LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1882, 5 March 1880, Page 3

LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

The Lyttelton Harbor Board mot on Thursday at Lyttelton. Present—Tho Hon. E. Eiohardson (chairman) and Messrs Harman, Allan, Allwrigbt, Sawtell, MurrayAynsley, Craig, P. Cunningham and Turner. The Chairman read tho following statement :—The following sums have boon paid in to the Board’s account since our last meeting : —Wharfage, £4lO ; pilotage and port charges for February, 1880, £409 5s 7d ; towage fees, warps, &c., £6B 11 s 2d ; total, £BB7 16s 9d. Mr Turpin’s report on tho state of the dredge and barges will be laid before you, also the return of the dredging work done by the Minna Bell during the past month. She is now at work at the transporting buoy, and is loading into one of the hopper barges, which can be so employed until the overhaul of tho dredge is completed. The ship Waimate having arrived, arrangements have been made ’ to get the spare dredging gear landed sad forwarded to tho shed on Peacock’s wharf as soon as possible. The tonnage return for February is on tbe table, also the harbor master’s report of the shipping in and out during the month. A report will be read from the harbor master on the sinking of one of the ballast lighters in tbe stream. Messrs Cameron Bros., the owners, have been given notice to remove her at once, and as the harbor master reported the vessel was sunk in a position in the harbor dangerous to navigation,' and as no other diving dress was obtainable,' the one used in connection with the raising' of the Bells being away with its owner at the wreck of the Taupo, I authorised one of the dicing dresses belonging to the Harbor Board to be used to enable chains to be put under the sunken lighter, Messrs Cameron paying £5 per day for its use and guaranteeing to make good all damages to it. Report No. 8 from the harbor improvement committee will be brought up to-day, also one from the office accommodation and harbor staff committee. A number of accounts for payment, including contract progress payments, which are unusually heavy, and salaries, will be laid before you. The consideration of the letter, which was deferred at our last meeting, from Ashburton County Council re the constitution of this Board, will again come before you. Mr Stinson has signed the contract for the removal, &s., of tho boat jetties and extension of the reclamation, and T will ask you to order the Board’s seal to be affixed to the contract. A memorial to his Excellency, referring to the taking of the lands necessary for the graving dock- and reclamation, has been prepared by the Board’s solicitor, and will be required to bo signed by two members of the Board. Tho harbor master found it necessary to lay an information against a fisherman who refused to remove his boat off tbe boat slip when requested to do so, and the case resulted in a fine of 40s and costs being inflicted.

The harbor improvement committee reported re Messrs Loutitt and Co.’s application for a slip site in Sandy Bay, that there was no objection to the erection of such temporary site, but pointed out that the Board at present had no control over the beach reserve. Moreover the applicants should be informed that the Board contemplate erecting a slip of their own as soon as the graving dock works are sufficiently advanced to enable them to do so. The office accommodation committee reported that they had considered Mr H. Z. Nichols’ application to bo transferred to some lighter employment, and there being no suitable vacancy his request cannot be complied with. They have also intimated that it is absolutely necessary he should resume his duties us mate of the Heathcote, as the work cannot be carried on in his absence. In the matter of tho telephone arrangements the committee recommended that a cadet be employed at the Christchurch office on probation for throe months, then to commence at a salary of £4O per annum. In reference to the applications received for tho cadetship the one of Mr Hargreaves’ son had been accepted, and he would come on next Monday on approbation. The committee, tho chairman said, had seen Mr Stroufes, and arranged with him for the immediate completion of the plans for the Board’s new offices. The report of the committee also that of the harbor improvement committee were adopted, the chairman being authorised to give effect to them.

Mr Turpin reported on the work done by tho scoop dredge on the Minna Bell, that between the 10th and 28th fifteen loads of ninety tons each had been dredged and carried to Camp Bay, or to between Peacock’s Wharf.

In reference to the sinking of the ballast lighter William, the harbor master reported that from enquiries made he found that the accident was capped by overloading the ves; el. Messrs Cameron' Brothers were now at work having it removed’. The Chairman said from a conversation he had with the harbor master he was of opinion that the only way to prevent the owners of these lighters overloading would be to refuse to grant them licenses. Tho Chairman then introduced the business of the resolution of the Ashburton County Council. Ho thought that a reply should be sent to the Ashburton Council, and to that end he had prepared a resolution. Mr Cunningham thought that a reply should he sent, and unless some member moved that the discussion be adjourned, out of consideration to Dr.Turnbnll, he should move—“ That if it is found necessary to reconstruct the Lyttelton Harbor Board members think it reasonable that the Ashburton County Council should bo represented. ” Mr Turner did not think there was any intention to open up the subject again. If the constitution of the Board was to be altered he should go further than what was contemplated by the Ashburton County Council. The Board should be an elective one. He thought that all public bodies entrusted with- the disposal of public funds should be elective.

