HARBOR BOARD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1822, 31 July 1906, Page 3

HARBOR BOARD

Tho monthly meeting of tho Board was held yesterday, thore being present: Mossis Townloy (chairman) Harding. Hepburn, Clark, Matthew-on, Whimsy, Sievwright, Lysnar, and Ciptain Tucker. TOE RATE.

A special meeting was first hold to confirm tbonto for ness .year on the same lines as for tho past fifioen years. The reso'utiou was confirmed, cn the motion of tho Chairman, seconded by Mr Hepburn. Mr Lysnar said tho boundaries ought to be made clear in tho resolution—tho borough boundaries wore different now. Toe Chairman said they were passing the resolution as ordinarily. Mr Lysnar said they ought to have tho resolution clear, and not leave it to the Clerk to fix up. Someone might objeot to pay rates if the matter weie not made olear.

Mr Sovwrfght s,rd tbo resolution was in accord moo with the law, and they oould not alter it The Chairman put tho motion, sayiog that no one was likely to want to pay a higher rate than called oo to pay under tbo old boundaries The resolution was passed, Mr Lysnar dissenting on tho ground that the resolution was not a proper one, and ono that might lead to future trouble. LABOR UNIONS. Mr C. Freer, secretary to the Wharf Laborers’, Lightermen’s, and S ovedores’ Union, forwarded a copy of their demands, sla'iog that their representatives wculd meet the Board in conference to dLcuss tho terms of (he demand if the Board appointed a comurtler. The Secret iry said that a'l employers of labor were bring cited. The obj?o: was to get the Board affiliated with the ether employers, so that if tho Board took over the l'gbterage iboy would come under the award. Mr Clark said the Board should objeot to being brought under the award. , Mr Sievwright; Unless ordered by tho -/Arbitration Court, Mr Clark: Ye 3. He move! that the Chairman and solicitor attend, and objeot to tbs Beard being included, Mr Harding said it might be of mutual advantage to attend the oonferenoe. Mr Clark: Yes, to attend tbe conference, but not to consent to beiog tied up under an award. It was resolved that the ChairmaD, Secretary, aid solicitor attend the conference.

Mr Uard ; og : What for ? A Member: To keep out of it if possible. Tbs Chairman : To listen and report to the Board. The motion was carried.

COUNTY FRANCHISE. Mr W. Lissaut Clayton forwarded the

resolution of the Provincial Executive of the Fa mars’ Union, asking the co-opera-tion of the Board in resisting any attempt to get the Parliamentary franchise extended to local bodies.

Mr Lysnar said thoy should pass a resoluliou urging the Government not to make any alteration in the county fran-

chise, and he moved aaocr liogly. He understood the Premier had promised the

Farmers’ Uoion Conference not to inter-

fere with the franchise. The Chairman : Yes, for last session. Me Clark ssoonded the motion. Mr Bievwright said a thing of the kind should not come before th?m without

DOtiee. It raised the question of general politics. Tne Chairmen said it bod barn p'acad before them by a very infiamtial and representative body of piople.

Mr Clark said labor unions were raising the subject every week, and if m'-mbers of local bodies did not look after the matter

they would fiod it put on to them. Mr Harding said the matter was sub mitted to them by a representative body of people and they should deal with if. The Chairman, in reply to Mr Matthewson. said what was being objjoted to was the extension of the borough frauch'ae Jo counties. Captain Tnoker said it seemed to him most uofair that there should be represenL tation without interest. Mr Hepburn asked why if it was considered good for the borough it would net be good for the county ? Captain Tucker : But it is not goad for the borough. It might, bo said, work all right, bat there was always the dinger. When men had intereslß at steko they were likely to exercise care that would not be exercised by those without such interests, Mr Mattbewson supported tbo motion, He considered the borough franchise, to be extended to tha oaunty, would be most unfair. Mr Bievwright moved as an amendm;nt to show that he was opposed to the motion, that is was beyond the funoiiocs of tbo Board to deal with She matter. He did not see why they should be dragged into a qurttion that was going to agitate the whole oouctry. The amendment was not seconded, and the motien was carried, Mr Bierwrigbt dissenting.

