THE HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Volume 4246, Issue 4246, 5 October 1876, Page 2

THE HARBOR BOARD.

The Board’s monthly meeting this afternoon was attended by Messrs Reeves {in the chair), Tewsley, M'Neil, McKinnon, and Ritchie.

1 he principal business was the reading of the following repoit by the Secretary

_ , Dunedin, October S, 1576. Chairman Otago Harbor Board. Sir, —In compliance with the request of the Board on the 11th nit. I proceeded to Vfellington In its interests, and have now to report as follows: On my arrival in Wel’ington I was summoned to appear before the Committees of both Houses to give evideuee on the dispute between the Corporation and Harbor Board r$ the Wharves and Quays Deserves. Finding that much of the oml evidence given was very conflicting (owing, no doubt, to defective memories) and calculated to mislead, I resolved as the best course to pursue to reprint the clauses of the Ordinance of 1b67, together with the ‘Diiily Times’s * reports of the debates on that Ordinance, which was passed in 3866, but disultowel by the Governor. This entailed some cxtiii expense, rUw living documentary evidence It proved, in the estimation of independent hou members, ei far greater weight than mere hnsnpporie.i assertions. It also was the means of refreshing the memories of a number of the Otago membe!? -oil 0 W( l ro m the Provincial Council in 1866 and 1867, and who are present members of the Assembly. Through the Press yon are aware that the House of Eepresentativea, on a decision of 48 against 10, gnvd a decision in favor of the Board's right in equity, the only ground on wbioh its claim to these icserves was based. It would he i vmious fov me to s-.ngle out any individual members of the House for special notice of their so vices iu the n wlV 8 as " m l!a i ) i y to that while a.most ai. that I came in contact with took a warm and intelligent interest iu the question ut issue. I neither asked nor relied on unvote taking u» the position of blind partljaMship. Mr Donald Eeld. book charge ©I the amendments in the

Board's interest. It mny to of interest to those who i-ave not personally investigated the question involved in connection with the Corporation trusteeship of this and other reserves that I should quote the _ ox'inion of Mr Whitaker, a well-known and eminent legal authority, given utterance to in the House of Representatives and reported la the 1 New Zealand Times’ of 2Sth September. ThePost-innstor.Gcner.il. Mr Whitaker, said there coni I bo no doubt as to the propriety of the end >wments being made over to the Harbor Beard; and said the only doubt that, existed in his mind was as to whether the Harbor Board had not a legal claim to demand the buck rents received by the Corporation in bygone years. So clear did x consider the Board’s claim that I did not think it necessary to interview tho Government on the subject, but contented myself with supplying the documentary evidence atre-dy referred to. The Upper House has not yet given its decision on tho Bill, hut I have no leason to suppose tbst i; wi!l do otherwise than connrnx the view of the Lower House. I app nd conies of the following documents:— Ist. A manifesto Issued by the City Corporation, and cin-nlated.

2nd. Momoraudapropared by me, with reprint, of debates from the ‘ Daily Times.’ 3rd. Evidence taken by Committee of House of Representatives. Here let mo explain that I wished Mr Donald Reid and Sir J. L. C. Richardson to be examined, but the chairman informed mo after myself and Mr Stout were examined, that as the question would have to bo d* okiol in the tho Committee had made up its mind to bring in an open verdict. This I was not surprised at, as the Hon. Mr Reynolds, who was usir: ; till his influence in favor of the Corporation, was also an active member of that committee. By the names of those who voted in the House in favor of fhe Board it is proved that a majority of tho committee also were of a like opinion. 4th. The Bill as introduced. 6th. Tho Bill os passed the House of Represents, tires.

