HARBOUR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 14, 17 January 1903, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD.

The Boatd met on Friday. Presen 1 : Mtssiv. Concetti (churnaan), King, McLean, Ouiti?, Price, Ward, Foreman, and Maxwell. Befjie pv weeding the busier as the Chairman expressed hia regret a!; the death of Mr Sar'en, who hid be • n a member of the Bo ird since July, 1891. Removed that out ofrespait to the memory of their lite momh-r ' (he Board adjourn for 15 minute', and it'oat a letter of sympathy and coqdoli n e be sent to Mrs Sarten and family in tbeir bsrfavement. (Jarried unanimously and the Board adjourned accordingly. The Chairman stated he had settle 1 Mr Skinner's claim for £9. A letter wis read from the Railway Department pointing out the necessity far further protection to the roadway giving access to the beach at the eastern end of the reclamation works. The co;t was stated to be £IOOO and the Department was willing to do tho work if the Borough Council and the Board consented to contribute. The (Ihairmaß said the Department I had made the road owing to having closed up other means of access to the bfaoh. S-.veral membats expressed an opinion tint the Board hid no liability. The Chiirman said he had instructed the Secret ry to write to the Department to trie effect than he failed to sue rhaH; the Boaid had any liability whatever in the matter. 0 i the motion of Mr Maxwell, it wss resolved that the chairman's ac ion be confirmed, and that the Board r jcognise no liability. The Ma'ine D partment wrote inquiring the reasons tor the nsw signal code in re<p»ctof day and night signals which had bean forivurJed, The lot 'r stated that the existing signals had bren gaz ifted, and only recently published in the Departments official boob. Captain Hood staled that the signal in qu s ioti was in connection with vdss Is beinjj berthed on the eastern eide of the wharf, all tin other signals being the same as before. Afte: - somi discussion, Mr Kin-; moved thit as the ITirbour master had requested the signal to be ufed, the Departmeut be asked to gazette it. — Cairifd.

J, Moore wro'e stating hi had a quantity of Jarra timber of different siz s for sale. Ha is to be asked for a quotation, The Taranaki C unty Council wrote stating that they had accep ed a con tract for 600 yards if rubble, to be taken from the ho s e shoe bend. The Chiirman said the arrangement was satisfactory to bo h pirties, and would enable the Board to recoup itsi'lf for the expenditure incurred in making the road to the qu vrry. | The Egmont branch of the F.irmori-' Union forwarded copy of resolution passed by them to the effect that the time had arriwd when the breakwater should be extended, and suggei-tirg that a scheme tharefcra should t e framed. The Warea branch also wrote to the same effect. The Borough Council wrote stating that they were unable to comp'y with the Board's condition as to carting gravel frjm the beach ia the Borough cirts, and suggesting that the difficulty would be met by the Borough stipulating with their conlractor that he should not cart from the beach for any one else while carrying out the conitract.

On the motion of the Chairman,.the Bjard'a previous resolbtion was rescinded. It wag then decided that th' Boiough's suggestion be adopted en t he understanding that the Bjrough authirities see that tho condiion be carried out by the contractor. Th') Harbourmaster reportud that during the month 39 vessels h<d been berth d of au aggregate of 35,898 to s Imports were 2572 tons, exports 1152, total 3724. The weather had been rough and boisterous. Th 9 dredghad madd 38 trips, removing over 8000 cubic yards of sand Eleexpectei to get the boring p!ant during the coming j week. The dredge had bean ns'd ou the occasion of the wreck of the Guir-