FACILITIES FOR STOCK,

Mr Or. J. Black wrote calling attention to tbe need for'better facilities fo: loading sheep on sferrhers. At present they bad to load at tl b sheds, where there wsb always Considerable traffic, and sheep geitir.g about' tbe horses ; and carts were knocktd about a goad deal. Ttero bung no yards, it took a great many bands and dog < to keep them from breaking away Ho suggested that a suitable stockyard be ereolod on tbo Waikanae fconting the grovpo, where with a race they cou'd be loaded by'fewer hands io half tbe time. As the export of live sbe’p promised to be a growing businees, it warranted con-

sideration. The Ghairnjou said .there would be no -use putting a work where ships would not at present use it under existing conditions If the wave-breekrrs were a success they might do as suggested by Mr Black. Mr Lysnar proposed that tbo nutter be referred to the ovorsecr to eco what be could devise. The present yards were nsoless, as boats did not lie alongside them. He thought tbo yards might be removed higher up the whai f Tbe Chairman: That would mean deepening tbo river to let tbo b'g boots como higher up. Captain Tucker : Thon wby not deepen it ? Tbe Chairman said be would second tbo motion, which was carried, SIGNAL STATIONS.

A letter was received from Messrs Da'grty aod Co., ogoota for the HuddartParker Co., bringing u-d r tbo Board’s notice that the flagstaff wn3 in a very bad position when required to sigoal vessels in the roadstead. Captains of vessels stated the background was very bad owing fco tho number of buildings round about tbo staff. The iron shed on tbe groyne shut out the lower portion of the staff from certain positions in the readBtead, and consequently obscuring the semaphore signals, which placed tbrm io a very awkward position when the weather was 100 bad fo: tendering. Captain Tucker asked if the staff could not bo plaood on tbo piooo of ground near (jha railway liar.

Tho Chairman said in that cm tbo light—wh eh in its present position was a guide— would havo to bo disprntod with, and only tbo sotusphoro s'gnnls loft, Aftor disonasion as to tbo moat satisfno t:ty motbod tbo Harbormaster was in--B!ructod to report on tho aubj o*. Mr Hauling raised tho question as to wbother some moans of signalling boats when thoy anived eoull not bo dovised, Ho mentioned iho inoonvenionoo oausod to pooplo through not knowing when a vessel arrivod, ospooially on Sundays, Ho had known pooplo wait at tho wharf from boO to 9 am, tho only information thoy could obtaiu boiug that tho launoh would go out rn arrival. Thoy should bo ablo to devise some system by which a signal could bo run up to let people know of tho arrival of a vets, 1

Tbo Chairman : If it is so diffioult for tho shipping people to givo tho information, how could tho Board bo cxpooted to give it ? Mr Harding said that it was dono at all other ports of any impoi tauoe. Ho suggested that something might bo dono on Haiti Hill. Mr Matthowson said tho spur near tho own was obaoured by a bigbor oao fur» .her along, , Mr Siovwrigbt: Wo might ask Captain Turkor to givo a site there frr tho pur* I pose. 1 Captain Tucker said ho would do that with pleasure. Mr Lysnar said that was a good offer, and they should accept if. A suggestion that members should mako an excursion up tho hill to soo things for themselves was coldly roceived, ii’id eventually tho task was ontru-ted to tbo Harbormaster of trying to solvo tho problem, Mr Lysnar again impressing on mombors that they should thankfully accept Captain Tucker’s offer.

