GISBORNE HARBOR BOARD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2071, 24 December 1907, Page 1

GISBORNE HARBOR BOARD

Tho Harbor Board met yesterday afternoon. Present: Messrs J. Townley (in tho clinir), \Y. J). Lysnar, F. Harris, D. liopburn, J. W. Wliinnay, G. M-attliewsoii, and tho Hon. Capt. Tucker. EXCESSIVE HARBOR HITES.

Tho Union Coy wrote in reference to an anoniolous position in the Harbor Board dues. Sinco tho heavy increase a great (quantity of cargo was carried on. Recently the "Whangapo had to go on. Tho Board thus really lost revenue, land complaints had been made to the manager. Tho ship-owners were quite willing to pay a fair amount, but the presest amount was excessive, and ho urged that tho question bo gone into.—Mr Lysnar moved that tho letter stand down at present. Tho boat complained of wfas not a regular produce boat-, and they wore in the habit of passing Gisborne. They were asking a special tariff for one special boat. It was just as convenient for tho Company to put lit- off at Napier. The Company had been mot very fairly up to the present, and tho system should bo given a trial as it' was.—Tlio Chairman said it was a. question of getting produce here as soon as possible. He proposed that tho letter bo roforred to a committee consisting of Messrs. Lysnar, Matthewson, and Captain Tucker. It- was a very important question, and the matter must bo gono into. When tho by-laws were drafted they wore sent out to all tho companies, and they did not put forward any objections.— Mr.'‘tysiiar - agreed to this course, and he said that tho Squall and the Toroa brought up most of tho produco. Tho Wanaka eamo very soklom.—Tho Chairman said tho Wanaka did not get enough cargo hore to pay oxpensos.— The Chairman’s motion was carried. Mr. Mattliewson remarked that tho Union Company was making moro at this port than any other in proportion to the population.—Tho Harbormaster stated tlhat the Wanaka had been here oneo and had passed twice. NEAV TIMBER WHARF.

Mr AV. L. Reee wrote as follows : Sirs. —In pursuance of tlio understanding arrived at between the Finance Committee of your Board and myseilf I now have tlio honor to make tho following suggestions:—l. That your Board should provido berthage accommodation at tlio Waikanao end of tho groyne for the largest ships that can enter the Turanganui River. 2. That the Board should lease for tho period- of one year from a date to bo fixed between tho Board and the Company ouo aero of land commencing at a point 66 feet from tlio groyne ami G 6 feet from the protective work on the Waikanao and then running in parallel lines totheg-royno and the Waikanao breastwork respectively until an acre of land should ■be enclosed viz. 60 yards in one direction and SO yards in tlie other. 3. That the Board should either by itself or in conjunction with the Boa-ouch and County Councils -erect a traffic bridge across the Waikanao Creek from Customhouse street to the back of tile railway shed. I. That tlio rent to be paid by the East Coast Timber and Trading Company should be tho sum of £25 for the year. 5. That in addition to such payment of rent the Company should undertake to pay at least £124 per annum so long as tlio lease was continued from year to year land port charges ujion the export of white pine and other timbers at the present .rate of one shilling per thousand. I submit with great resiiect to your Board that the erection- of a bridgo at Customhouse street and the providing of extra wharf accommodation in the Waikanao would be of great value to the Board itself, as it would make available for occupation the six or seven acres of land between the Waikanao and tlio sea now vested in tho Harbor Board, but useless and unproductive under present 'circumstances. I further venture to suggest that the increasing commerce of the port will demand increased accommodation, it being patent that the traffic on die wharf as often in a state of congesand it is impossible to open a timber export industry without ample space for the storage of timber in order to load shipping immediately upon coal or other materials being discharged. I would’' also point out that the commencement of a timber export industry will exercise a beneficial influence upon the port and district ,and will in all probability eventually .become a source of public as well as private advantage, an advantage which, in many directions can easily be perceived. A reply had been sent that the Board thought there was not sufficient accommodation for shippng timber and the Board would do all it could for such shipping. WAI-O-HI-HARORE.

