HARBOR BOARD.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1365, 29 June 1878, Page 3

HARBOR BOARD.

Friday, June 28. The Board met at 2 p.m. Present—Hon. E. Richardson (chairman), Hon. John Hall, Messrs Cunningham, Harman, Craig, Turner, Murray-Aynsley. chairman's statement. ' The Chairmau then made his statement. HARBOR IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE. This committee brought up their report as follows : The committee appointed to report on the probable total cost of the works in Lyttelton harbor, which it will be desirable to undertake within the next two years, so as to enable the Board to decide whether it will be necessary at the ensuing session of the General Assembly to apply for an increase in the borrowing powers of the Act, after conference with the engineer to this Board, and after giving the question referred to them due consideration, have come to the following conclusion : That your committee recommend the Board to apply to the General Assembly for further borrowing powers to the extent of £ 100,000 They are led to make this recommendation finding that the following works will, in their opinion, require to be carried oat within the next two years to meet the rapidly increasing tr*de of the port of Lyttelton, namely— Clearing Bank overdraft existing on May Ist, 1878, and accruing interest J>10,200 0 0 Steam tug cost 11,500 0 0 New No. 2 Intermediate Jetty (contract let) 8,287 0 0 Breastwork and No. 3 Intermediate Jetty 12,140 0 0 Two additional berths, Gladstone Pier 10,000 0 0 Extension — Screw Pile Jetty! No. 1 Intermediate Jetty KOOft. each 7,000 0 0 Tunnel Mouth j Jetty J Harbor light 500 0 0 Land purchase ... 3,240 0 0 Reclamation and Breastwork to eastward of Screw Pile Jetty 25,000 0 0 Breastwork, Tunnel Jetty to Peacock's Wharf 5,000 0 0 Reclamation westward of Peacock's 'A had: towards Naval Point 20,000 0 0 No. 2 Shed on Gladstone Breakwater ... 6,000 0 0 Graving Dock 80,000 0 0 .£198,867 0 0 To meet this the Board have borrowing powers now being exercised to the extent of £;00,000. It will thus be seen that to cover the cost of the works enumerated above (assuming that the Board adopt this committee's recommendations) it will be necessary to obtain legislative authority to borrow a second £IOO,OOO. Your committee are quite satisfied that the revenue which will accrue to the Board from the reclamation of lands now recommended, together with that to be derived from the rapidly increasing trade of the port, will fully justify the Board in obtaining the increased borrowing power now recommended by your committee. Edward Richardson, Chairman. Christchurch, June 27th, 1878. Hon. John Hall moved that the report be adopted. It might seem that they were asking for a large increase of borrowing power, but it must also be recollected that they had to provide for the trade of Lyttelton for the next two years. He did not think they could put the trade on a proper footing unless they extended their borrowing powers, so as to cope with the increasing trade. It would be seen that the committee did not seek to bind the Board to any particular work or works, Each would be dealt with as they came up, but it would at once be seen that they were compelled to extend their borrowing powers by, say, £IOO,OOO. The extension of the berthß at the Gladstone Pier was a necessity, as they understood that some thirty additional English vessels would load at the Port of Lyttelton next year. Mr Craig —A number of then! will load at Timaru. The Hon. John Hall—He had no objection to the vessels loading at Timaru f but he said that unless the Board went into ,this work and made provision for the accommodation of these additional vessels, they /would fail in their duty. It was clear, also, that they would have to provide for; reclaiming the land between Naval Pokn> and Peacock's Wharf. It would also be f?evy desirable to provide an extra shed febr the Gladstone Wharf, which would be a great convenience. The last item to which h<i> would refer was the graving dock, and he/ trusted that the chairman would be shortly in a position to tell them when they miyht look to see any visible progress of the work. He might say that he hoped the secretary would furnish the members of the ,"Souse who might take charge' of the BiSl conferring increased borrowing powers with such statistics as would enable them to ca-rnfy it through.

Mr Harmon seconded the motion. The Chairman."said that, though the plana themselves for tine graving dock were nor, in a forward state/,' the whole of the information necessary for *ihe engineer to begiu upon them was ready, /'ft might be pointed out, however, that J/he Board had pressed the engineer to proceed with other works. The,-motion was then agreed to. SUNDAY liABOTTII IN POET. following letter from the Secretary of C. ustoms was read : " Customs Department, Wellington, " 19th June, 1878. " Sir, —I have been directed by the Hon. the Commissioner of Customs, in acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 15th inst., forwarding a copy of the resolution passed by the Lyttelton Harbor. Board, with the object of preventing work on the Lyttelton wharves on Sundays, to state that this department has always discouraged Sunday work, and that he quite concurs in the propriety of the view expressed in the resolution referred to. I am also to state that collectors of Customs throughout the colony iuwe standing instructions not to clear/vessels on Sundays, except steamers carrying English mails, which exception the commissioner has no dpyht ihe Board will consider to be necessary in the interest of the public in expediting the receipt and despatch of those mails. " I have, &c, ."War. Leech, Secretary of. Customs." SIDING- TO SHED ON PEACOCK'S AVHATVP. A letter was read from Mr F. Back, general manager of Canterbury railways, stating that it would not be possible under the circumstances to arrange for goods being carried to the abed Ho, 2 on Peacock's Wharf. A letter was read, in reply, from, the secretary to the Board pointing out that the Board had taken over the whole of the privileges connected wi,th Peacock's Wharf, ■ and fchijitj) therefore, they hnd a right to claim • to have these continued. The letter further I pointed out- that the rails, &c, had baen yestod in the Harbor Board at the time of taking ove? the wharf, and, therefore the rails . co u}d not be removed without permission of the Board. In reply to this, a letter was read from Mr 'F. Back, stating that he had submitted the whole matter to the Commissioner