REPORTS,

Tho Harbormaster, Captain Cumming, reported : 11 Oa tho lllh inst. wo had a flood that oloared tho lower part of tho channel to rock, but formed a bank and silted up a grod bit above tho stackyard Please seo i ougb sk- toh showing shallow places in ohaunel. The s.s. Toroa struck on this bank when oomiDg to the wharf on tho 20th inst, Beiog lato on tho tide she would not oomo round tho stcokyard quick enough to o ear it. I mist repeotfully ask that the clrodgo be kept at work

on tbia spot until there is room to wo k tbe larger olaaa of ships that now use the wharf. During the fljod a portion of the bank of tho Wokacae creek came awa--, and will wa9h it-to the channel unless it is stopped in some way. Soundings taken on 28th inst. with t'de gauge at zero, in tho channel are ns follows : Abreast of end of broi k a aier 13ft 6io, tbird bollard from end 10ft 6 n, Snark’s landing 7ft, big orane 6 f t lOin, Wa’kanae 7ft, stockyard Bft, half j way along wbaD 7ft. Shippir g sires last meeting is as follows : Steamers, arrivals 29, departures 29; sailing sh'p3, arrivals 11, departures 11. Tho attached statement of moorage shows that tho various vessels wore at ihe wharf 128 days, of which 68 were working days, and the j revenue dorived was .£3l 2s 61. j Tha Overseer, Mr D. McLeod, reported : —"I have the honor to report on Gisborne harbor works for the month ending the 23th of July, as f.Hows: Tho John Townloy has taken 46 loads of spoil to sea this month, and tho sma 1 dredger has lified 595 yards of rock and 70 yards of mud, whioh has been deposited at the back of the viaduct. The rookeutter, after having finished at tho Eaiti wharf, was engaged for two days cutting down the rock on which the Toroa grounded abreast of the town wharf, and is now chopping down the rock at pu at berth, to enable the pants being discharged there at all states of tbe tide; this finished, wo will be dismantling the rockoutter pun f , and plaoiDg Ihe machinery on the groynp, so as to be ready for a start with the wave traps when piles comß to hand. Whilo this msohinery is in commission for pile driving, we purpose using the rockoutter punt for dealing with the spoil lifted by the small dredger. Tbe late freshet has given us a good clean out in the river, the rock beiog now quite bare, thus enabling us to again resume blasting operations. I am getting the necessary gear to start another gang this week. The Karoro w\s taken on to the slip on the s'h of last mooth, anp launched on the 3 d of this month, and the Tawera was taken up on tho lltb, and launched on the 13 h, on which date tbe Nautilus was taken up, and launched the following day, but owing to tbe tides having t iken off, and the aecumuhtion of silt in the slip-way, she had to be again hauled up and kept on the slip until the slip way could be cleared, by dredging, wh'cb was done on tbe 251 b, and she was again launched on the 271 h ” Captain Solvanclcr reported : li I have flie honor to report that the dredge John Townloy has been constantly employed since your last meeting, with the exccp tion of four days' bad weather. The amount of spoil taken out is as follows : 2300 yards of sand front along the break water, 2100 yards mud from tho slip, 100 yards gravel from mid-channel abreast of hoods shed —in all 4500 cubic yards.” FINANCES. The Secretary laid the following cash statement to July 25th, 19C6, on the tabic Ordinary account: Cr L 6554 7s 3d. Harbor improvement account: Dr L2SOI 6s lOd ; cr L 3783 Os 7d. Dank : Current account as per batik pass book, cr L 3780 Is 6d, less unpresmted cheques L 3 Os lid ; or L 3783 Os 7d. Outstanding ; Arrears of rates, 1903 (Eunpoan), J 438 2s sd; ditto 1904, L 139 lit lid; ditto 1905. L 520 14s 5d ; ditto 1)05 (Crown and Native), Lll 13s 7cl; wharfages current, L 34 12s 7d ; rent, L2S3 18s Id,

COOK MEMORIAL An application for a reftud of T 9 wharfage on the Cook Meinoria,material, was not entertained. Captain Ticker said that if he had his way ho would clfiblo the amount, the contractors having had all their own way, Mr Lysnar tijd the changing of the site from the knoloriginally Selected had meant a saving o £2OO to the contractors.