The Board’s solicitors wrote -as follows ill reference to the Waikanao accretion:—

“Re .Waikanao accretions: As requested by yon, we ha.ve to report as follows: ‘When the Railway Department made application to the Native Land Court to assess the compensation . of the Native owners of tho Wai-o-hi-haroire, Waikanao block, the question as to the right to tho accretions was raised. The Native owners’daimad it, and the Board claimed it. Several meetings were held, at which a committee sot up- by tho Board and tho Hon. Jas. Carroll and: Mr Wi Fere, Mr Fees, and.' our Mr Clirisp attended. Finally, it was agreed as a matter of compromise, that the Board should tako all the accretions to the eastward of a red line shown on Mr King's plan in, your possession, and that the Natives should give to tho Board about two acres of their own land, also enough land to oontiniue Lotwe street down to the beach, and) for such two acres and road land the Board should pay to the Natives £550. -At the time tho Railway Department had intimated that they did not require the two acres, hut we believe they still have the proclamation over it. The arrangement between the Board and tho Natives was reduced to writing, and was signed by Mr Ree-s ,a;nd Mr Wi Pore on behalf of the Natives, and sealed by the Board. A 9 neither Mr Rees nor Mr WL Pere had any legal power to bind the Natives who could only be bound if all signed, and even, then, for certain legal reasons, they would not be bound, a clause was inserted in the deed tha.t it Was to be validated by Act of Parliament, and that the £oso would not bo paid till this was done. We forward: you tho deed herewith, and you will see that, this is so by the fifth clause. Only Parliament could ratify such iu agreement. We prepared a Bill, and sent it to Mr Carroll, who endeavored to pass it, but the House would not do so, regarding the precedent as a dangerous one. As Parliament refused to validate the deed, the arrangement- was at an end, and the Board, not having got a. title to. tho land, bo- : longing to the Natives, they were not and are not entitled to tlio £550. After Parliament refused to, validate the deed, we were instructed bv the Board to obtain the Board’s title to its accretions, and the authorities at Wellington, being satisfied that the accretions were caused suddenly and by the works of the Board, issued a certificate of title to the Baord, not, be it distinctly understood, for any of the Native land, but simply for the land which the Board rescued froun the sea. We enclose this title herewith. The matter was mentioned before .the Chief Justice, and at first he was inclined to think the Board were in the wrong, but when he was informed bv our Mr Clirisp that the Board had'taken no, Native land, but simply the suddenly acquired accretions, he was of a different opinion. An impression has apparently got abroad that the Board .are wrongfully keeping back money which ought, to be paid to- the. Natives. This is not the case. Tlio Natives still have their land 1 and if they

havo not, then the question is one between them and the Railway Department and not tlio Hnrbor Board.

Mr. Lysnar said ho thought tiro position was now clear. Tho Chairman said that tho Chief Justico was entirely wrong in saying that tho Board had land of tlio Natives without paying first. They had none of their property at all. They h.ul onLy tho accretions which were caused by the -Harbor .Board’s works. —Mr. Lysnar thought that the tongue of land should be obtained for the Board, as i,t was not of much use to the, Natives. BLASTING IN THE RIVER.

In accordance with notice of motion, Mr. Lysnar moved that in view of tlio passing of tlio Harbor Empowering ißiilt and the probability of ail outer harbor being proceeded with at an early date, in the meantime tho general blasting of rocks in the riiver be discontinued, and that all past ■resolutions in relation thereto, bo 'rescinded. Speaking to the motion, (Mr. Lysnar said that in March last lie moved similarly. Since then £6679 should have been the expenditure for improvements, but they totalled £10,646, and there was nothing not provided for ion the estimates. With that expenditure the depth available for shipping had decreased from 18 to 12 inches, and tho blasting was filled up with sand. For the whole of this year tho blasting r esulted in no increase in. tho working depth of water. In view of the passage of the Enabling Bill, and witlu tlio anticipation that the,' public would support tlio outer .harbor, there was no necessity to go on blasting. If they went on overstepping the position. they would liave-to striko •another ra to, which should bd avoided. It was impossible to get a. 12ft channel. He did not wish to prevent necessary blasting, but lie avantcd to stop tho general system of 'blasting. Mr. Mattliowson seconded tho motion. It was practically throwing £6OOO away. Mr. Whin ray wanted further information before voting. They were led to hope that 12 months would make a considerable difference in tlio niven-. Nino -months of that period had elapsed, and he regretted that tlio position was as stated in tho overseer’s report. Ho would like to know what area had been operated upon.

