HARBOUR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 111, 17 May 1902, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD.

Thb BoaH met on Friday. Present: Messrs King, Our! is, Prio , Ward, Sarteo, Fornoi\r, and Maxwell. An apology for non-attendance was reaH from Mr Conriett. Mr King was vot«d to the chair. The Olinirm in stated that owing to the absence of Mr been no mee'ing of the Works Committee since l»s"> meeting of the Board.

With reference to ihe storage of powder at Motu'Oi, the Chairman stated the police had intimated that the Board would require to obtain a license to enable it to store gunpowder outside its own requirements.

Mr Foreman moved that the matter be held over for further inquiry as to tbo cost of annual license and probable receipts.—Carried. Stewart and Finn wrote asking for the Board's opinion on the electric plant. They also scaled that they had lost £25 on tha contract owing to their providing an engine of higher power than contracted for, and they requested payment of the 15 per cent. held back during tha trial, and the charged for extras. The total cost amounted to £337 10s 4d.

Captain Hood reported the light was working well. Morg>n Cat or and Company wrat;- r* dispcsil of piping. James Far'ane wrote, suggesting to giin the confidence of the ouoty ratep>yert", t'-ißoard should revise its constitution, and have all the members elective, except oce, to represent the Railway Department. Hn also asked for particulars of the boundaries of lh« harbour district—lnformation asked for to be supplied. The Egmont Village Branch of the New Zeahnd Farmers' Union wrote protesting against handing ovor the harbour t > the Ironsand Company. Another branch of the same TTnion wrote offering to assist the Board in obtaining money from the Government for harbour improvements. The Railway Department wrote offering Ist aDd 2nd class rails at seated prices.

The Board's Solicitor wrote stating that the transfer of the ironsmd I**b» to Hon. A. J. Cabman was cc>mpl»tod ; also submitted a letter from Mr E rry undertaking not to requite back the deposit of £IOO until January, 1903. The W"stport Harbour Boird applied fnr terms of hire for the dredge. A reply h=d been s?nt to the effect th * t tbat the Bo ird had no dredge for hire. The Engineer reported rdxtiva to th» cost of test boring? in the harbour that it would he npcwiry o make h light staging about 35 feet hiuh, blun gum Pip ings and scaffold poles being pconoiaicul for the purpose. 'h» probable cost would be about JJ3O. A set of boring tools could probably be borrowed from Auckland. It vould be necessary to provide a serie« of tin canisters to receive the boring sauoplec, e?ch one labelled with the site of the bore and depth of sample from the surface. Tho cist of making a l2 feet deep bore should not bo more than £2. To bore eight holes would probably CO'T about £lO.

In reply to Mr Price the Chairman said that originally when the plan of tho harbour was made no borings were taken In reply to Mr Foreman he stated that another 12 feet would "have to be dredged out to take ocean steamers.—The matter was left over till the rex!; meeting.

The Treasury notified that £1153 being; on* quarter's land levenue would be remitted in a lew days. The Sash and Door Company applied for ten trucks of metal tor rood making.—lt was decided that the Board was not in a po»iMon at the present time to comply with the request

A letter wns read from Jas. Oollirs, a fitter, complaining of his discharge [by the foreimn, and asking that hj« j should be reius f ated or be p%i' his ! expenses of passage to and from j Timaru, where he was working wh»u engaged, as he was led to beliave, on a permanent billet. Mr Maxwell pro'ested against allowing employees to make complaint? asainst those over them, as such a cmrse in the pas'; had been productive of much trouble and fiictioß. He moved that the letter be not received. Mr Curtis seconded the motion on tho ground t hnt thr< foreman's authority shnu'd bo upheld.

I Mr Price considered that as tho m«n ' was a special mfc'nanio the dismissal if necessary should have tome from the Board.

Mr Sarten agreed with Mr Price. Hfl understood the man hid been dismissed at a moment's notice and another man, a friend of the foreman's, appointed. He moved thvt the foreman be instructed to report on the matter.

Mr Foreman considered 'hat the Works Committee should inquire into ma''er, and he mov>>d in tha'. direction.

Mr S >rt r. agrned to withdraw his mod ii ih f.-.vour of Mi- Foreman's, |us his w.- t-'»c.ji-u>.!an inquiry, Tiit Ch-.j»'iu«u pointed on'» thai, it : v/tu'.d nci ! - u vviHa to t>imply back up tho iurbouriri'.rtt-r or fri'e.n&n in everything iln-y did ;iad igiwe all com-j plaints, as that would leui to these officials doing juit whatever they phased whether rfcht rr >vimus. At Ike buuie duie ho prot*jßteJ against

employees o»rrying coiripUin'e to ■M®** bars of the Board imtwd of bfinp®| tbe same direct to thu Bo*rd. Mr Maxwell replied at length. The arii'iidment w»s then pot carried, a further amendment by M* i Ward failing to obtain a seconder. Authority was given for tj>* P 01 " chase of t-tore-i as per list submitted. The Harbouimastur reported that" 38 steamers had be a bertned of a gross h mounting '0 30,258 tons. Itnpor s had been 3215 tens aid exports 910, a total of 4125 Sewal days of heavy rough weather but been j experienced. La April 29ththe Tii»puna bad gr«at difficulty in berthing to dischnrge the inward 'Frisoo mails. The dredge had worked 19 days, making 192 and discharging 11,520 cubic yards of sand. The average depth of the harbour waa 12ft. 6ia. l.w.s.t. He asked for permission to work the grab on tbe inoide berth, n as to clear away the silt and ooal accumulations.—Authority given for working grab, Y Authority was also given for painting two cottages nsed by the men. On thu motion of Mr Maxwell, it was decided that in future all ordera for material or good* should bo in duplicate, one copy to be kept at tbe werka to as to check delivery. The foreman (B. Williams) reported that 174 tons of stone bad been pat over the breakwater, and a lot of loos* pieces lifted from the inside to th* ouiside. About 12 broken rails had been replaced by new ones. Twenty* four yards of stone had been delivered to ths Taranaki County Council. A new floor h*d been put in the magsztM at a cost of £3 lOi, including two ventilator?. The weighbridge had bees cleam-d and put in perfeot order, all® the grab. The filter had been cleaned and required overhauling every three mouths, The diver had worked 12 days »t the wharf aid one at th» dredge. Two new skips had bees made, as the Board bad none of its owd, and the Government one* wsra I getting the wors* for wear. The pia--1 tons and fuun-l of the Krgs locomotive had bean sent away for repair. The condemned piles had been stacked, and , the new piles had been examined by the Government Inspector. The 40ton crane had been chipped and painted. A progress payment of £43 10s to Messis. Stewart and Fisn, AucklauJ, for el»>etrio light plftnt, with extras, wag passed for payment, subject to the engineer's approval. Ceptaip Hood ' reported that the plant was working well.

The usual monthly accounts wer« then passed. A letter from die Chamber of Cocnmerca regarding a petition to the Minister for Justice to obtain the employment of prison labour on harbour extension work was deferred for a fall meeting of the Board. The Board adjourned at 2.30 p.m.