FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1245, 14 May 1914, Page 3

FOXTON HARBOUR BOARD.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Foxton Harbour Board was held in Palmerston North on Thursday afternoon. Present: Messrs P. J. Hennessy (chairman), B. R, Gardener, E. R. B. Holben, J. A. Nash, F. E. Jenks, and W. Clapham.

The Chairman extended to Mr Holben congratulations on being appointed Government representative on the Board- Mr Holben suitably responded.

The balance-sheet for December 31st, 1913, was read and received. It showed that the general receipts for the year totalled ,£1,106 15s id, and the expenditure £564 5s 2d, this left a credit balance in the general account of £542 9s 1 id. The credit balance carried forward from last year was ,£465 8s 3d. Pilotage fees amounted to ,£313 14s gd, river lighting £Bl 10s, sundry rents £236 12s id, sundry receipts £9 10s. The treasurer reported the amount to credit at bank of New Zealand at £622 3s nd. The general receipts since last meeting totalled ,£390 8s gd, made up of pilotages £ll9 13s 3d, river lighting £33 1 os, rents £163, license £l, contributions to road £35 12s 6d, contributions to jetty fund ,£34 Bs, rent of phone £3 ss. The expenditure totalled .£389 18s 6d, made up of harbourmaster and assistant £9l 16s 2d, benzine, kerosene and upkeep of station .£2B 18s id, advertising £5 3s 6d, secretary ,£25, Borough Council £l2 10s, office rent ,£8 13s 4d, accident insurance £3 14s, members travelling expenses £lO 13s id, rent of phone £6 10s, telephone extension £53343, bank fee and cheque books 10s, jetty and extension £l9l 7s and contractor’s deposit £2. The cost of the jetty and extension was £l9l 7s. The amount received from subscribers was £134 8s and the balance £56 19s was paid by the Board. The contract price was £l5O 9s and the extension cost £32 Bs, overseer £6 and piles £2 1 os, making a total of £l9l 7s. The Chairman’s report (already published) was taken as read. The question of the lease of sections at the Heads by individual persons was raised by Mr Holben. He called the attention of the Board to the fact that in many cases the conditions of the leases were not being fulfilled. It was set out in the leases that the sections had to be built upon within 12 months and he was of the opinion that several leaseholders were holding the sections for speculative purposes only. He thought the conditions should be enforced. Members of the Board concurred with Mr Holben and it was decided to inform leaseholders that unless building conditions were complied with within 3 months their leases would be forfeited. The following transfers ot sections were approved : Gibbs to Linklater, Langley to Woodroofe and Gardes to Buchanan.

In reference to the application of the Methodist Church Trustees for relief. It was decided that the chairman ask the solicitor’s opinion as to cancellation etc.

Mr Buchanan applied for permission to erect a verandah to his residence, which would encroach on the road about two feet at one end and lour feet at the other and would do so at his own risk. On a show of hands being taken it was ruled that the application could not be granted. The harbourmaster reported on April 30th that the bar was in a very bad state and had been so lor the past two months. There was only a depth of 9ft at high water springs and 61t at high water neaps. Vessels bad only been able to work the port on spring tides and then only on a very light draft. The bar was one long flat with deep water inside and out and with a narrow channel running down along side of the south spit, making it very bad for vessels working the bar with any sea. Twice last month the Queen of the South was entering inwards and got stuck on the spit inside the bar. The river was very bad at the fishermen’s and at Robinson’s bends up to the end of April. One or two small floods had scoured the channel and the river was fairly good right from the bar to the wharf.