Mr. Hepburn said it was Tory foolish to’ spend the money. To work the John Townley alone would save all this money, and he would vote for tho motion. The moro blasting was done tho shallower became the river. Captain Tucker said that blasting should be discontinued until something could bo done, if the facts wero ■as stated. In the past the. hard substance which would bo serious to vessels had been removed ; tb it was satisfactory in a way. He felt inclined to support the cessation of operations until a good reason could be brought forward for desisting permanently. He would suggest that the Harbormaster and the Overseer look into the matter. The Chairman said lie was loth to give ’up improvements to the river. Captain Tucker: Or I, provided they are improvements. Continuing, tlie Chairman said that it seemed that some of the meinhers wanted to condemn it altogether. If they thought the harbor was coming they were mistaken. The Bill was so altered that they would demand radical alterations' before they voted. Regarding dredging, there was not a harbor in tho Dominion, which did not use dredges. He was t-old that vessels would never get in the outer harbor in rough weather. They should continue improving the channel ._ He felt it his duty to" vote against it. •Air. Whim-ay thought that the improvements in the .river would have to ,go on for four or five years. .He wanted to know if tho Board’s officers could give any information. He would be very sorry to see the roc.kblastin.g stopped. The Overseer, Mr. McLeod, said it was nonsense to say that blasting reduced tlie depth of water. There was no doubt of the quantity which had been 'removed. _ -Further -down tlie channel the blasting of tlie dangerous rocks was undoubtedly improving the river, and there had been a -marked improvement during tho -past nine months. The soundings Mr. Lysnar was using were taken •from where there was no blasting. The -Harbormaster stated, in reply .to 'Mr. -Lysnar, that the present avofla.go depth was 12ft Gin. (Mr. 'Lysnar said- that it showed a fall of a foot since March last. The channel had been straightened, but nothing else load -been done.

•In reply to Mr. Harris, the Overseer stated 1 that they had .to blast in accordance with the weather. Ho could not say wliat length of blasting had been- done.

Mr. Lysnar appreciated the' attitude of 'Mr. Whin ray and Captain Tucker, urging caution. There would be no dredging with the, on,ter harbor. The dredging had had every opportunity to prove itself, but thoro was no greater depth to show for it. The rock was being removed below the natural depth or tho river, and it accordingly filled uxi. < The motion was carried by 4, to 3. The noes were Captain Tucker, Mr. Whinray, and tho Chairman'. GENERAL. The Harbormaster reported that the Board’s: new oil launch arrived yesterday morning. It was strongly Ibuil't, and should prove very serviceable. Tliosteamier arrivals had been 38, departures 37; sailers,arrivals 10, departures 10. —Adopted. A plan of the • extension of. tho ■wharf buildings'was laid on tho Sable.: —The Chairman said it was not only an addition, hut it gave another out-let.—-It was decided to'proceed with the work. Sonio discussion, took place aboutthe men’s holidays.—Tho Chairman said that those who stayed away on New Year’s Day would lose their! wages. —The Overseer said it was not compulsory for the men to work on that day.—Mr. Harris said New Year's Day should not bo a working day.—Captain Tucker was in favor of giving the men the holidays in succession.—Three days were allowed. The Dredgeimaster (reported' that tho dredge had been constantly employed. Rians of tlie shelter-room for wharf laborers were placed on tho table. It was decided to erect tho rooms.