LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1353, 15 June 1878, Page 3

LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

The Board met yesterday at Lyttelton. Present —Hon. E. Eichardson (chairman), Messrs P. Cunningham, D. Craig, C. W. Turner, H, P. Murray-Aynsley, E. J, S. Harman, H. Sawtell, and H. Allwright. CHAIRMAN'S report. The Chairman made the following statement :—The following amount has been paid in to the Board’s credit since our last meeting, namely, £BOO 14s, being the wharfage dues collected during the fortnight ending the 25th May, 1878. Several accounts will be laid before you for payment. Acting under the suggestion made at our last meeting, I made inquiries respecting the cost, &c., of°a steam fire engine for our tug, and the results of xpy inquiries were buch as I considered warranted me in requesting the New Zealand Shipping Company to cable home instructions to have the tug fitted with an auxiliary floating steam fire-engine by Shand, Mason and Co., at a cost of £350. I will ask the Board to confirm my action in this case. While referring to the subject of the steam tug, I may state that I have received a letter from the manager of the National Bank of New Zealand here, advising the payment to Messrs Laird, through the New Zealand Shipping' Company in London, of £2250, being the first instalment under their contract for the steam tug. I have also to report that J haye arranged with the local Insurance Companies for the insurance of the tug on her journey out to New Zealand, the rate being 60s per cent., with the usual conditions of policy. In reply <o a telegram which I addressed to the Government on the subject of our having to remove from the rooms at present used by the Board in the Government Buildings at Christchurch, I was informed that the “ Government cannot give a positive assurance of permanent occupation to the Board, but will nob disturb them unless absolute necessity arise, of which there at present seems no prospect.” Under these circumstances I do not think it will be necessary for the Board to take any action at present in the matter. I may, however, say that suitable offices have been placed under offer should wo be called qpon to yacuto our present office in Christchurch. With reference to the discharge of the s.s. Wakatipu on Sunday last in Lyttelton, I see that a statement was made by his Worship the Mayor of Lyttelton, at a meeting of the Borough Council on Monday last, that I as chairman of this Board had been applied to to prevent the discharge of tint, vessel; and further on Mr Mucphcrs-m had stated that the general opinion was that the Harbor Board could not only prevent steamers from coming to the wharves, but also could order them away from the wharf. As regards the itacement or the Mayor’a, who holds a seat at this Board, I can only express my surprise that he should have made such a statement at all, and further that he did not at unco explain to the Borough Council the position the Board stands in in respect to the working of the wharves. The only possible coloring that exists U 3 to his slfilcmout that I was applied comibU ia tao fact that last Saturday

