LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1658, 13 June 1879, Page 3

LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

The ordinary meeting of the Lyttelton Harbor Board was held yesterday in the Board room, Lyttelton, at 2 p.m. There were present—Hon. E. Richardson (chairman), Hon. John Hall, Messrs H. P. MurrayAynsley, P. Cunningham, H. Allwright, H. Sawtell, R, Allan, R, J. 9. Harman, 0. W. Turner. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, after which the chairman read his statement as follows : shaibmak’s bepobt. The following sums have been paid in to the Board’s account since last meeting : Pilotage and port charges £345 7 4 Wharfage ... 1923 9 3 Towage and warps ... 159 12 8

£2428 9 3 A return of the wort done by our steam tug during the past month is on the table, and may be considered a satisfactory one, in view of the business of the port at the present season of the year. A report has been sent in by Captain Clark, recommending that the Lyttelton should be slipped or docked at an early date. It will be recollected that the tug has not been in dock since she left the Mersey, and beaching her here does not serve the required purpose. Under these circumstances I would suggest that the tug should go to Wellington to be placed on the patent slip, where she she can be moat expeditiously cleaned and painted. The dredging return for the month of May is also on the table. A perusal of it shows that 142 barge loads of mud have been removed, amounting to 25,560 cubic yards, or 35,500 tons. Although this may be considered a very good month’s work, it would have been considerably larger but that the dredge was obliged to stop work for several days in order to replace some link bushes which had worn out since they were put in only some three months ago. Mr Turpin’s report on the matter will be read. The link bushes now substituted for those which Lave just failed are some of those recently received from Rait and Lindsay, of Glasgow, to the Board’s order. It is probable these will last till February next. The" chain attached to the buoy immediately to the west of the Sorew-pile jetty has been shortened, so as to keep the buoy more out of the fairway, and the shortening of the chain will also enable the dredge to remove the hitherto undredged portion of the harbor round the buoy. The report of the harbor improvement committee upon the matters referred to them at our last meeting will be presented to-day. A number of accounts for payment will be laid before you. In connection with this subject, I would ask the Board to consider the desirableness of fixing a meeting to be held on the Ist or 2nd of each month for the purpose of passing salaries and contract progress payments. I regret to say that the arrangement for the occupancy of a site for Harbor Board offices on Norwich quay is likely to fall through, owing to the Customs department requiring a considerable portion of the proposed site. It was only when the Crown Solicitor had been instructed to prepare the lease to the Board, that a communication was received from Wellington suspending action in the matter. As there appears to be no prospect now of obtaining the above site, I would suggest that the first proposal to obtain a site for a temporary building near the Screw Pile Jetty be followed out. Tenders for the reclamation to the east of the boat jetties are sent in to-day, and will be opened at the present meeting. The completion of the work of copying the graving dock plans has been somewhat retarded, owing to the requisite supply of tracing cloth not being obtainable here. This want has, however, now been met, and the copying of the plans is now being pressed on to completion with all possible despatch. I think it would be well to extend the time for sending in tenders to the 18th September. Correspondence will be read from the National Bank of New Zealand, asking the Board to reconsider the minimum fixed by them for the sale of their debentures. As the Board had, on two previous occasions, fully considered this question, I did not think it necessary to call a special meeting for the purpose. The authorities of the National Bank of New Zealand, in writing from London, state that the minimum of £IOO net means that each debenture must realise £lO2 10s; or, in other words, that 2% per cent is required to cover Bank commission, brokerage, advertising, ko. Taking into consideration the fact that the Bank have a special agreement'with the Board to negotiate the ssle of their doben-

tores a". i per cent, to which would hare to bo added the coat of printing, advertising, and brokerage chargee, &c., the whole of the expenses should not exceed per cent This opinion is justified by the comparatively recent experience of another corporate Board here, whose debentures were floated at a cost not exceeding the percentage I have just quoted.

BEPOHT OP COMMITTEE. Report No. 4 of the harbor improvement committee was read as follows : Your committee beg leave to report upon the matters referred to them by the Board at their last meeting, rc boundary line between the property of the Lyttelton Harbor Board and the Lyttelton Borough Council. On the 4th hut. your committee met the Borough^works committee in Lyttelton, and, after going over the ground together, they jointly agreed to recommend the adoption of the boundary line as pegged out between the Peacock Wharf property and Naval Point, The line being a welldefined one, and fixed on a give-and-take principle. The severed portions of the Harbor Board land to he set apart for road or street purposes only. It was further agreed to recommend, that in consideration of the Harbor Board consenting to a strip of their town section No. 313, being taken _ and used for the purpo e of widening the Dampler’a Bay road on the north west side of the red stone building on that section, the Lyttelton Borough Council should agree to forego any claim for compensation for the closing up and occupation by that Board of the street bounding town section 232, at Naval Point. A surveyor (Mr G. MTntyre) is now engaged in making a survey and plan of the proposed boundary line, &c., and the plan, when completed, will belaid before the Board. Be Lighting the Wharves —Your committee have considered this question, and have decided that the following additional lamps shall be erected and used, namely—Two gas lamps be tween No. 2 Intermediate jetty and the Tunnel jetty, and two lamps (oil) at Peacock’s wharf and Breastwork.