It will bo satisfactory to note that by Clause 4, it will be optional to the Board’s debenture holders to have by an eudorsonu-nt their mortgages made transferable by delivery. This will prove a great convenience to dealers in these seouiities on the Loudon Stock Exchange, and was one of tho objects ’he Board authorised mo to endeavor to have cftrried out. I am also glad to report that a Crown grant may be expect xl shortly for that portion of the iica-d’a nr, dowment between the Dunedin, Peninsula, and Ocean Beach Railway and the Anderson’s Bay road Owing to a legal technical difficulty ihe Crown grant for what is ontside of that cannot at present be issued.

The Otago Harbor Board Bill introduced by the Hon. Mr Keynolds hod not come before the House for its second reading before I left; Wellington. 1 append a copy, but may slate that, from what I heard from members, my impression is that it will be considerably altered before passing into law. The Board not having given me any instructiot s in regard to it, I was not in a position to give any official opinion on the subject. The question of the abolition of the differential dues I submitted to the Government for its consideration. but np to the time I left no definite decision had been arrived it. This matter I loft in the hands of Mr Reid to exercise bis judgment in regard to testing it in the House as soon as he ascertained the mind of the Government on it.

On receipt of telegram in re plans, I handed it at onoo to the boa. tho Commissioner of Cus'oma, who authorised Mr Blackett, Colonial Marino Engineer, to receive the plans officially. This being done, the same day Mr Simpson, the Board’s engituer, and myself left Wellington en mute for Dunedin. The aim ami object of the Harbor Board when it was created was tv make Otago Harbor the first mercantile port in New Zealand, believing that by aimiag at that end will prove not only moat beneficial to the city of Dunedin, but also to the whole Province. This can only be done by giving every possible facility to the requirements of trade, and maintaining tho lowest possible scale of charges. Although perhaps not coming exactly within tho scope of this report, as so much has bean said about robbing the Corporation, I may be permit! ud to draw attention to the view of the gc end legislature in regard to the duties of corporations towards Har.,'or Boards in connection with the latter’s work of reclamation. In tho Act of Assembly. 1870, under which all Harbor Boards in the Colony have b;eu established. Clause 15 reeds thus Whenever any land reclaimed or to be reclaimed by a Harbor Board is or is brought within tb.; limits of any city or town it shall be lawful for tho Council Board or other governing body having the local management of such city or town from time to tune to grant o-.t of its revenues such sum or sums as it thinks fit and pay over the same to such Harbor Board to form part of its funds.” Hoping that the Board will feel satisfied with and approve of the actio- I have taken in regard to the several matters confided to my care.—l have, &e, t John L Gillies, Secretary. The report was adopted, and on Mr M‘Kinkon’s motion a resolution was carried thanking Mr Gillies for the assiduity with which he had carried out his mission The luepcctot of W<*-ks reported that the dredgings for September were—New Era, 8,558 cubic yards, and Side Dredge, 1,652 cubic yards; tha'. the engineer of the New Era was tranferred to tho inspectorship of the now dredge, as it was imperatively necessary that the vacancy cinaed by Mr Mason’s transfer should be filled without delay ; that he (the Inspector) appointed Mr acott, en gineer of the p.s. Samson, at being, in his opinion, the one most qualified for the petition, and requested tho Board’s endorsement of the appointment ; that Messrs Kincaid and M‘Qneen intended to launch the new drogeat the height of next spring tides; and that tho harrowing operations at the Heads under the direction of tho pilot staff had not been going on long enongh to enable a correct opinion of the results to be formed.

On the clause of the report referring to the appointment of Engineer of the dredge, several of the members raised strong objection to an appointment worth L2GS a year being filled up without the Hoard being consulted, and on Mr Ritchie’s motion the following was carried “ That the Board does not recognise the right of any of its officers to make the appointment to such an imi'ortant position as engineer, and they request that the applications should be sent in as usual.”

By way of postscript to one of his reports, the Engineer wrote “ The details of wharves and steam-barge drawings are the same as those originally submitted to the Board,”-—Mr Tewsley explained that ho had stated on a previous occasion that he had been given to understand the plans had been altered.