afternoon I was on the railway platform at 4.30, and after the starting bell for that train had been rung, the Mayor came up to me in a very excited manner and said he hoped I was going to stop the discharge of the Wakatipu, I replied that if the Government had ordered her discharge I did not see how I could interfere. Before there was time for another word the train started. As the Board is aware, Capt. McLcllan occupies the position of harbor-master and pier-master, and doubtless in the first capacity he could order any vessel away from the wharf, but on the other hand as pier-master lie is bound to obey the order of the Government, which in this case was to berth the vessel and to facilitate her discharge. Had any application been made to me, and I given instructions to have the vessel removed, the harbor-master would have been placed in a very awkward dilemma, and the more so as the Harbor Board by arrangement have handed over the entire working of the wharves to the Government. The railway department received peremptory instructions from Wellington to discharge the vessel, and had no option left them. I presume the Board are as much opposed now to any work being done on Sundays, except in case of emergency, as they were when this question was last raised, and that it will be in accordance with their wishes that I address a letter to the Government pointing out that as far ns the circumstances of this case have been made known, had more consideration been given to the matter, arrangements might have been made which would have obviated the necessity for working last Sunday. I think that such an occurrence is hardly likely to take place again, as the public have been informed that early next month the railway will be opened through to Dunedin, and then no such excuse can be made, as that which has led to the discharge of three steamers on Sunday during the past twelve months. A letter will be read from Mr Conyers, the Commissioner of Railways, replying to mine in reference to the shed on the Gladstone Pier, and also in regard to increasing the supply of trucks before the next grain season. The Board will bo glad to learn that he fully recognises the utter inadequacy of the present supply of trucks, and that he has strongly urged upon the Government the absolute necessity of ordering 600 trucks, in addition to those already ordered, to be ready in time for the next grain season, I think the Board would do well to pass a resolution on the subject, to be forwarded to the Government. I would wish, however, to point out that unless the grain merchants and others correspondingly increase their shed accommodation, the benefit to bo derived from the increase of trucks will be counteracted. Tenders for the new 400 ft. jetty were opened by me the day before yesterday, and referred to the engineer. It will be necessary that the Board should to-day decide upon the acceptance of one of them. The sealing of the contract will also have to be ordered upon. Details, plans, and specification for the breastwork from the Lighter Jelty to the Tunnel Jetty, and for another jetty similar to the one recently tendered for, will be laid before you for consideration. I would ask the Board if they adopt these plans to authorise me to forward them to Wellington for the Governor’s approval ; and further, as the Commissioner of Railways has verbally intimated to me that the railway will require to occupy the land to be reclaimed between the lighter and tunnel jetties, I would suggest that they authorise me to instruct our engineer to arrange with the Commissioner of Railways as to the best mode of carrying out this reclamation. Opportunity is being taken of the small number of vessels lying at the Gladstone Pier to dredge alongside the outer berth. The dredge will after completing this work proceed to increase the width of the channel leading to the Gladstone Pier ; also to remove the bank raised by the vessels lying alongside it. I have received a reply from the railway authorities, stating that they do not wish to lease the sheds on Peacock’s wharf. Offers have been obtained for the removal, &c., of the old hostelry building from section 232 to the Orphanage grounds, I will ask the Board to authorise me to accept the lowest offer for the work, viz., Thos. Mutton’s, £75. A letter from Mr Bell was read, re tenders for new jetty, recommending acceptance of Messrs Langdown and Co.’s tender for £8287 8s 6d, that being the lowest; also, submitting tracings and specifications for new breastwork from Lighter jetty to Tunnel jetty, with intermediate jetty No. 3 included, as one contract. He also recommended that the Board should notify to Mr Derbridge his appointment as clerk of works.

The Chairman said he had been carefully through the tenders, and fully endorsed the engineer’s recommendation. Mr Turner moved, and Mr Harman seconded—“ That the Board accepts Messrs Langdown and Co.’s tender of £8287 8s fid for the 400 ft. jetty and for the lighterage jetty, in terms of the specification, and in accordance with the recommendation of the engineer of the Harbor Board, and the Board orders the affixing of their seal to the contract for the same.” Carried.

Mr Cunningham moved, and Mr D. Craig seconded —“ That the Board approve of the ordering of an auxiliary steam fire engine for the steam tug at a cost of £350.” Carried, MORE TRUCKS. Mr Murray-Aynsley moved, and Mr Cunningham seconded—“ That the Board fully concur in the recommendation indicated in the letter from the Commissioner of Ea Iways dated the 6th instant with regard to increasing before the next grain season the number of trucks by 600, in addition to those already ordered, and that the Board strongly urge upon the Government the absolute necessity of giving effect to Mr Conyers’ recommendation for having the additional rolling stock, with engine power, placed on the Christchurch section of the New Zealand railways without delay.” NEW BREASTWORK AND JETTY. Mr Sawtell moved, and Mr Craig seconded —“ That the Board approve of the detailed plans and specifications for the Breastwork between the lighter and tunnel mouth jetties, and for the second 400 ft jetty as indicated on the said plana submitted by the engineer to the Board, and the 1 Board instruct the chairman to forward same to Wellington for the approval of his Excellency the Governor.” Carried. REMOVAL OR NATIVE HOSTELRY. Moved by Mr Harman, seconded by Mr Sawtell—“ That the Board accept Thomas Mutton’s offer to remove the native hostelry from its present site, and to reinstate it on the Orphanage grounds for the sum of £75.” Carried. NEW HAWSERS. Moved by Mr Craig, seconded by Mr Sawtell —“That the chairman bo authorised to orejer from Calcutta by the first opportunity the set of coir hawsers recommended in the Harbor Master’s annuql report, dated 9th May, 1878.” Carried. CLERK OR WORKS. It was moved by Mr Harman, seconded by Mr Aynsley, and carried : —“That the Board approve of the appointmentof Mr S. Dorbriclge as clerk of works, at a salary of £250, to be terminable by three months’ notice on either side.” Accounts amounting to £3lO 16s 8d wore passed for payment. SUNDAY LABOUR IN PORT. Mr Allwright, (ho Mayor of Lyttelton, said ho did not know the chairman of the Harbor Board was in port on the day that he asked him to prevent the Wakatipu from w'orklng, till about 1 ten Vqinutes before the train left, and juafc caught him in time to ask him the question. He would repeat the came remarks that ho made in the Council regarding this. Ha had asked the chairman of the I [arbor Board to stop the working of the Wakatipu on the foil awing Sunday, and that gentleman replied he did not see how ho could do so, as the Government had made the arrangement. As Caras ho understood from the chairman’s report, it. seemed the Hoar;! had no power, hut from what he heard this was the o> ly port at which Sunday work was carried on. The inference lie (jrew from this xr as, that the regulations of Port Lyttelton were in fault, and tiro sooner an alteration was made the better. Ho was sorry that more members of (.lie Board were not residents in Lyttelton, in order that they might have seen the disgraceful scones on the wharf last Sunday. It was not only those that were at work that wore on the wharf, but, a great many congregated round (.hcm, ant} the day wao turned into a sc ue of disorder as well as