Oa inspection your committee found that the pathway from the boat jetties to the Gladstone Pier (which is on railway ground) is rapidly washing away, and is, in their opinion, unsafe for traffic at night. A letter to this effect has been addressed to the Commissioner of Railways, accompanied with a suggestion that the pathway should be closed, and that the public should be made to use the formed road at the base of the cliffs from the present passenger station to the Gladstone Pier, proper provision being made for lighting it, either by the railway or the borough, as the Board have no power to expend their funds on works of this description outside the limits of their property. It has also been pointed out to the railway authorities that certain alterations arc necessary to make the approach from the passenger station gates to the Screw Pile Jetty safe for foot passengers at night. Tour committee are unable to see their way to recommend an increase of pay to the man who attends to the lamps on the wharves. Ite Breastwork or Jetties to Eastward of the Screw Pile Jetty.—The committee have still under consideration the plans for the timber breastwork or jetties to he erected to the eastward of the Screw Pile Jetty.

Bbwaed Richaedson, Chairman of the Harbor Improvement Committee. The Chairman said that, with reference to the power of the Board to transfer the properties named in the report without further legislation, the opinion of the Board’s solicitor had been requested. For himself, he thought the Board had full power, but the solicitor to the Board had asked for time to look into the matter closely before giving a written opinion. The report was adopted on the motion of Mr Harman, seconded by Mr Sawtell. ACCOUNTS, Accounts amounting to £214 were passed for payment, DOCKING- THE TUG STEAMEE. A resolution that the steam-tug Lyttelton be sent to Wellington to bo put upon the slip, scraped, and painted, was then brought up. Mr Allan asked whether the work could be done as well at Wellington as in the dock at Port Chalmers. Mr Cunningham said that time was an important consideration, and the work could bo done in about half the time at Wellington that would be involved by putting her in dock at Port Chalmers. The work could be done quicker, and the paint put upon her would dry very much quicker when upon a slip than in dock. Mr Allwright inquired whether the work could not be done in Lyttelton ? In reply, the Chairman said that if such were possible, he would much prefer it, but inquiry had been made with reference to it, and there would be too much risk in attempting it. When the Board received the tug, Mr Grubb, owner of the slip on which the dredge was cleaned, was spoken to about cleaning the tug steamer, and he declined to take the responsibility. Mr Cunningham considered there would be a great risk in slipping the boat here. Mr Turner thought that a return should first bo made out showing the number of vessels at present overdue from foreign ports, which he knew to bo very large. To allow the tug to go from the port at present would be very inconvenient, and might entail great delay to some of the vessels daily expected to arrive.

Mr Hall suggested that a similar objection might be raised at any time. The Chairman said that the resolution might bs passed, he to take care that the steamer didn’t leave at an inconvenient time.

The resolution—“ That the steam tug Lyttelton be placed on the Wellington slip for inspection and repairs,” was moved by Mr Cunningham. Seconded by Mr Hall and carried. XYTTEXTON DEVICE SITE.

On the question of an office site in Lyttelton, Mr Turner said that ho thought the Board could make out as strong a case as the Customs to the Government for the site next to the present Government buildings. It should be shown, at least, before the Board gave up its purpose, what better a case the Collector of Customs at Christchurch had for the site in question than the Board. The Collector, he thought, was put out at the change that had been made in the offices of Customs by moving a part of the Telegraph Department downstairs ; but, in his opinion, the Customs had as much accommodation in Lyttelton at present as it would require for many years to come. Mr Hall wished that a site independent of the Government were looked for by the Board. He thought very great delay and difficulty would result if the Government were depended upon. If pTfce Chairman deprecated having any trouble with the Customs Department about it. Ho thought that in the meantime an office could be erected on land belonging to the Board, near the Screw Pile Jetty, which would answer. The Board had, however, expressed itself so strongly in favour of having permanent offices built that he hesitated in making any recommendation. Mr Ailwright thought the committee might confer with the Collector of Customs. The Chairman said he had seen the Collector, and had a long conversation with him, and that the Collector spoke positively about increased accommodation being ueoos< sary; that the present long room of the Customs will have to be lengthened, and a shipping office provided. The committee might make further inquiry into the matter, however.

Mr Allan moved—“ That the question of Lyttelton office site be referred back to the committee appointed to make further inquiries, and report again to the Board,” Seconded by Mr Ailwright, and carried.

TENDERS FOE RECLAMATION. Throe tenders for reclaiming frontage east of the boat jetties were opened, and that of Messrs Hawkins jand Company, amounting to £BI4O Bd, was, on the motion of Mr Harman, seconded by Mr Cunningham, accepted. The time for the work to be completed is seven months. Thirty men are to be put on witbin the first fortnight, and not less than sixty men kept on until it is finished. Messrs Hawkins and Co.’s tender was the lowest, TENDERS FOB GRAYING DOCK. The Chairman said that he thought hia suggestion made at the last meeting, as to extending the time for tenders to be received for the graving dock should be considered. He suggested September. The penalty in the conditions was to be £IOO per week ; deposit £■4ooo, the Board to give the contractor £IOO per week for every week in advance of contract time he completed the work in, Mr Hall was in favor of making the time for receiving tenders to expire on the Ist of October, as that would allow contractors three months clear in which to send in offers. He moved a resolution that the time be extended to October Ist, and it was carried. EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE®. Mr C, W. Turner moved, seconded by Mr Harman, and carried —“That pilotage exemption certificates be granted to A. C. Poulson, of the Ansdell, and 000. Preston, of the Nightingale.” DEBENTURES. The Board then went into committee to consider the matter of debentures, and the

following resolution from committee was re* ported and adopted by the Board : —“ That the National Bank of Now Zealand, Limited, be authorised to sell the debentures at not less than one hundred pounds for each bond of £IOO, and to deduct therefrom the necessary expense of floating the loan.” The Board then adjourned to meet July 3rd, in Ctr stchuroh'