WHARF EXTENSION.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 143, 28 June 1901, Page 3

WHARF EXTENSION.

DEBATE ON HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS. . At the Harbor Board meeting yesterday, plans for the Haiti wharf extension were laid on the table. In reply to Mr Hepburn, the Chairman said that the Finance Committee had not yet gone into the matter. Mr Macfarlane moved that the matter be deferred until it had been gone into by the Finance Committee.

Mr Matthews asked what was the object of the wharf on the Ivaiti side. If they were going to have more wharfage it should be on the town side. I The Chairman said that the matter had already been decided, and there was a tender in that day for the timber. In reply to Mr Clark, the Chairman read the minute. It had, he said, been agreed to extend the wharf on the town side, but to have a report of extension on the other side. « It was agreed to refer the matter for f . report of the Finance Committee. Mr Clark said that when the report was presented, he would like to have the figures also given on which the report was based, and not merely have a bald report. One tender was received for town wharf extension. Mr Clark said he would like, before the tender was accepted, to give the Board information he had obtained from the Secretary. That showed that in six months the Board had not been paid at the rate of one boat a day, with a revenue of £l2. Could there not be mooring piles erected, or something ? It seemed to him absurd for them to go on spending money for no return. The Board should rest on its oars for a bit, and not go on spending money unless they could see some return for it. Mr Sievwright : Is it a fact that steamers lie alongside the wharf without paying fees ? Mr Clark said that sailing vessels did. Mr Matthewson said that the wharf was blocked every day by lighters. Mr Clark said that if the expenditure was necessary he had nothing to say against it, but he wanted them to make sure that it was. Mr Cooper : Why not make these ships pay ? Mr Clark said that mooring piles might 1)C provided for them. Mr Cooper : That will be their look out. Mr Clark said that at any rato the Board might look into the matter. Mr Cooper said that it seemed to him some extension was badly needed. lie had seen vessels there three deep. Mr Clark : You don’t see that to-day. Mr Matthewson said that in any port in the world there would be an occasional rush. Mr Cooper said that they wore bound to have the traffic coming in rushes. Mr Clark said they had recently made a largo extension, and they should see how that would work before going to further expense. In reply to a question the Secretary said that a yearly sum was paid by the lighters ; they had a license at half-a-crown a ton.

Cuptftin Tucker said that tho Harbormaster had power to order the removal of any vessel.

Mr Hepburn said that tho lighters were not supposed to he alongside the wharf unless they were loading or unloading. The Chairman : They are nearly always engaged in that. Mr Hepburn : They arc not to-day. The Chairman : You know this is a slack day. Captain Tucker (perusing the by-laws) said that ho could not see anything exempting lighters from the ordinary charges—tho annual feo only gave them a license to ply. Mr Hepburn said the section clearly was not intended to apply to lighters. Captain Tucker : No doubt it was meant only to refer to sea-going vessels. Mr Whim-ay said that a very big question was being opened up. To-day people had to pay as much for lighterage as they had to pay 25 years ago, though in tho meantime about i!li>0,000 had been ex pended. The wharfage was much higher, and there wore heavy rates. Who got the benefit of it all? The whole thing required looking into and revising. They sec where the revenue was to come from to meet this continual expenditure. He moved that a committee be set up to consider the administration of the Board’s affairs, and to look into the finances. They were spending money from which no adequate benefit was accruing to the ratepayers or anybody else. Captain Tucker : Hoar, hear. Dir Clark : Wo are paying the- same lighterage, tho wharfage is three times as much, and we have heavy rates to pay all over the district.

Mr Whinray : It is preposterous. Captain Tucker : No doubt that is tho position —wo arc paying far move and getting much loss. Mr Clark : And spending money everyday. Captain Tucker : Paying increased rates and wharfage, and no reduction in lighterage. Tho Chairman (to Mr Clark) : Well, what do you want ?

