LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2215, 1 April 1881, Page 3

LYTTELTON HARBOR BOARD.

A meeting of the Ly ttelton Harbor Board was held yesterday at Lyttelton, when there wore present —Tho Hon. B. Richardson, chairman, and Messrs R. J. S. Harman, H. P. MurrayAynsley, C. W. Turner, P. Cunningham, Sawtell, Allan, E. G. Wright, H. Allwright, and Hon. J. T. Peaoook.

Tho Chairman made tho following statement:—The following 'sums have been paid in to the credit of the Harbor Board since our last ordinary meeting :—Wharfage, £1766 18s 5d ; towage and warps, £320 2s lOd ; draft on National Bank of New Zealand, £49 2s 2d ; £2122 8s sd. The amount to the credit of the Board at the Bank to-day is £4524 13s 4d. Tho dredging and towage returns this month cannot be laid on the table to-day, but I am informed that the return will show the highest yet done by the dredge. The engineer’s monthly report for March will be read, Mr Turpin reports on the Westport coal which has been used on board the dredge and barges during tho past month, and the result, which is moat favorable, will, I am sure, |be heard with great satisfaction, showing as it does, that for our purposes it is quite equal to beat Newcastle coal. Mr Boulton, at the Premier’s request, called at the Christchurch office a few days ago and conferred with me on tho subject of the proposed stock jetty at Quail Island. He stated he would write, stating specially his requirements, and I promised that immediately ho did so, our engineer should furnish plan and estimate of the cost as desired by Mr Hall. The Assessment Court held its adjourned sitting qa the question of the Harbor Board’s liability or otherwise to pay borough rates, and the Court gave judgment in favor of the Board. I may mention that Mr J. D. a member of the Borough Council bathing site committee, called on me a few days ago as to whether the Board would be likely to consent io a bathing shed and stage on totsra piles, being erected on the outer side of tho Gladstone breakwater. I stated that I did not think the Board would raise any objection, but that I did not believe any ordinary structure would stand there, owing to the heavy sea it would be subjected to; and further, that I thought that a small bathing ship might be placed somewhere inside the breakwater which would answer all requirements, and that it was probable the Board would content to such an arrangement. I may also say that Mr A. Shaw called shortly after our last meeting and stated it was still his intention to send in application for a bathing shed site in Sandy Bay to the west of Naval Point, but that he had been as yet too busy to make the necessary plans, &3. A letter will be read from the Marine Department declining to act on the Board’s suggestions to erect beacons as recommended by their Harbor-master at the Long Look-out Point where the Clematis was but very recently wrecked. The reasons given by our Harbor-moster in his report of the 25th February for placing beacons there certainly appear to me far better than those given in Mr ;M‘Kellar’s letter of why it is not considered advisable to erect them there. When the Penguin was delayed en route to take on the; San Fnncisco mail, tho Government telegraphed asking urgently for the services of our steamer to take tho mails to Wellington. Fortunately our tug’s services were not required, as the Stella was intercepted on her way north. The correspondence is on the table. Reports from the Harbor Improvement Committee and the Finance committee respectively '• ill be brought up to-day. I lay on the table a return of the attendances of members at meetings of this Board during the past four years, and the travelling expenses, if any, drawn by each.

Mr O. N. Bell, engineer, reported on the Board’s works, and submitted a plan for tip waggons to discharge ballast and rubbish from ships to hold about four tons each, and estimated cost will bo about £33,

A resolution had previously been passed by the Board that a number of tip waggons should be purchased. The following report re Westport coal was read;

C. H. Williams, Esq , Secretary Harbor Board. —Sir, I have the honor to inform you that Westport coal has been used throughout this month on hoard the dredge and barges. It has given every satisfaction, and is quite equal to Newcastle coal for use on these vessels. The consumption is as near as possible the same as that of Newcastle, in fact if there is any difference it is in favor of the Westport. This coal steams well, and is clean, making less of clinker and ashes than Newcastle. It dots not affect the fire bars any more than Newcastle. Its worst feature is that there is a great deal of smoke. I have also used it for smithing purposes, and find it answers very well. It has also been used in the tug with good results.—l have, &c., H. Turpin.

The harbour improvement committee reported : 1. Dredge staff —Yoar committee recommend the Board to confirm the suspension of Alexander Gollan, carpenter on the dredge, and to dispense with his services, his wages to bo paid up to the stb March, 1881. Also recommend that Joseph Page bo appointed carpenter in the place of Alexander Gollan at a salary of .£l2 per month, Pago’s permanent appointment to date from Ist May if in the meantime he is found to suit. '1 hat James Wyman be appointed deck hand on board the dredge at J3lO per month in the place of S. Griffith, resigned. _ That J. Knowles’ (striker in the dredge smithy) wages bo increased from .£G to £8 per month. 2. He timeball keopers’ residence —That the committee see no objection to an arrangement being made whereby the signalman should pay rent to the Board for the rooms in the timeball building now occupied by him, the rent not to exceed £2O per annum, and an additional sum of .£2O per annum bo allowed to the timeball-koeper. 3. He Mr Turpin’s report on overhaul dredge and barges—Your committee recommend that a spare engine shaft wheel be ordered here forthwith, as recommendedhy Mr Turpin. Also that a new set of chains for liftirg the hopper barge doors bo ordered at once, subject to the superintending engineer ascertaining that suitable chain is procurable here, if not, that it bo ordered from elsewhere. Your committee have postponed the question relating to the boilers and plates for the present. Mr Turpin to furnish further information on the subject in the meantime. 4. Tide Gauge Your committee reeomraend the erection of one of the tide gauges in a position on the breastwork near the Screw Pile Jetty, ns arranged between the harbor master and the engineer, at a cost not to exceed .£l2 10s. 5. Screw Moorings—That the screw mooring abreast No. 2

