FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 499, 26 October 1909, Page 3

FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Foxton Harbour Board was held in the Council Chamber last night. Present : —Messrs G. H. Stiles (chairman), B. R. Gardener, J. A. Nash and W. T. Wood. Mr Moore the Board's solicitor was also in attendance.

Leave of absence was granted to Mr J. G. Wilson. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, and the action of members present at informal meetings was endorsed. Correspondence was read from Messrs Coley and Bock, asking that the lease ot mill sites held by Messrs Austin Bros., be transferred to them. —It was decided to hold this matter over until the next meeting, and in the meantime the Board’s solicitor be asked to furnish a report on the manner in which the leases must be offered for sale.

BJTbe Secretary reported the amount to credit at the Bank of New Zealand at £6B 14s qd. Since last report a further sum of £7, had been received on account of rents, making the total for Marine Reserve sections £3l xos and leaving outstanding £6 xos. The pilotages for October to date represent 1484 tons amounting to about ,£lB ns. The following list shows the pilotages each month : April 1834 tons, May 2123, June 1620, July 2567, August 3501, September 2354. Accounts amounting to 2s 8d were passed for payment.

Mr Nash asked what action was going to be taken in reference to Mr Tolley’s repeated absence from meetings. He had now missed four consecutive meetings and his seat was therefore vacant. Mr Wood said he did not think that the Feilding Borough Council was in sympathy with the Board at all. At a recent meeting they had told their representative that they did not expect him to attend the Board meetings unless there was very important business on the order paper. Mr Nash moved and Mr Wood seconded, that the Feilding Borough Council be informed that this is the fourth meeting from which Mr Tolley has been absent, and under the Act his seat is now vacant and ask them to either reappoint Mr Tolley or another representative, also pointing out that the Board has been put to considerable inconvenience through want of a quorum at meetings.— Carried.

It was decided on the motion of Mr Wood seconded by Mr Gardener, that applications be invited up to November 20th, for the position of pilot to the Board and that same be advertised in the Hkrai,d, Post and N-Z. Times. The Chairman, Solicitor, and Secretary were appointed to draft terms of appointment and conditions for pilot. It was decided that applications be invited for the position of secretary to the Board at a salary ot £25 per annum, such salary to cover all work in connection with the Board.

The question ot members travelling expenses was brought up by Mr Gardener. He said that according to the minutes of one of the informal meetings it was a recommendation to the Board that the different Councils should be asked to pay their representative’s travelling expenses. He must take exception to that. The Board should be in a position to pay the amount and he could not see why the Councils should be asked to pay the expenses. He thought it Was only a matter of lime and the Board would be over their present financial difficulties, perhaps after Mr Millar's visit on the 6th prox. Personally he said he would rather pay his own expenses himself than ask his Council to foot the bill. If the Council paid the expenses it would have to come out of unauthorised expenditure and that was cut fine enough at present.

Mr Wood considered that the Councils had enough to pay for at present without asking them to pay the Board members travelling expenses. If the Foxton Harbour Board has got to go round cap in hand and ask the Councils to pay travelling expenses it was time they “threw up the sponge,” but he knew that the Board was able to pay the amounts. He considered the time had arrived when at least part of their out-of-pocket expenses should be passed for payment. Mr Nash said that he was opposed to asking the different Councils to pay travelling expenses. He was prepared to pay his own expenses, but why should members be asked to do that. He asked, if the different Councils paid their representatives’ expenses, who would pay Mr Wood’s ? This was a legally constituted Board, and members’ travelling expenses had to be paid. The Chairman said that he agreed with the members that it was certainly not fair that members should pay their own expenses. He moved that members be asked to furnish particulars of their expenses and that a cheque be immediately posted to them for the amount. The motion was carried.

The Board rose at 9.50 p.m.

EXPLANATION FROM MR TOLLEY.

Mr G. H. Stiles,, Chairman Foxton Harbour Board received a letter from Mr H. Tolley, Feilding representative on the Board apologising for his absence at .last night’s meeting. The letter only reached Mr Stiles to-day, but was apparently meant to be read at last night’s meeting. Mr Tolley

explained bis reasons for non attendance at previous met l ings He writes “ I notice that at las meeting it was thought that j should resign. I mentioned thi; at our Council meeting and offeree to resign in favour of any membei who could attend the meetings regularly, but they all declined, This is not because „we are no! interested in the Foxton harbour, but owing to unsatisfactory train arrangements.” Mr Tolley says that it would take the best part of two days to attend a meeting and is of opinion that routine work, such as signing leases and dealing with the pilot are matters that can he attended to by a local management committee. Touching the visit of the Hon, Mr Millar, Mr, Tolley thought that this was important and added ” I have the strong support of my Council in saying that we consider the wharves should be handed over to the Board. In fact I think until this is done the Board can only mark time and if the Minister will not accept or make some proposal to that end I think the Board should resign.” He suggested Palmerston as a more central and convenient place in which to hold meetings of the Board.