labor. It was certainly a duty of the Board to stop such disgraceful scenes. Ho was not aware till that day that there were any harbor regulations in force at Lyttelton, but on looking over them ho could see nothing that applied to the ease in question. The Board had the power to order vessels away from the wharves, and he hud a resolution to propose which he thought would stop the recurrence of this Sunday labor. Ho asked the Board to pass that resolution, in order to put an end to what was fast becoming a disgrace to Lyttelton, He be.-rged to move “ That no vessels be allowed to discharge or take in cargo at any wharves under the control of the Lyttelton Harbor Board during Sunday hours.” Ho hoped that the Board would support him, as ho was pledged otherwise to take action in the matter. The unfortunate men on the railway had to work, under penalty of being discharged. Had the members of the Board hoard what he had from these men, he was sure they would support his resolution.

Mr C. W. Turner thought the resolution went hardly far enough ; it was clearly not merely the duty of the Board to prevent vessels from loading or discharging, but also to discourage all Sunday work. Ho heard that not only was the Wakatipu discharging on Sunday, but that a large ship had been towed out from the wharf that was not to sail till the following day. Those in the employment of the Harbor Board were obliged to work to do this. Ho did not know whether in this case any special necessity existed, but he hoped that the Board would take some action to prevent largo vessels being moved on on the Sunday, except in extreme cases. Mr Cunningham said that doubtless all members of the Board were anxious to prevent Sunday labour, but he thought Mr Allwright’s resolution was too stringent, and did not allow for any exceptional case. He had also prepared a resolution, which he would road them—“ That, with a view to discourage Sunday labour in the port of Lyttelton, the harbormaster receive instructions that, unless through stress of weather, accident, or by special order of the chairman of the Board, no vessel is allowed to load or discharge cargo at the port of Lyttelton on Sunday. That a copy of this resolution bo forwarded to tho Government.” There might bo special occasion through stress of weather or other natural cause which would absolutely oblige a vessel to be worked on Sunday. He was sure that if the members of the Board had been in Lyttelton last Sunday, and seen the behaviour of some sailors in the street, and the labour going on at the wharves, they would have agreed with him that it was more like a fair day than a Sunday. He was sure that the matter was one that might safely be left in the hands of the chairman to exercise his discretion.

The Hon. E. Richardson (the chairman) said they must recollect that Captain McLcllan was not only an officer of tho Harbor Board, but also of the Government, He was their harbor master, but also held the appointment of pier master from the Government, and was therefore a railway as well as a Harbor Board officer. Supposing the Harbor Board instructed him as their harbor master not to allow a vessel to work, and that as pier master he received directly contrary directions from the Government, it would place him in a very unfair and most unpleasant position. Mr Cunningham said that the sooner such an arrangement as this was cancelled the better.

