HARBOR BOARD.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1346, 23 August 1883, Page 2

HARBOR BOARD.

Tr« usual meeting of the Harbor Board took place in the Council Chambers on Tuesday night. Present—His Worship (E. K. Brown) in the chair, and Members Townley, Chrfap, Lewis, Tutchen, Whinray, Hepburn, Smith, and Tucker. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The correspondence was then read. Outgoing Correspondence. Telegrams to Town Clerk of Napier, and to the Secretary of the Auckland Harbor Board re contract for new wharf. Incoming Correspondence. Telegrams and letter from Mr Bower, Town Clerk, Napier, re Waionegaruawai Block, as follows :— Napier, 15th August, 1883. My dear Sir,—As you are awa.e from my telegrams Mr Locke and myself went to the Registry Office re the Waionegaruawai block. Since then I have enquired more fullv into the matter, and I thinx vou will find on looking at the Gisborne Land Act, 1870, and the Gazette notices which follow it that the ownership down to the river vests in the Queen. It appears that Read conveyed to the Queen the whole of the block bounded by the river, and there is no deed in existence reconveying this said land to Read. The portions which have since been sold under the Land Transfer Act are all bounded hy the road—not the river. However, the whole thing after all rests, I imagine, on the fact that no one can show a title to the land forming the rjad which is bounded by the river except the Queen — See Gisborne Lind Act, 1876, Gazette Noti- es, September of October, 1870, and the I‘. B Grants Amendment Act. 1871, and I think thev will give you all the informa* tion you require. Believe me, Ac., J. Bowen. To the Secretary Harbor Board, Gisborne.

Telegram from Mr McDonald as follows : “ Government have refused to allow me to introduce the Harbor Board Bill ; also have refused the Wairoa Bill.” Member Lewis moved and Member Whinray seconded that the Secretary be instructed to convey the thanks of the Board to Mr Bowen for the trouble he had taken in the matter, and for his courtesy ; also to acknowledge Mr McDonald’s telegrams.— Carried. Petitions. Member Lewis in presenting a petition from the ratepayers against the import tariff of Id per gallon on all imported malt liquors, and praying that the same be reduced as it was out of all proportion with the tariffi in force at other places, and most excessive when compared with other merdise, said that be had much pleasure in presenting this petition, and did so with the utmost confidence that the Board would give the matter the attention which it deserved The petition was signed by a number of those who were m-*st interested in the question. There could be little doubt but what the import was very high. Four and sixpence for each hogshead was most excessive, and he trusted the Board would see fit to reduce the tariff to at least 4d per gallon. He had strongly opposed the Id before. The Chairman, whilst agreeing with Member Lewis as to the per gallon, thought it would be very foolish to hack up the arranged tariff. The question had be«n fully argued before, and he hoped that the tariff would not be altered. Member Tutchen said he cordially agreed with Member Lewis. Unfortunately he had been unavoidably absent when the tariff was framed, or else he should have strongly opposed Id per gallon. The Chairman said that Member Tutchen should he the last to find fault with the work of others when he was absent. He (Member Tutchen) certainly should not be the first to condemn the tariff. Memh»»r Townley said that he could not agr**e with the Chairman as t*« hack-ng the tariff up Whut w*s the purpose of ad ver-ti-imz the bv-laws if it was n 4. to give the public an opportunity of objecting to them. He thought it. but rixht that the petition, w'*i*’h wit* a most, proper one, sboul I be considered. It anpear 4 t'>at an error had been commit’ed in t'ds case, and the best thing they cnul'l do was to rectify it There was nn reason in the world why they should not do so The object, on had ’ een made at a nroncr time, and he thought, the Hoard were justified in c *nsidering it. The public were perfa'-t'y justified in •• aking this objection if thev thou/ht fl’. Member Hepburn, concurred with the last speaker, and said that though he had vo-ed on the previous occasion for the Id he did so under a misapprehension He should now vote that i’ be reduc’d to Pavmfnth I*ah*RD. WharflngTH fortnightly s dary £5 ss. H'XTKAORnTNAKY Bu-INEHM. At the suggestion of the Fin-ncia Committee. C3OO was paid over t 0 t new wharf account. Engtvrer’-i Not or Memh-’r Heohurn w-nl-ed to know what the intention of the Harbor Board was with respe ♦ to th- orcsent. engi- eer The question seemed *o hu e been overlooked. H* would mov that, the Boil’d give the engineer a month’s n-*t re, and that he he informed that, his serviecs he no lon/er requ red after that period. Member Whinray seconded t e mo ion, which was earned Clrrk of the Works. Member Tutchen moved and Member Whinray seconded, that the Board rail for applica’ions fnr the appointment of Cle**k of the Works. The new wharves would soon he enmm-nced and they would require a compe’ent person to he always on the spot to ere the w -rk properly carried out. Memb r Chrisp said that, sg l e had a motion on the pap r re t e appointment of a new engineer, which would co ne on for diec s*i m n-xt week at th** Borough Council meeting he hoped the present ques ion would he al’owe I to stand over. M mber Hepburn thought it verv neceasary that a competent Clerk of t’ie Works be appointed Member Lewis agreed with memh-’r T«itphen. He thought it very necessary that a clerk should bo appointed to superintend the w «rka The’’hai*mnn also thought it very necessarv that a competent inan should be employed in the rapacity above alluded to. On the motion being put it was carried. Mh Bower’s Letter. The letter of Mr Bower. Town Clerk Napier, re the Waionegaruawai Block, was then c msi fared. Member Whinny moved, and Member Tutchen seconded, that the Secr-tary be instructed to make further inquiry to the Crown Gran’s Office, Well ngton, to see whether any deed be in existence there re the above block, dated April 25th, 1871. A long desultory conversation ensued upon this quest ion (which is the Common, Shelton, claim), during which Member Chrisp insisted that a deed existed—or rather had existed—nn w -ich Common Shelton & Co., based their claim, as he had seen the copy of it. The I original deed he said had been burnt. Member Townlev said ’he Board must undoubtedly take it. for granted that no deed I real I v ex sl ed. The Government had si- [ lively asserted lhat there was none. He t ought the Board should urge -trongly | on the Government the necessity for for-

