TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7063, 8 February 1893, Page 3

TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

A special end ordinary meeting of the Timara Harbour Board was held at their offices this morning: Present : Mr B. Acton (chairman), Messrs Gibson, Morris, Talbot, Manchester, Teschemaker, Stumbles,, and Hill. " In reply to Mr Manchester the secretary said that the chairman (Mr Acton), Mr Morris, and Mr Gibson were the members of committee present.(out of seven), when the recommendation was made setting aside the funds to meet payments on account of the sew dredge. The recommendation bad come before the Board .in the usual coarse and been adopted. COBEBSPONDENCB. Letters were read 1 as follows From the manager of tbe Bank of sew Zealand, advising that £6OOO bad been remitted by draft to their London office. Prom the same, advising that tbe sum of * £5644 18s 2d had been crleditedto the Board’s current account, ■ ■ - From Messrs Sielbe, Gorman and Co., acknowledging the Beard’s order, and elating that they would arrange for a through freight to Timaru. . , From the Belfast Hope works, Iceland, stating that the goods ordered by the Board vrould .be shipped from London by the first opportunity. From Messrs McQueen and Co, offering to supply the Board with two sheave castings, IQia hr 4|io tor tbp sum of #3162.

f , HABBOUEM iSTEE’S BE7OBT i Captain Clarkson reported the arrival of * 14 steamers and five sailing vessels of an i aggregate registered tonnage of 11,438 tone, and the departure of 14 steamers and six , sailing vessels of a total tonnage of 9857 tons for the month ending January 81st. The weather bad been generally fine. The usual soundings had been taken, and the results could be seen from the book on the table. Between Saturday night (the 28th Jan ) and the following Monday several bags of coal which were lying oh the blocks at the approach of the main wharf and some'timber from the Moody (the property of the Board) were thrown into the harbour by some person or persons unknown ; also at different times the mooring chains have been thrown overboard. The harbourmaster suggested that a reward be offered for the discovery of the offender or offenders. Members quite agreed to the last named suggestion by the harbourmaster. Mr Gibson according moved, Mr Morris seconded, and it was carried:—“That the secretary offer a reward of £5 for such information as will lead to a conviction of any person or persons causing damage to any of the Board’s property.” A printed notice is also to be erected in a suitable place. THB TXJQ- DSEDGK, Mr John Darling wrote under date, Glasgow, 23 December, 1893, as follows :—“ I received your cablegram to ac-ept Lohnitz’s offer for the building and delivery of your dredge at Timaru. As I knew this firm had quite recently booked a “couple of steamers I called upon them to see how wo stood regarding our altered project for early delivery and after doing the best 1 could in this direction I accepted their offer subject to my approval of plans and specifications and after getting these into such a shape that I could make sure of my ground, I cabled yon that delivery would be made at Timaru in October next. This I think you may rely upon as the builders are very prompt people, and as the vessel will be steamed all the way I look for the passage out being made in much better time than what is looked for from Hie ordinary hopper dredges. By this mail I am sending you , plaits, specifications, and contract, all duly : signed. As the details and specifications are not so fully described as you might look for, I made it a point in the conditions that everything must be to my satisfaction whether mentioned in the specifications or not. You 1 must, therefore, hang me if things are not up * to the mark, but as I know we are in good j hands I feel sure you will get a cheap and ’ successful dredger.” J The plans, etc., were inspected by the 8 members, and all retspapera interested should { make a point of seeing them also. 1

