HARBOUR BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1917, 27 November 1913, Page 7

HARBOUR BOARD.

RAILWAY SIDINGS ON WHARVESL The monthly meeting of tho Harbour. Board, held last evening, .was .attended' bv tho ctaunMn (Mr, '.11." Fletcher), Messrs. C. W. .Tones, H. C. Nathan,' \V. T. Hi'idreth,.J, Trevor, J. G, Cobbe, A. Maefar'lane, A. D. Kennedy,, . M M Cohen, R, A. Wright,' A... if. Hind-, marsh, M.P., and Captain D. G; Wat-t ■son. ■■■■■■ ■ '•■> Tho bank pass books showed a credit: balance an• the current iiccotwfc' ai\ £29,362 10s. 3d., and on the. .imprest account of £1388 4s. 7&: •'There' is an; amount at £80,000 on fixed deposit. Pay- j meuts authorised included: Accounts and wages, £'IQ,L*33 12s. <Id,; progress payments on contracts, £107(5 13s. 3d.; salaries for November, £'BGO 10s,; total, £12,171 4s. 7d. Foreshore licenses for boat-sheds ' at Baiena, Bay ware issued to Messrs. F, Cook, W, Brooke-Taylor, and G. Hamill. The chairman reported that tho,conference suggested by tiro board .on No* vtfmber 4 between the various parties in tho present labour difficulty Ijnd not taken place, Tiio parties to the proposed conference were tho Prime- Minister, tho shipping companies, and tho Federation of Labour, but tho proposal fell through, owing to the attitude of the employers. The facts were detailed in full at'tho time. Tho chairman also reported that tiio Court of Appeal had delivered judgment on October.2B in tho beard's i'avonr in tho case re liarboiir dues on mail steamers, thus upholding tiio previous judgment .of' His Honour the Chief Justice.

The chairman stated that he had been engaged in negotiation with .the. General Manager of Ra'ilwa.ys (Mr. E. T. Hiley) with regard to the provision of a siding to tlie new 'cheese store. The decision of Mr. Hiley, in which he was supported by the Minister, was that the Department would provide the raitway on the wharf, but would not defray the cost, of .a siding into the shod. 'This: must bo a charge, on the bawd. Tito chairman said that it was satisfactory to know that the Government would iii future provide the railways on tho wharves, but lie thought that the sidings into tho sheds should also be built/ ~'iv the Government. There was surely same difference between a public bod?, like a Harbour Board aud a private' tii'm. Tho Government would be .able, to recoup itself by charging haulage fees viiich tho board could not charge.' Still the board had reaped a eonsideVaWc. advantage, by tlie laying <Wn of tho principle that the Department will construct wharf railways. It was decided, on the motion of Mr. Cohen, seconded by M.r.- MaciVtrlano, that tho work of constructing the siding he gone on with. In answer to Mr. Cohen tho chairman said that producers had not suffered through the fact that the siding bad not previously been provided. The de< lav in shipment had occurred thrown labour troubles which could not possibly have been foreseen, at a time when th'rf board was fighting for a principle which it had won.

. A further report by the chairman was to the effect, that the appeal committee, had duly considered the ease ol the two 'members of the pcrniiituiili staff suspended for refusing dtitv on October 1.7 and had accepted tliei'r resignations. It was explained thai thesn men had refused to aid in the transference ■pf:passwjgc.rs' effects from iiw Coriiitlue to the- ferry steamer, wUhough the Strike Committee had given its eonsent to- the employment of the board'* permanent staff in the work. Tim engineer submitted a report in which he stated that under present conditions there was a good deal of unnecessary labour involved in 'the handling o! wool ox trucks. After consultation with Messrs. Royce, Ltd., of Birmingham, ho recommended that the hoard purchase for J shed a throe-motor electric walking crane, which could br, '<,!,. imnod at n cost of £(S9S, It was do* eided to ohtam the crane.