £17,000 per year. The wharfage was au additional £6.500. Mr Bobertson. for the fruitgrowers. gave evidence that for every 100,000 c-ases of fruit railcd from Hastings to Wellington; the cost was £6500 for train and storage cliarges. If the Harbour Board provided for direct shipnient thev woulcl reap £1896 for wharfage and cool storage, with every prospect of increase. Then there is tlie lighterage 011 wool. Mr 51cLeay, manager of the company tliat cloes the lightering, said his company would glaclly relinquish the lightering if only tlic requisite harbour facilities could he secured. One of the valuable results of the Commission — and there are a number as any cnreful reader of the reports must admit- — gives the clear evidence that a liarhour sufficient for the distriet ean be obtained eitber at the Breakwater or at the inner liarbour. Another is tbat tlie erection of the Breakwater, even in its present uncompleted form, has acliievecl notable .results. 5Iessrs Cullen ancl Iveele said that the erection of the Breakwater at an obtuse angle to the set of the prevalent seas, forms a complete bar to the further travel of shingle to tlie north. Mr J. D. Holmes gave evidence that it prevented shingle carrying round to the inner harbour. He also said a har used to fonn in tlie roadstead before the Breakwater stopped the shingle. It had not entirelv disappeared. He further said that even the present length of the Breakwater afforclecl protection to tlie entrance of the inner harbour. It could he lookecl 011 as part of the inner harbour. 5fr Furkert affinned that the Breakwater was an iutegral part of the inner harbour. In 1S79 the accumulation of shingle became so acute tbat it hloc-ked the entrance to the inner harbour in 5farcli, 1880. As the Breakwater advancecl tlie har cleared, and has remained steady at sixteen feet. Let the Breakwater fall into disrepair so • as to no longer stop the drift,_ and. the mouth of the inner harbour will be quickly reduced to something like its condition in the eiglities. _ The all-important question now is, where can safe bertliage accommodation for overseas vessels be provided at a cost not too hurdensome for the distriet? _ . ... Can we arrive at a wise conclusion by belittling tbe difficulties put forward by engineers selectecl to advise because of their standing, ancl ligbtly clismissing tbe preponclering weiglit of testimony supplied by navigators? The area tlie harbour _ will . serve, tbough a large part as rich as any in the world, is vet too sinall to hear the error of rusliing into an expenditnre which has not been surveyed with deliherate care. Personally, I cannot see how the Commission could have reportecl in any otlier way than _ it did from the evidence put before it. The only business-like way is to prove some of the conjeetures «wrong. The late 5U William Ferguson, when engineer of the AYellington Harbour Board. toki our board in 1911, when his opinion was sought, "You may get an inner harbour at a cost. Tlie opinion of 5Iessi\s 5Iaxwell, Wilson _ and Mason who reported against tlie mner harbour lias to be listcned to with every respect. Prove whether their fear that the ebannel in the _ open ocean woulcl silt up by dredging at least ten aeres . . . and make a narrow but cleep cut through the boulder bank in the ebannel between the moles at the entrance to the inner harbour. If it silts up tlien you have your answer, and it disposes of the question." We know that tlie dredge Whakanre startecl 011 the task, and if her equipment was tlie best for the job then it might he said the answer had heen received. But to those who wish c-lear judgment to rule instead of feeling or iiias, there is evidence tliat tlie Whakari re could never cut ihe ebannel between the moles, ancl that she wns not the hest adaptecl to lift tlie heavv ma nd on the bottom. Tlie clifficultv of dredging tlic necessary outer cliannel is not to hc disrogarded, for wind. sea, and ocean swcli reduced the dredging time to le.ss than one-third of the working time. Tbe swift flow of water tbrougb tbe narrow entrance to tbe. inner liarbour provided a scour wbicli, witli tbe protection of the Breakwater keops the ebannel free. Tf tbe Tutaekuri river is cliverted and tide I'etaining^ walls are erected. and tbe entrance widcned. it is necessary to know wbat will bappcn wben the present force of scour is abatecl. Tlien, notwitlistanding statements in regard to otlier liarbours, responsible engineers state after examiriing available evidence tbat tliere is no known harbour in tbe world tbat presents tbe same problem as tbe long ocean apnroach to tlic Napier inner harbour.Tbe eaptains of large vessels testify tjiat with wind side 011 and a lieavy sea following right in. they would not take the risk of entering. Proposals have heen made for wbat is reallv another Breakwater at the west side of tlie present entrance nnining out and bending towards the present Breakwater, so as to deflect the ocean rollers running at times right in to tlie inner liarbour. The danger of pooh-pooliincr tliese engineering problonis is past. Tliey must he facecf and adequatel.v auswerecl before autbority to raise a loan, bas tbe remotest cb'anee of obtaining consent.Tbey will not be answered by roseate pictures of tbe wonderful profit to be made by reclamation. Tn conclusion, in other parts of tbe world wbere harbour construction presents problems for which there is not complete clata, experts Qir whom is laid the onus of decision discuss the technieal aspects with keenness and pay at least the outward fomi of?-re» speet to those who differ from ihem^* If we laymen. at hest so poorly equip? ped to determine what are Jntricate problems with many tochnical aspects. think we can force our way to sound judgment by the use^ of sarcasm and ndjectives and word pictures, and the whole armour of tlie propagandiet,t.lien heaven heln us.— T mu., etr..

. Hastings