HARBOUR BOARD.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16857, 10 June 1920, Page 5

HARBOUR BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. Tho Iryttelion llaibour Board met yesterday, Mr H. B. Sorciiaoa presiding. 'x he chairman in his monthly report remarked on tile successful berthing oE H.M.S. Renov.-n, and that great credit was duo to all tho Board's cfficcra in Lyttelton for tho very oomj>le-to arrangements madts. Various members expressed u.fc Uio manner in which Cvt'p Uun Tiiorpi had carried out tho arrangements. Tho Harbour Improvement Committed reported that it had carefully reconeidsrcd the question of a fixed floating heavy lift crane for Lyttelton, and recommended that tho oner of Messrs Stothert 'and Pitt, cf Bath, England, to replace the 50-ton fixed crane ordered from them, and lost in thy wreck of tho s.a. Rangatira, fox tho mini of £10,790, f.o.b.j London, bo accepted. Tho committee also (recommended !tho calling of tenders for sis 5-ton clectric cranes, four to bo installed on ITo. 6 Jetty, &nd two on No. 2 Jetty, and a-lso that tenders bo invited for tho iron-bark timber necessary to reconstruct the 'Gladstone l'iof wharf in that material. Mr Sleigh atrongly urged the installation of a floating crane. A iixed crane, he contended, would prove a white elephant, and would result in the other Boards pointing, a finger of scorn at the Lyttelton Beard. Throughout the world, Harbour Boards were going in for floating cranes. , Mr Holland warmly supported Mr Sleigh, who moved as an amendment that a floating crane be installed. After discussion, Mr Sleigh's amendment was lost by S votes to 5,. and a further amendment "by Mr Holland, that tho whole matter of a heavy lift crano bo held over for twelve months was carried nnanimoUsly, Mr A. Kayo expressed the opinion that it was tho duty of the Railway Department to provide crailes, though it would not do eo. Mr Sleigh pointed out that it was not tlio duty of the railway or load ships, but merely to provflo means for the conveying and receiving of cargo. He thought the provision of cranca was certainly tho duty of tho Board. The treasurer reported that since- tho L&st meeting- tho sums paid • into the Harbour fund account for wharfage, pilotage, port charges, etc., amounted to £45911 9s. The receipts for the first five months of tho year amounted to £31,217 Is 7d, as compared with £33,251 16s 2d fcr tho first, fivo months of last year. The fund \7as _in debit to the estent of £2712 3s Id, which, with unpaid accounts, mad© a total <fobii of £4rf52 8s 6d. A sum of £22(10, standing to tho crfdit of the sinking fund commissioners account, had beea invested in City Council Beclcenham loan 5i per cent, debentures, maturing in 1965. There were still' amounts to the credit cf the various funds available for investment to tile- extent of £C 363 16a lid, but while the Board's ordinary account wag overdrawn it. was ad-vi-ablo to keep a credit in these funds as a sct-~ff, to avoid the payment of interest. The Finance Committee, in its report, recommended the investment of £2300 in sinking fund, in 5* per cent. Tramway Board d?lvnture3. The re nor t was arloptod. With regard to increasing tho bedroom accommodation at the Sailors' Home, the Sailors' Homo Committee recommended 1 ! that the engineer prepare plans and tin i estimate for t-lv* erection of a second stb"y, in wood, over the present dining-room. Tlio report was adopted. It was decided to boTow from tho bank the usual sum of £15,000 by way of overdraft. It was reported that an application from the Sumner Rowing Club for authority tn erect a landing stage, had been forwarded to the Marine Pepartment. It- was decided, on the motion Mr Sleigh, to write to tile Railway Department, urging it to increase the facilities for shunting and trucking operations at Lyttelton, which worn at present inadequate, causing a tremendous amount of difficulty to those working ships.