HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 4090, 5 April 1876, Page 4

HARBOR BOARD.

,J .t. j . The following business was transacted at yesterday’s meeting Hi M‘Millan, assistant to the Deputy* Harbor Master,, applied for an increase of ■alary, Ll2O a-year being-scarcely sufficient to aupporfdiis wife and family. Captain Thomson recommended Ll5O as a fair remunoration_ .for M'Millan’s services, his duties having become more arduous than before. Captain Thomson’s recommendation wasagreedto. .. • hj ,„ 7 The Engineer suggesteda reconsideration of the resolution for laying down mils on the .Rattray street wharf until the arrival of new cranes from Great Britauv'as it would be necessary to cut theplankxng of the wharf to render Re present crane nsefol. It was resolved that 'the former decision of the Board be confirmed, but the wharf not to be cut. ’ The Treasurer’s" (MrJ. L.Gillies) report Sirjr-I the honor, as Xcting Treasurer of the Boardio, handyota, the annual statement of ac* year, ending3l*t March, 1876. A copy of these. 1 ttliiorordance ■with law, will be forwarded to his Honor the Soperintendent of the Province, and the Provincial Auditor, I presume;/as formerly, will b« requested to audit the same. The following is a brief summary of the accounts The total revenue fCr the year from all sources amounted to L 39.624 19s S4, including a balance ot D 197 16s lid from last year’s account,. The total expenditure for the year was L 22.835 7s 2d sterling, leaving a/fcalahbe*# L 6.789 12s 6d to the credit of the Board’s account. The ordinary revenue amounted to L 13,327 2s 9d, and ordinary expenditure L 7.927 Os 5d (including intenet paid on debentures to Ist January, 1876), leaving a balance avai fable out of ordinary revenue of L 5.400 2b Mi ipt harbor improvements, which, together with rovenue deriyed from the private sale Of debentures at par during the year of L 26,100, and the “credit balance from last year’s account (L10716S Ud), made a total of L 31.697 Ids 3d available for the' Works Department. Oat of this sum there has been expended by that department:— Engineer, and staff, surrey and incidentals, L 683 6s 7d; plant, L 2,646: works, L 12,839 Is 8d; and dredging, I/6,713 : 19a sd, making a total of 104,448 as Bd, to which lias to be added refund of deposits, L32917s 7d» and debenture expenses, Ll3O 0e 6d, leaving af final balance of 1,6,789 12s 6d to the eredii of the Board with the Colonial Bank of New ,) HAT ,- ‘ There has been little or nb ihcrease in the revenue derived' frompiloUge and tonnage dues during the - year, and the same maybe said regarding the revense from licenses. Since the establishment of the rates under the Assembly. Harbor Boards £m. powering Act, 1875, in December last, a marked . Improvement in the revenue from jetty dues has taken place.. As I have in course of preparation Severn coriparttiTeWturnafor the information of members, I will in the meantime content myself by giving the separate quarterly returns for the past year aajnsrfdenoeof the; increase under the head IlfttlM tO ft*.; j Quarter ehdlnkflOth June, 1875.;. ... l.oLs l 4 do 80th Sept., 1876... ... 1,696 0 1 do Slat Dec., 1875 2,590 14 8 do .. . 31st March, 1873 ... 8,359 5 9 . The item of accrued interest (L 245 3s 9d) paid by purchasers of debentures I have placed to the credit of ordinary, revenue, as the interest coupons on the subsequent due date to the sales have been paid and chlrfyiid against ordinary revenue. Debentures.—Until the Act of last session of Assembly was obtained, remedying some defects and greatly improving ;the securities offered to lenderaof was/not deemed advisable to placpi the debentpgffi.-on' the public market, still L 14,600 were movedi pff privately at par, through the Oclfmml -of CNew' Zealand’s agentsin London, and 1,11,500 worth were also taken at par by, the contractors for the extension of the B»ttoay„ >? . payment of their ■ eontanmt, theesect, without crippling the actum of the "Board, of tendering it unnecessary, excepting for a r Vefy short time; tor the Board - to avail itself of its agreement to be allowed to •verdzaw its account up to a specified sum. After obtaining the Act of Assembly, instructions were gtventouffoLlSO.OOOof for to learn by wegram that these were advertised on thelsfcMareh, tenders to be lodged on the 10th of same: month,- and that on (hat date the whole ww ajlqtted a premium.; Of course this sale* parttewsw of which have not yet come to band, is not included in these accounts. When it is remembered that one time, when other bodies were selling their . debentures at a \ heavy diaoounfc7dt ; was thought by many that the Board would haveto.do thesame, it is gratifying that the policy pursued by the Board, with the •oraial assistance of the Manager of the Colonial Bonk of Hew Zealand, has proved so satisfactory anl profltable to the public interest. I would reas worthyof the Board’s consi. doratim, whether it would not be wise to authorise its bankers to move off, on the best terms possible, than those on which thelloo,ooo hae beea. plao»d, the, remaining balance of the L 160.000 issue, viz., L22,700.8y doing so, I anticipate it would be unnecessary to again go into the money market for a couple ot years, and by that time the Bdajtffcartoon Increase of - revenue from praentsottroed,as hlsb, I. trust, from rentals of a portion otdtsirecuaimeia endowments, would place it in a most favorable position for so doing, and for The expenditure is given so much in detail, and classified under so many heads,' that I deem it unnedeMaWto nsarks thareon. "toeoSluitam %' have: to report having from time to time hooks, of the collector of Jetty dock, and have great pleasure hi testifying to the Seal, attention, and fidelity with wnich he has, as |tr 'a« T have been able to judge, performed bjs duti«a; and which have been of a very arduous and VWipPiliriWff . Momrtj Houghton and Go.V case of disputed dues, and OoJoie and others’ disputed berthage does eases,, wet* all, given in favor of the Board in the District Court/but the decisions having been epswdedriremrth«y AW-now in the hands of the ’ Srolvedintheao nearl^L3oo cl weune The Engineer 'and Inspector submitted their monthly reports. The met of dredging by the New Era and ride dredge was reepectively fid and Is 5d per cubic yard, inclusive ©{ deposit. The Engineer recom* mended, that jindera be invited for the supply bf kinds of timber required lorthe for the next year, and that the beacons already sanctioned for erection between Grant’s Bjraes and Eilgonr’s Point be carried out by day labor instead of by contract, as previously suggested, on aceennt of the probability of some of the gristting beacon timbers being made useful in the new structures. The total quantity dredged by r the steamer Peninsula and the dredges daring the month of March was 11,955 enbic yards, and the total expenditure during the same period, chargeable to dredging account, L 513 8s 7d. The, towage, comprised 703 ptmte, at a total cost of lAOB 3s lOd; abeat 3s Id per punt. The Isa&og lights have been brought into use. , Meiars : Kincaid, M‘Queen, and Oq, were making fair progress with the new dredge,- the planting of the hull being well advanced. . Messrs Sutherland and Co. have commenced their contract for the erection of new dplphinsu {-The accounts passed for payment included L3,9?5 to Kincaid and M‘Queen, on account of the dredge contract, and LIBB to Mr Gordon fcr his travelling expenses and report, s ’