intermediate jetty bo at once removed, as it is now in the way of the shipping. 6. SlipQuestion postponed until plana are 7. Timber breastwork (120 feet) to the west of Peacock’s Wharf also postponed. 8. Sheds on Breastwork—The committee recommend the Board to make an offer to the Government to bnild sheds 580 feet in length, by not loss than 60 feet, providing the Government pay the Board a rental for the same at the rate of 82C00 a year. This sum only covering interest and depreciation upon the actual and proposed expenditure of the Board in this case.—Ed. Richardson, Chairman. The report was considered clause by clause on the motion of Mr Harman, seconded by Mr Allwright.

Mr All wright was of opinion that the man Alexander Gollan should be paid up to date, or rather to the time when he would bo discharged. The Chairman explained the circumstances, and the clause was agreed to. Mr Allwright, on clause 2, objected to the time-ball tower being let by the keeper or by anybody else as the property of the Board. He would prefer to see some captain in the position of keeper, or someone who did not object to occupy the tower. If the present keeper did not care to live in the place, and chose to leave it, he should not claim any rent for the tower.

Mr Peacock supported that view. Mr Harman explained that the agreement was £SO per year with the keeper with a house provided, and the keeper finding it inconvenient to live there, now asked for permission to let the place to one of the Board's employes. In reply to Mr Wright, the Chairman said that he had been told by the time-ball keeper not long ago that the largest number of chronometers he had rated in any year was forty.

Mr Turner spoke of the advantage to the port it was to have a man in the place like Mr Joyce, so careful in rating chronometers. Mr H. P. Murray-Aynsley thought also that the work of rating the chronometers was quite distinct or separate to the keeper’s duty us timeball-keeper. The clause was put and carried, Mr Allwright voting “ No,” and remarking that he was totally opposed to any increase of £2O to the keeper’s salary. Mr Wright also remarked that had he been aware that the keeper made an incidental revenue from rating chronometers he would not have agreed to this clause in the report. Clauses 3,4, 5,6, 7, were agreed to. In respect to clause 8, Mr Wright remarked that the rental stated therein was a charge of something under 7 per cent, on the outlay, Mr Turner asked whether the passing of tho clause would bind the Board to go on with the work, and the Chairman replied that the clause was simply an offer the Board were making to tho Government, acting upon a suggestion of the Minister of Public Works, to make an offer at the actual cost price to tho Board.

The clause was then agreed to. Tho Finance Committee reported —Be National Bank of Now Zealand Loan to Messrs J. J. and A. Scrimgeonr. Your committee recommend the Board before moving in this matter, that counsel’s further opinion be taken. 2. The treasurer having reported that the sum of 810,000, three months fixed deposits, which mature on Ist April, 1881, is required for current expenditure, the committee recommend that this snm bo placed to the Board’s current account. 3. In tho matter of outstanding accounts against contractors, law costs in preparing contracts, the treasurer be authorised to arrange a settlement of the same. 4. Your committee will arrange a rota for the examination of monthly accounts. 5. Your committee having gone fully into the question of wharfage on graving dock material, cannot recommend tho Board to waive their charges, and that the treasurer he instructed to inform the contractors to that effect, and to request payment of wharfage dues now outstanding from them. 6. The committee postponed the question of harbour charges for further consideration, purposing to bring up a report within a month. —E. Richardson, Chairman Finance Committee.

The report was adopted. Accounts amounting to £8546 12s Id were passed for payment. A letter from Mr Strouts, the architect for the Board’s offices, was read, in which it was urged that tho money in the Board’s hands belonging to the contractors for the building should not be paid until they had repainted the place, and done some other work. The letter was referred to the harbor improvement committee, with power to act. Mr P. Cunningham spoke of the heavy charge which the ship Grecian was put to in discharging her ballast, brought from Capetown, namely, 4s 3d per ton. The Chairman explained that there would be no such expense were the ballast of an ordinary character —sand or stone. It was clay, and had to be deposited on the Board’s reclamation, reserved for a deposit ground, or taken outside the heads.

Mr Allwright made a remark about the lightermen being allowed to take it to Camp Bay. The Chairman said that one of the ballastmen had spoken to him about that, naming it as probable an application would be sent in for permission to deposit there, and supplying a substantial bond. Up to the present permission bad been refused. The question was referred to the harbor improvement committee. In compliance with a request made at the preceding meeting, The Board adjourned, to meet on April 28th in Christchurch, at 2 p.m.