HARBOUR BOARD.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17113, 7 April 1921, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. Tho Lyttelton Harbour Board met yesterday, Present —Messrs H. B. Sorenscn (chairman), F. Honell, W. J. .Walter, J. Flood, S. K. Sleigh, I\. Galbraith, T. A. Blacklcy, T. D. Boag, and F. Storry. Br. Thacker. MP., and the Hon H. Moore. Leave of absence was granted to Mr K. Macartney. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer reported that the dredge Canterbury came out of dock on February Ist, and made one trip down the harbour on the occasion of the visit of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, after which tho new funnel .was fitted in place and dredgine resumed on March 4th. This dredge had removed a quantity of 79,5-15 tons from the channel opposite Gollan's Bay, end pumped the whole quantity into the reclamation ares. The dredge Tewhaka. had lifted a quantity of 2320 tons from No. 2 jetty, west side, and from the hard ground between the inner ends of No. S and No. 7 jetties. The new grab constructed by E- J. Ruddick has been delivered. The cast side of No. 2 jetty had been in regular use all the month, aud was apparently a very popular berth. Good progress was beih™ made with the construction of the platform on the west side of the jetty; the understructYuo was in pkco foj a length of 650 feet, and the deck beams fo« 550 feet. Abont one-eighth of the materials for the reconstruction of the Gladstone Pier had been delivered, and it would bo practicable to' commence work on No. 5 jetty with some of tho materials when No. 2 jetty was finished. The report wsi3 adopted.

It was' resolved, on the motion of Dr. Thacker, to urge tho Railway Department to expedite their portion of the work on No. 2 jetty. TREASURER'S REPORT. The treasurer reported that since tho last meeting- the following sums had been paid into ths Harbour Fund Account:—Wharf »k?. £3353 8s 3d; pilotßge, £709 0s On; port charges, £BO9 Is 2d; berthage, £l2-1-1 as -Id; towage, warps, fenders, and electric light, *«8 133 fid; deck and slip, £217 12s Id; storage and cold storage, £833 6s Od; harbcur improvement rate, £1124 4s Od; outlying jetties, £3B 15s; sundry receipts. £95 12s 7d; total. £SB« 19s Id, as compared with £6815 Ks fov the corresponding period of laet year. The Harbour Fund was in debit £10,035 6s lOd, and the unpaid accounts to be passed for payment amounted ,to £3070 15s Ed, tho pavment of which would leave tho account in"debit £13,1U6 2s 3d. JETTY CHARGES.

The Harbour Improvement Committee re ported that they had carefully considered Messrs Stevenßon, Stewart, and Company' 3 ■Utters asking for reconsideration of tho scale 'of license fees for the übo of outlying jetties, and recommended that tho Board make n fresh by-law (on the lines of tho former by-law), relating to charges payable by vosEels nsing outlying jetties, and that the charges be Is 6d per ton of goods and 2d per head on passengers, landed or shipped; charges to be payable monthly.

HARBOUR BOARD-LEGISLATION. The Harbour Improvement Committee reported that they had considered tho lettor from the - Harbours Association covering si synopsis of legislation, passed during the 1920 sossion, affecting Harbour Boards, and recommended that it be adopted. The committee- also recommended (1) that the Board request the Harbours Association to press for an amendment of the Finance Act, 1920, ta permanently authorise the investment of trust funds in tho loans of Harbour Boards not having rating powers. (2) That it bo a remit to the Harbours Association that the constitution of the Lyttelton Harbour Board be made uniform with the Harbour. Boards of Auckland, "Wellington, and Otago, in the matter of representation of payers uf dues on ships, and payers of dues-other than on ships, so that'thero will bo two members representing payers of dues on ships (instead of oiic, as at present), and one member representing tho payers of duos other than on ships, who are not represented at present. (3) That the Harbours Association ho asked to take stops to secure legislative amendment of the franchise for election of members to represent combined districts on haThour boards, that the franchise should Bo on a uniform basis.

Mr Horroll advocated that the members of the : Board should serve for 'a. uniform period of throo years. At present the town members served for two years and the country members for throe years The chairman said the Board had already considered that matter, and there seemed to be no reason why a uniform term'should not Isa laid down. .

Mr Flood advocated that members of the mercantile marine should have a say in tho election of Board members. Tho chairman said the- pronosal for the election, of two members of the Board by ;payow of dMfis would rleally 'meet the case. . : '~ SAILORS* HOME:' -'' The Sailors' Home Committee reported that they proposed to invite donations from tho various shipping companies, whose vessels trade to Lyttelton, towards tho equipment of tho reading, card, and billiard rooms at the Home, in the belief that it would be to the mutual'advantage of tho shipping companies and seamen that the Sailors' Home should be made es homely as possible. The committee recommended that tho re-opening of the Home be inaugurated by an "At Home" on May 4th, to which representatives of the shipping, seamen, Borough Council, and others interested should be invited. Mr Sleigh objected to the proposed opening function. If the committee intended to appeal' for funds for tho Home, they should not incur expense for an opening function. I Tho report! was adopted. SHIPPING DELAYS.

The secretary leported that no shortage of berthage-had been reported, and the averago number of vessels tit tho wharves had been 13, with a maximum of 16 and „a minimum of 9. As an indication of the relief afforded by the jemening of the jftast side of No. 2 jetty, it might be mentioned that on ilarch 11th the Kamona (245 ft), tho Corinna (235 ft), and the Orepuki (165 ft) lay at the same time on the east -side of the jetty, and left room for the small steamer John Anderson. Throughout the month there haji been, a, shortae-e of labour. During the first half of the month railway waggons were in sufficient supply to cope with the cargo. In the latter half of the month there had been a slight shortage of waggons, and the Easter holidays had delayed work in the port. The steamers Biloela and Waitomo were undischarged on March 80th, though they had been in port from March 12th and Uth respectively. The report was adopted. MISCELLANEOUS.

The General Manager of Railways wroto stating that arrangements would be made to protect the reclaimed land eastward of Officer's Point. . . A donation of.£lo was made to the St. John Ambulance Association. A donation of £IOO was mado to the Canterbury Progress League. _ "It's the most live body in Canterbury, declared thts chairman.