of Railwaysfor his decision, and that, pending that decision, instructions had heen given to the station-master at Lyttelton to forward the goods of the tenant of No. 2 shed. The Chairman explained that before taking over the Peacock's Wharf property the Board had communicated with the Government, and asked them to state what part would be required for railway purposes, but no reply had been received. An offer was read from Messrs Eoyse, Stead and Co. to lease one of the sheds on Peacock's Wharf, on condition that twelve months' tenancy be given. Afler some discussion, it was resolved that Mr Stead be informed that the tenancy would be terminated only on account of the necessity for the carrying out of harbor works. SALARIES OF OFFICERS. It was resolved that the salary of the harbor master be raised to £4OO per annum, and that of Mr Turpin, in charge of the dredge, to £360; that of the inward pilot to £275, and the harbor pilot to £250 ; the increase of salary in the case of the pilots to be in consideration of the length of service, and not necessarily continued in case of new appointments. Mr Cunningham suggested that the boats' crews should receive an increased amount as they were very hardly worked and had long hours. Mr Aynsley quite agreed with Mr Cunningham's proposition, and would suggest that the men receive Is per diem additional pay. NO. 3 INTERMEDIATE JETTY. The Chairman was authorised to invite tenders for the construction of No. 3 intermediate jetty so soon as the authorisation of the plans was received from the Government. PURCHASE OF I/AND. Mr Cunningham moved—" That the chairman be authorised to negotiate for the purchase of the sections at Naval Point from the G-overnment, and of any other sections which may be required for the Board. BOEINGS. Mr Harman moved—" That the engineer be instructed, as soon as the borings upon which he is now engaged are completed, to take such borings in Dampier's Bay (to a distance of 1200 ft. westerly from Peacock's Wharf, and 200 ft. to seaward from the shore) as may suffice to determine whether that part of the harbor can be deepened by dredging, and if so, to what depth." Mr Cunningham seconded the motion, which was agreed to. HARBOR BOARD BILL. Mr Cunningham moved—" That the chairman, with Messrs Harman, Murray-Aynsley, the Hon. John Hall, be a committee to report what alterations are necessary in the Lyttelton Harbor Board Bills, and to report before the next meeting." Mr Harman seconded the motion, which was agreed to. DISCHARGE OF COALS. Mr Cunningham asked whether the regulation as to the prevention of the discharge of coals at the Gladstone Wharf was unaltered. The Chairman said that it was. Mr Cunningham said that he would move —" That the harbor master or ; chairman of the Board be authorised to allow vessels with coal freights to discharge at the Gladstone Pier." This was a very open resolution, and gave the chairman and harbor master power in cases of necessity to have a vessel discharging coal at the Gladstone Wharf. They had a vessel in Lyttelton that day, the Bulwark, which could not discharge at any other wharf except the G ladstone Pier. The Chairman said that he might say that Mr Oonyers had given orderß to the railway authorities not on any account to allow coals to be discharged on the Gladstone Wharf. Some discussion ensued, at the close of which

Mr Cunningham said that he really could not understand why the Harbour Board should make this distinction between coals and other goods upon which the same revenue was paid. They had now many vacant berths at the Gladstone Pier, and yet they refused to allow this vessel or any other to discharge coals at the wharf. What he said was this, that if they persisted in making this vessel lighter some 1500 tons of coals in the stream they would be doing what was ridiculous. Mr Harman seconded the resolution pro forma. Mr Aynsley pointed out that the discharge of coal at the Gladstone Pier would tend to damage a large amount of general goods, besides which if the resolution were carried all vessels would demand to come to the Gladstone Pier to unload their coal cargoes.

Mr Harman thought that this resolution was somewhat wider in its' application than the Board could really go. But still he felt this, that the Board might at the slack season of the year allow of coal-laden vessels coming to the Gladstone Pier to discharge, when little or no damage could ensue to any cargo. Hon. John Hall pointed out that the difficulty was to shut the door on general cases and open it for special ones, such as that of the vessel now under discussion. At the same time, he thought that the Board should consider the question of affording some accommodation to large vessels coming here with coal cargoes, and that they should not discourage them coming here. Looking at all the circumstances of the case, he felt reluctantly obliged to vote against the resolution, because he thought it was likely to lead the Board further than it intended.

Mr Cunningham said in reply that he thought still they were doing an injustice to a section of the shipping trade. As regarded what Mr Aynsley had said concerning the danger of the coal damaging the cargo of ships alongside, the vessels could be moored so that not one bit of coal would come on to the cargo of any English vessel. He did not intend that the smaller vessels should use the Gladstone Pier, but he said this, that the wharf was now entirely monopolised by the corn and grain merchants and the company, whilst the coal merchants were kept quite outside. The motion was then put and negatived, only Mr Cunningham voting for it. •■,';':' ADJOURNMENT. The Board adjourned for a fortnight, to meet at Christchurch.