DUNEDIN HARBOR BOARD.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 311, 12 February 1875, Page 3

DUNEDIN HARBOR BOARD.

PROCEEDINGS. Mr. Caboili, wished to know if the, Engineer hail so matured his plans as to' render it advisable to proceed at once with the construction of the dredge, and whether the Works Commit tee; ,were in possession of such information as made i( certain that they were getting tlitf most suitable kind of dredge constructed. He thottght that the Engineer's views as to the method of dredging which he proposed to adopt ought to be set forth in a special. report, to be laid before the Board. \ - • Mj\ Tkwstvx said that;the matter referred to by M?- Gargill- jfad- not beeq raised by the Works C<?minittep. The plans .of, the dredge were suggested by Mr. spoken to him on this subject, but he believed that Mr. Simpson haft.'det,ermined upon the course of dredging; to be performed.

Mr. Cabgill thought that-the Engineer should have brought up a report showing the purpose for which the dredge was to be constructed. It was a.dredge of enormous power, and intended to deliver the stuff at a height of 25ft, above the surface of the water. It appeared to him that the Works Committee should have full infor ' ation as to the purpose for which that dredge was being built. Mr. Beeves spoke against any interference with the head of the Engineering Department. After some further discussion, M.r. Beeves moved, "That the Works Com* raittee be empowered to accept the tender ot Messrs, Kincaid and M'Quetn for completing the dredge in conformity with the views of the Engineer, and after such modifications of their tender as may be caused through any alterations required by the Engineer." The motion having been seconded, Mr. Cahgill moved as an amendment, " That before accepting any 'tender for the new dredge, the Engineer be requested to furnish a short report of the system to be generally adopted in dredging the harbor; also, the method of using the dredge, and the disposing of the silt.

Captain M'Kinnon seconded the amendment, which, on being put, was declared carried by the casting vote of the Chairman, four having voted for it and four against it!

PUBLIC OPINIONS. (From the ' Otago Guardian.')

Having a desire to see the harbor rendered easy of access to vessels of largo tonnage, we have consistently pleaded the cause of the Board upon all occasions. We have been "to their virtues-Very kind, and to their faults a little blind." But there is a limit to all things ; and it is painfully obvious to us that in some recent proceedings the action of the Board |has been such as no amount of partiality" Icould possibly gloss over or excuse. We have no desire to assume tbe rdje of Cassandua, but the ideabegius dimly to dawn upon us- that possibly worse things than the utter abolition of the Dunedin Harbor Board might happen. The same paper.ot Tuesday last says : —" But what shall be said of the Harbor Board ? Will anyone outside the cirele dominated thereby avow 1 confidence therein P Men of business are the members—c'leyrr men each and. all of them in their individual capacities. Yet in their corporate capacity—and we say it with infinite regret—theymust be pronounced a failure. If either of them conducted his own affairs in tbe same loose and unbusinesslike manner, as that in which hois content to assist in misconducting the affairs of the Board, we very much fear that he would soon figure in . the Insolvency Cpuyt.. : Something this may perhaps be duu 'tb the,", heterogeneous composition of the Board ; something also to the imbecility by which its proceedings have been characterised from the outset." . ! (From the ' Dunedin Star.') | i With all deference to Mr. Cargill, this 13 the very height of extravagance. During the months required for survey, salaries and expenses are, going on. Then will come the Engineer's report, and by that time, if there be. an organised amateur engineering opposition to or advocacy of a harbor improvement scheme, there will be a party fight of perhaps months wore. A lji thafc time salaries and expenses will, bo going on. Then there will be. a party fight about the dredge, and a, splitting of straws about "whether it shall, at the cost of an extra two or three hundred pounds, be a comparatively useless or reallv efficient t001.... This will involve a further outlay in salaries and exSenses. Probably t he smaller outlay will e decided upon, under: the plea of economy, and .the execution of .the work protracted months or even years beyond what whs . necessary : and this will'add yet; more to. unprofitable outlay iu saidrjds and expends. • i •: : . •; • cobk KHPO'N (To ifm A'dlfo - of fJw ) ■■ !?!*,■ 7'iii- hi'flv is tfi»t' lii.vowijig lin. toi-ioiis, nor Chu expeef arrj tiling else from-such a heterogenous m'iusn, wh<» have'

no fixed principles. . . . • I quite agree" with you, sir, tl-ai either the Engineer'is unlit for his position, or the Board is Unfit to lie wi;b any authority. lam dispos-d lo favor, she I tter opinion. This is not their first nttempt. at and it cannot br otherwise, <v»nV!itu r ed as the is which should -;be wiped out- of existence at once, they having yli.iwn . themselves totally incapable j.iV iiar.'ry our Mini, which they undertook;''to"d«";'tut * if matter? It "is not* 'their Town' jnmiey >h.ey »re controlling,.and they-.know. (hnl ihey are not responsible to anyone tor their ar-t-ions.- Tam &e., - Obsj;RVT?H.' (2V> the Editor of the Or.voo G-tuitj>i.\v.) It would appear that the members of this Board have got their own hobby, unci some of them their own particular friend,either connected »y family ties or other wise, that he wishes thrust into office or to obtain some stray pickings. One can scarcely he astonished at. the peculiar do ings of this Board, seeing they have had no special training for the work that has tjeen thrust upon them,- aiid most, of tlie men comprising the Board are so en - grossed with their own business that they can afford little or no time to seriously consider what they are doinj*, and in a hurry they rush to a meeting, and apparently agree to all that their astute secretary advises, who. by the way, arrogates to himself no small -ninety .of- power," and who is, without doubt-, th 4 'Board/'

I have often asked myself how is.it thai thechairman and another gentleman high in office, both members of Ihe Board, dr. not attend the meetings of this wonderful combination of wisdom more often than they do? Can it bs —-which, I think, is very likely—that they are disgusted with the Board's proceedings ? I have no hesitation in stating that such a mixed class and.quality of men, who have no practical ideas whatever, are totally unfit to be left to themselves to spend puV'lie money. The' sooner such a body ceases to exisi. the-more rapidly will the work ; .of"''the Harbor be accomplished.—Yours, &0.,. - ■ Meecatou.