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report was read as follows •'— THH SHINSXiB ACCtTMUI AXION. “ The Board have continued to giro the fullest consideration to the question as to the best means to be adopted to give practical effect to the recommendations of the several Commissioners appointed by the Board to report on the shingle . accumulation. The principle of the mechanical removal of the,shingle having been affirmed by the Board, the engineer, at the January meeting, was instructed to report as to the most suitable plant to be obtained. At the meeting of the Board on 23rd February, Mr Marchant sub* mitted alternative proposals • No, I.—To obtain a steam hopper barge, of 150 tons capacity, having no dredging machinery of any kind on board, to bo used simply to receive the shingle raised by the Priestman crane working from the breakwater. No. 2.—To obtain a barge of 150 tons capacity, to be used as in No. 1 proposal, but fitted with a powerful sand pump, so that when not employed in shingle shifting the vessel might be set to do ordinary dredging work. No, B. To obtain a steam hopper barge of 250 tons capacity, to be fitted with Priestman crane and powerful sand pump,to be used for shingle carrying, dredging and towing work. Proposal No 3 was the one recommended by Mr Marchant, and with sundry modifies lions, including the addition of a second dredging crane, finally adopted by the Board. Plans and specifications were prepared, and in order to satisfy the Board as to the suit ability of the proposed plant especially with a view to her undertaking towage, these were submitted to Captain Ticehurst, Lloyd’s Surveyor for Canterbury, and also to Captain Cameron, and Mr John Cook, the Ship’s Husband and Superintending Engineer of the Union Steamship Company respectively. Their reports being entirely satisfactory, the Board on 17th August decided to invite tenders in the Colony and also at Homo through Mr John Darling of Glasgow, the question of her suitability and capability for the work required being submitted to Mr Darling at the same time. After conference with the scientific stnff of Messrs Denny Bros., Mr Darling recommended an addition to the length and beam of the dredge. These alterations were adopted by the Board and on the advice of their solicitors fresh tenders were invited. Tenders were considered by the Board at a special mooting held on 7th December, and that of Lobnitz and Co. of Renfrew, vis, £15,550 for the delivery of the dredge at Timaru by the 81st October, 1893, was accepted. The following are the dimensions of the dredge: - length, 145 feet ; beam, 30 feet; depth moulded, IS feet; her nominal horse-power will be the same as the Mana’s, viz, 90, she will be provided with twin screws, towing gear, electric light, compound surface condensing engines, and all the latest improvements, and should prove a very powerful and effective plant. The Board have sot aside the following funds to meet the payments on account of the dredge : Amount remitted to Board’s credit in London, £3SCO ; balance to credit of general account on 31st December 1892, £1839 2s 3d ; balance to credit of harbour works account on 81st December 1892, £738 16s 6d ; balance to credit of 1886 loan account on 31st December, £6062 Is lid ; balance to credit of p.s. Mana renewal fund as on 12tb March next, £8870; | total, £16,010 Os Bd. I

“ At the April meeting of tbe Board, a petition signed by 194 ratepayers of tbe Geraldine district, objecting to any further expenditure on plant or the removal of shingle from tbe south side of tbe breakwater until after tbe election of the new Board in February of this year was received. Mr Flatman moved at the following meeting that tbe prayer of the petitioners be granted. The motion was lost by 7 votes to 4, the majority holding that tbe Board having proceeded with tbe greatest deliberation, and having taken the best advice obtainable, no other course was open to them than to act upon the advice received ; more especially as in tbeir opinion the need for action was urgent, and looked at from any point of view, the proposed expenditure would be advantageous ; for whereas the maintenance of the present lug and dredge is actually costing the ratepayers for working expenses, interest on cost, depreciation, with a small allowance for insurance, quite £SOOO per annum, by combining the services, it is estimated that tbe proposed plant can cope with the shingle difficulty, overtake the towing work of the port, and do doable the dredging performed by the Tsniwba, at a total cost certainly pot exceeding what is now paid for dredging and towing work only. Besides all this the Board hold that it is exceedingly desirable that it should be able to show that with its plant it is in a position to deal satisfactorily with tbe shingle and sand accumulations so that in tbe event of the trade of the port at some future date warranting an extension of the works, the Board may approach the money market with some confidence. Bearing in mind that at the present rate of accumulation not more than eighteen months can elapse before the foot of tbe shingle bank reaches the curve of the breakwater, the time fixed for tbe delivery of the new plant, viz., October of this year, cannot for one moment bo considered too soon, nor can tbe Board befairly accused

of using unnecessary haste. The Board are now in treaty for the disposal cf the Mane, delivery to be given in December eftbii year, Should the present negotiations fall 'hrough, the Board do not anticipate any difficulty in effecting a sale, as the boat has proved herself to be powerful, fast, and satisfactory in every respect, and is without doubt one of the best tugs in the colonies. HABBOTTB DEPABTMEBT. ‘ On the 9th March the s.s. Elginshire on her voyage to this Port from Oamaru, to load frozen moat, ran ashore in a fog at Nonnanby, five miles south of Timaru, The best efforts of the Board were directed to assisting the muster to refloat the steamer, but were without avail, and she now lies dismantled, bard and fast on the reef where she struck, there not being sufficient water to float her, “ The Board having decided to license a second pilot for the port, requested Mr B. H. Balaom to present himself for examination. The Board of Examiners certified to his fitness, and the license has been duly issued. “ The dredge Taniwha has been kept very fully employed at maintaining the water in the shipping bertha. The result of her year s work has been 31,565 tons of silt, 10 880 tons of shingle, and 628 tons of stone lifted and removed. It is apparent, however, that she cannot cope with the annual accumulation, the utmost that she has boon able to do is to maintain and somewhat improve the shipping berths. Over the harbour generally, since the time that Captain Woollcotube’s and Sir John Ooode’s soundings were taken, there has been a shoaling of three feet, and in view of the continually increasing size of vessels visiting the port, it is quite time that steps were taken to deal with the matted. lOBBBHOEB. " The B jard have granted a renewal of lease (o the Timaru Rowing Club, to include also a small extension of site. “ The right to erect protective works on the foreshore between the railway and the sea north of the Breakwater, having been conceded by the Board to the Government, the certificate of title has been issued.. The questions in dispute with the railway, in reference to the Board’s rights in the matter of the foreshore eouth of the breakwater, still remain unsettled, and are in the hands of the Board’s solicitors.