Mr Murray-Aynsley agreed with Mr Cunningham. Captain McLellan should at once be asked if he would become solely their servant, at the same salary he was now receiving. Some addition might bo made to Mr Cunningham’s resolution to that effect. The Rotorua had been worked on a previous occasion, and the Board had then passed a resolution condemning the practice, but in this case there appeared to have been no necessity, and with a little forethought all the trouble would have been avoided. Mr Harman said if the Harbor Board could order vessels not to come alongside and could order them from the wharves, they could certainly stop the Sunday working. It had evidently been beneficial to the Union Company to send a large vessel like the Wakatipu down with the mail, and conseouently free from harbor duos, instead of the Taranaki, and he thought that the Board should warmly support the Mayor of Lyttelton in this good object. The Board was certainly, in his opinion, the authority to take responsibility in this matter and prevent laborers on the railway from being obliged to work on a Sunday.

The Chairman said that he did not know if the Board wore aware that by passing such a resolution as that proposed, they were virtually stopping the system of expediting the mails which had been pursued for years. He spoke from a long experience in the matter. The Government always endeavored to meet the views of both North and South by forwarding the mails with the greatest possible speed, the matter of saving every hour being carefully considered. Certainly in this last case it appeared there was no real necessity for working the steamer, but the Board must recollect that in taking this step they were fortifying the Government against making special efforts to forward the mail. To show how important the Government considered the matter the postmasters had actually received instructions to sort the letters on Sunday immediately on arrival, and this had been done in Christchurch on Sunday last during church hours. This showed how urgent they thought the matter.

Mr Turner said that in the course of a few weeks, when the line through to Dunedin would be opened, the mails would be forwarded along the coast by that, and do away with the necessity of sending on the steamer. There had been no necessity for the late Sunday work. The Taranaki which was lying at the Manukau at the time the mail arrived, might have been sent down the West Coast with the mail, thereby saving much time, and doing away with the necessity of the Sunday work, but iu order to enable the Union’ Company to work thoir boats to better advantage, the mail had been sent down the East Coast. The whole difficulty might have been prevented by detaining the Taranaki, The sooner a stop was put to the Sunday work the better, as they did not want a recurrence of these disgraceful sights, when besides work going on at the wharves, policemen were to bo seen chasing men along the streets to put them aboard vessels.

Mr Sawtell agreed fully with what had fallen from the last speaker.

The Chairman said it appeared to hirq that in passing thiy resolution they were making a new regulation, which would have to be approved by the Governor in Council. He should, of course, get the opinion of the Board’s solicitor on this subject Some gentleman, he believed the Mayor of Lyttelton, had said Lyttelton was the only port where they worked on Sunday. He begged to correct this. In Wellington vessels which had been detained or were in special hurry frequently bundled out their cargoes on the wharf. He would now put the resolution. The resolution was then put and carried. GOVERNOR’S DEPARTURE, The Chairman said ho had received a telegram from the Governor stating that he would leave Christchurch for Lyttelton by special train at 3.50 p.m. that day'. RENTING SHEDS ON PEACOCK’S WHARF. An offer ‘ from Mr Boyle to rent the store on Teucock’s whuff at £tio per annum was read'. The Board declined Mr Boyle’s offer, and (.he secretary was authorised to offer the lower shod at a rental of £l2O and the upper shed at £OO per annum, subject to a month’s notice on eh her side. watermen’s licenses. The Board fixed the fee for watermen’s licenses for the ensuing year at 10s. MOORINGS. Mr Cunningham said ho thought some stops to ioJ. the mooring chains should bo taken. The Chai.i.van said that the harbor-muster would do this without any special resolution of the Board. REPORTS. Mr Cunningham said he thought it advisable to exchange accounts and annual report with the other New Zealand Harbor Boards. Mr Harman moved the notice of motion standing in hia name regretting the Hon. John Hall’s unavoidable absence, and pointing out the expediency of cayrying out the resolution, as tlie business o£ the port was so

rapidly increasing. The motion ran as follows:—“That the harbor improvement committee be requested to report the probable total cost of the works, Lyttelton harbor, which it will bo desirable to undertake within the next two years, so as to enable the Board to decide whether it will bo necessary at the ensuing session of the General Assembly to apply for an increase in the borrowing powers of the Act.” The motion was agreed to. The Board adjourned to Friday, 28th of June, at Christchurch, at 2 p.m.