Mr Allwrigbt concurred with the previous speaker. Mr Harman agreed with the resolution offered by Mr Cunningham. He did not see, however, how it would be possible to do away with the Government nominations on the Board, considering the Board’s responsibilities to the Government. Until some necessity wore shown for an alteration to bo made in the construction of the Board, and strong facto brought out, he should oppose any change at present. He should second tho resolution.

Mr Allan suggested that not only Ashburton county should he named in the resolution, but 44 counties generally.” Mr Cunningham said he quite agreed that the counties generally should be represented, but they were asked only to express an opinion with reference to Ashburton.

Mr Craig had an amendment to offer. It they admitted Ashburton they must go further. All interests were represented at present on the Board; indeed the whole commerce of Canterbury Ho thought that not only Ashburton but all the inland towns are to an extent bound to leave themselves in harbor matters in the hands of those who are on the spot to attend to them. Ho should ho glad enough if Ashburton had tho pew rr to send a man to the Board, hut then it should be a town man, one who would be on the spot to take his share in the work of the Board. He thought it was most inadvisable to pass tho resolution offered by Mr Cunningham, and should strenuously oppose any change in the present constitution of the Board. He moved—- “ That it is undesirable at present to alter tho constitution of tho Lyttelton Harbor Board as ■defined by the Harbors’ Act, 1878.” Mr Allwrigbt seconded. He was opposed to any change at present. But when the great works now in progress by the Board were finished he trusted that the change would ho made, doing away with nominated members, and substituting nn entirely elective body. Mr Sawtell thought the opinion of tho Board should be given direct to the Ashburton Council in such language as would leave no uncertainty in the matter. Almost every stranger that came to Lyttelton would admit that the Board had more to show for the money it hod spent, and tho time it had boon in existence, in the way of improvement, to the port, than had been accomplished by any other body of the kind in the Southern

Hemisphere, and he saw no reason why a change should be made now. Mr Allan concurred with the views just expressed, and intimated his intention of supporting the amendment. Mr Turner said that the work done by the Board was rather complimentary to the members themselves than to the constitution under which the Board worked. The difficulty tho producers urged was that the Board, as constituted, was not sufficiently alive to their interests, and instanced the refusal to reduce tho wharfage charges and expenses, when, from tho statements published, it was shown that the Board had nominally some thousands of a surplus income. The moment they saw their way clear to make a change in the constitution they should do so, that tho principle of direct representation might be embodied in it. He was not opposed to the amendment offered, but thought Mr Cunningham’s resolution was better, in that it admitted the principle of direct representation. Mr Murray-Aynsley did not object to Mr Cunningham’s resolution, but he was opposed to any change being made at present. The Board had always worked well and in harmony, and they had just got a loan, and now if they went to the Legislature and asked them to change tho constitution there was no knowing what muddle tinkering at the constitution might end in. Tho agricultural interests, as well as the commercial, were represented through the Chamber of Commerce. The Government were represented by two members, and the town of Lyttelton had its representation. He was opposed to any alteration, and unless it were shown that some great hardship was being inflicted on any interest, he should not move for an amendment to the present constitution of the Board.

The Chairman held a strong opinion that it was most undesirable to alter the present construction of the Board. Great pains had been taken in both Houses at the time tbe constitution of the Board was obtained, and he should do his utmost to keep it as it stood. The letter from the Ashburtion County Council asked for a direct answer, and it was better that a plain answer be sent. A courteous letter would of course be sent to the Council conveying the reply that the Board decided upon.

The amendment was then put and carried. Accounts to the amount of £6962 12s lid were passed for payment. The seal of the Board was ordered to be affixed to the contract for the removal of the boat jetties at the reclamation. The master of the ship Ben Nevis wrote to the Board protesting against the enormous charge made by Mr Haydon of 3s per ton for lightering away his ballast, and asking the Board’s advice. The letter stated that Messrs Cameron charged but Is 6d per ton, but one of their lighters having sank were unable to do the work.

Several members of the Board expressed their disapproval of the charge made, and said it was a matter which should be thoroughly gone into. It was left with the harbor improvement committee.

A letter in reference to the time-ball tower was left with the office accommodation committee, and the Board adjourned, to meet on March 18th, in Christchurch, at 2 p.m.