TEADE f.HD BINAHCB.

*' The result of tho year’s working has, on the whole, been fairly satisfactory ; although the exceptionally wet harvest of 1892, the temporary falling off in tho local export of frozen mutton, together with the heavy duties imposed on New Zealand produce in the New South Wales market, has had a generally depressing effect upon the export tiado- The total tonnage of goods landed and shipped during the past five years is as follows : Tons.

the year have been £7,289, 9s 8d as against; £7,869, 4s lOd for 1891. Beyond the cost of the towage and dredging services, salaries, wages, and cost of hawsers, etc., the amount includes an expenditure of £179 7s 4d, on comnleting the alterations to the slipway, £156 16s 9d for putting down two screw moorings, £54 5s 4d balance cost of three months (rial of shingle removal plant, and £439 lOi 2d spent in ' repairs to the breakwater and wharves.

In sddision to the revenue for the year as stated above, a sum of £1,342 5s 6d, being balance of law costs recovered in the action with the Shaw, Savill and Albion 00., has been received. This is the final settlement of this long protracted case. « The amount levied as harbour rate for 1892 was £4557 13s 7d, equal to3-16th of a penny in the pound, asimilar amount will be sufficient for all requirements during the current year. It is satisfactory to note that the quotations for the Board’s 5 per cent debentures, which, on the 31st December, 1891, stood at 94 to 96 ; on 28th June, 1892, at 91 to 93 ; on 30th September, at 89 to 91 ; on 6th December last stood nt 96 to 98. There has been nothing transpiring locally as far as this Board is aware to account for the fluctuations, and if the character of the security was understood in London, there is little doubt that very much higher values would rule. ExiWABD Acton, Chairman.”

A summary of receipts and expenditure from January 1877 to 31st December 1898 ; also an estimate of revenue aud expenditure for the year 1893 ; a comparative statement of the gross cash revenue fcr ten years up to 1892; a return of imports and exports j a statement of ordinary revenue and expenditure for the years 1889 92 ; a statement of contracts entered into during the year 1892 ; a return of vessels loaded at this port and. despatched for the United Kingdom for the year 1892 ; the customs returns for years 1879 92 i values of imports and exports (foreign and intercolonial) and shipping inwards and outwards, were attached to the above report. After they bad been inspected by the members, the report, balance sheet, etc., were unanimously adopted on the motion of Mr Tesohemaker. VOTE OF THANKS. Mr J. S. Gibson moved, and Mr George Stumbles seconded :—“ That a cordial vote of thanks be tendered the chairman for the courteous and able manner in which he has carried out the duties of his office during the term of the present Board ” Mr Gibson said that seeing the Board were now going out of office, he thought this an appropriate time to propose such a vote to their chairman. He referred briefly to the important questions the Board had had before them during the past year, and said that he was quite sure that they would all agree with him when he stated that Mr Acton as chairman had been absolutely fair and impartial to all parties. Mr Gibson also spoke of Mr Acton’s special qualifications for the position of their chairman, and of the amount of valuable time be had given to the duties of the Board. In closing he expressed the hope that, no matter who went out at the present election, Mr Acton would be returned and elected to the post he was so much fitted for. Mr Stumbles had pleasure in seconding the motion. He admitted that they had been at logger heads over one or two things, but no member was more willing than he was to bear testimony to Mr Acton’s qualifications for the position of their chairman. The vote was most cordially supported by Messrs Tesohemaker, Talbot, Manchester, and Morris; and Mr Aoton made a feeling reply. He was very pleased with the remarks members bad made. Of course he bad had his own views on particular matters, and ho had felt strongly on them j but he bad endeavoured, as theirlcbairman, to sink these feelings as much as possible, and in dealing with Board matters to be fair and just to all parties. The meeting closed at 12.10 p.m.

1888 74.617 1889 ... 79,019 1890 89103 1891 88,571 1892 87,509 "The ordinary revenue received for the same period, exclusive o£ receipts from Harbour rate and interest on deposits, has been for > — £ s. d. 1888 ... 9.447 13 6 1889 ... 10,882 3 9 1890 ... 12 658 10 9 1891 ... 13,405 17 6 1892 ... 13 960 4 7 " The working expenses of the harbour for