warding the Harbor Board grants as quickly u possible. He thought Mr M’Donald should be asked to move in the matter. He appeared to be wanting something to do. They had never had a proper opportunity of bringing the wants of the aietriet fully before our member, and this was a good opportunity to give him some thing he could do. He then moved, and Member Chrisp seennded, that Mr M'Donald be invited to urge the Government in this matter. —Carried. By-Laws. y On the question of adopting the revised bylaws and tariffs. Member Lewie moved, and Member Tut* ohen so onded, that the tariff on mslt liquors be reduced to sd. Member Tucker moved as an amendment that the same remain at Id. There were two Krewriee in the place, and if people wanted the luxury of Dunedin, British, or other alee let them pay for it. He should ►trongly opPoss the pr<>p<>srd alteration. T e Chairman seconded the above amendment. Member Townley said they were not there to enforce protective duties. They had no business whatever lo tax the tastes of the community. It was no part of their duty to )>l»ce any restraint upon the public’s wishes. All they had to do in the mdter was to provide a fair charge on the article so as to meet the exfienses of the wharf. He should like to know why beer s -ould be charged more for than any hing else. He certainly thought the prop >sed charge too high. Member Chrisp said he would support the reduction as it had been shown to be out of proportion to other things. .Member Lewis could not see the sense or force of Member Tucker's argument. The amendment whs then put and lost, only th re* voting for it. Member Le*is motion was then put and carried. . Member Townley k then moved and Member Smith seconded, that, the tariff be, aa before, la 6d per cask. He tnoug>*t they had no bueineM to pry into the contents of a cask of beer any more than anything else. On the motion being put it was lost. Member Chrisp mov**d, and Member Lewis seconded, the adoption of the amended bylaws.— Cwrried. The new scale of tariff will come in force on the 2nd September. The Harbor Board then resolved itself into a special meeting of t’*e Borough Council.