Mr Clark : I want members to look into tho matter. I will bo guided by them,

Captain Tucker said it would perhaps bo better to put the subject of wharf extension off to next meeting. Mr Matthewson said he would like to know where the money was to come from to pay for the work. Mr Clark proposed that the tender be not opened, and that the matter bo deferred until next meeting. In the meantime members could look into the matter. Mr Cooper said that members seemed to overlook the fact that when they got the now dredge and completed tho harbor Captain Tucker : What harbor '? •'Mr Cooper : What wo call a harbor. Captain Tucker : Oh Mr Cooper : Tho river harbor if you like. Captain Tucker : Complete it or begin it ? Mr Cooper : Complete it. When all this rock is taken out, and we get' tho big boats in and do away with lighterage. Mr Whinray: Never 1 Mr Cooper ; Perhaps some of you ovor ; look that,altogether. Mr Clark : Question. Mr Cooper said he would move that the work be gone on with and completed. Mr Sicvwright said it seemed to him that with the growing trade the wharf extension was necessary. The Chairman said that it was very easy to talk of mooring vessels on the other side of the river, but it was a shallowing bank, and vessels could only be shifted there and taken away at high water. Captain Tucker : This was described just now as a harbor. The Chairman said so it was, but it was only a narrow channel. Some time ago 1 the Harbormaster had instructions .$o provide a place for the passengers to land, but it was found that it could not be done before the last wharf extension. When two coal vessels came in nearly all the accommodation was taken up. If they succeeded. as be was certain they would succeed, in getting the Omapere in they would want all the berthage. Mr Clark : We can build it then. The Chairman said that, having' spent USOOO to increase the depth of the river, there was not much wisdom in refusing to spend a little more to give the necessary wharf accommodation. A good deal of lightering was being done, and they must be provided for. . They could not have the goods thrown into, the river. They should not have any inconvenience caused that they could avoid. One fine vessel, the River Hunter, had heen with- [ drawn from the irade, because of the want of facilities. They could not expect to get back every penny that was spent I on a harbor ; that was not done at Napier or anywhere. A river was a highway, like a* road; money was spent on a road, but no one thought of getting every penny back from it. Unless they wanted to bring the place into discredit, they must give reasonable facilities. He was quite prepared to fall in with M r "Whinray’s suggestion, Mr Matthewson seconded the amendment. He said that the Chairman’s reI mark proved what he (Mr Matthewson)

had all along contended ; the money should be reserved for a harbor in the right place. - Tho Chairman said that an outer harbor could not be built for the next ten years, and in the meantime a harbor was required. Mr Cooper: And they wont get it for you. ” .The Chairman : In Napier this 'week passengers could not be landed at the breakwater. Mr Matthewson said that was one rough day, but if they made mistakes in Napier that was no reason why Gisborne should do so. Mr Hepburn said the trouble with wharf accommodation was that so many vessels came in together. Each master desired despatch, as a day’s delay might mean a fortnight’s delay owing to the fair weather being missed. There was something in what Mr Clark said that vessels were”allowed to be at the wharf too long. Mr Clark said that not a farthing benefit had been obtained from the moneyspent. The Chairman denied that statement. At one time, he said, schooners had to be lightered, and because schooners could come in they now got freight at Is 6d per ton less. Mr Clark said they were paying three times the wharfage and more for lighter-

age than they were paying twenty years ago. When a road was made settlers expected thereby to get a reduction of freight. The dredge, according to the Chairman himself, was not likely to arrive much before Christmas, and it would bo time enough then to talk about extension. If they looked at the returns they would find that there was not likely to be much increase in the staple products, wool and mutton, this year. Mr Cooper: Instead of going forward we seem to be going backwards. Captain Tucker: There is no doubt about that.

The motion to defer opening the tenders was carried, those voting against being the Chairman, and Messrs Cooper and Sievwright, all tho others being in favor.

Mr Whinray followed up the decision by a motion for a report as to the finances. They should, he said, endeavor to get some revenue from tho large amount spent; they should try, in the interests of the ratepayers, to get some amelioration of the present condition of things. After some general discussion it was resolved that the meeting bo adjourned for a fortnight, the whole matter then to be gone into by a committee of the whole Board.

In view of that resolution it was resolved to leave tho question of supplios stand over for a month.