locb, and had been the means o r siving a good dfal ef the ship's proper y. The Chainmn said he had tak»n th" responsibility of stopping the drodge after th? first trip, as the risk was t;o great, With regard to the boring plan', th'i qu<siion was who was to tike charge of it, as there shou'd b) 110 du il mthoJ ty. Captain Hood hid sugg sted » barge fur the plant. Mr King sa, d he had suggested a raft. He considered the boring shou'd be gone oa with at once, and he was very dis ppointed it had- not already been taken iu hand. The Harbourmaster s*id that while | the dredge was laid up it would have I been impossible to bore, as it meant I boring through 12 feet of s-ind. The Engineer's letter was read, in which he estimated the cost of th« light structure for the boring rod at £3O, The ChaiimaD considered the Board should go on and get wady by the time the plant arrived. Captain Hood suggested that the b 'ring should be done by thj Forem id, acting under his directions. Mr Price urged that the raft should be prepared. Mr King moved that the work be done by the Foreman, under direction of tho Harbourmaster, and that the neceesa-y plant be prepared at o ce, any difficulty to be settled by the Wo ks Committee. In reply te Mr Ward,'it w.is that £IOO would cover the expens Mr Ward siid he would stake h : s existence that the cost would Lot be less than £SOO. It seemed to him that the work was more for an export than fti' the Foreman. The motion was carried. The Foreman reported on work r'one daring the month ; also that the diver had put his gear in order, and he sugges'ed that a branch track ba made to the quarry. The Chairman considered that it would not, in view of possible improvement*, be wise to proceed with the branch track. Ropoit r ceived—no action to be :aken ai to the branch track, The Works Committed reported t l 'at authority had been given for procee iing I with the work of making totara steps to the flagstaff and the foreman had been instructed to chip clean and punt nine iron trucks. |

The Chairman explained that the propo-ed concrete steps had been found to be too costly. The repart was adoptsd. Tho Board went into Oorarait'ee toconsider the Wages Committee's report, and on resummg, the following retommenditions were adopttd On ugtmaster from la 1-i to ts 3d per hour; engineer from Is 2d to Is 3d per hour; assistant engineer from | Is Id to Is l|d per honr ; dtck hsnds : from IOJd to Jlgd per hour; loco- i motive driver from Is 2d to la 3d par

hour; blacksmi'h frrm Is I|l to la 3d 1 per hour ; assistant blacksmith from Is' to Is Id per hour ; labouwrs from 10|d to per hour, the increase to take efiFtC. from January 12th. An applica'ion of the Foremau tor an increase from £3 10s to £4 was refused.

chairman's annual report. The Chairman's annual report was than read. It stated that thera was an iucrease of revenue as compared with 1901, and that the overdraft, which on 31st December 1901 stoad at £4340 was now £3776. But for the expenditure of £1052 on the dredge the reduction would have baen greater. Breakwater.—No damage has been done to tha breikwater during (he pasb| ye ir. The amount of £444 7s Id has baen expended in protaction work, and the structure is apparently in a bettar condition than ev<sr, and probably very little protective werk will have to bo done during the coming year. Dradge. A a the dredge "T. King " had to be beached during the p st year for the purpose of pu'ting the new boilers on board, advantage was taken of the occasion to give the boat a thorough overhaul, this occup : ed a period of three months; but notwithstunding the great delay thm camd, 103,320 cu'9. yards of sand were removed from the harbour during the ye»r at a cost of 4.93 d per yard, includiug the cost of repairs which accounted for half the expsnd'tur/. Nd fur her large exp>ndii ure on lha dradg; is auticapated for somj time, as the bo.it is now in excel'eat ordtr. It is expected that the cost of r-.moving sand from Harbour duriDg the coming year will be less than on sny previous occasion.

Fixed Sind Pumping Plan*. -This plant has been offered f«r sale, no purchaser has beon faund, the machinery has been thoroughly cleaned and s-tored, the clumber in the brsakwater has been filled io.

Harbour survey.-The Harbourmaster CDBtiuu s to mike the moathlv s.uidings wheu practicable-, aid the results ars laid before the B»ard at tach meeting. Whtrves. —While ihiroughly agreeing with the remark* made by the pi'- vijus chairman, as to the necessity [of widening and strangtheiing the mtin wharf, the B.ard baa so far b;en unable to see its way to tbe necess .rily 1-rg-j expanditure involved. Duriug the pist year the sum of £916 lis Id has bsen expended on jaaiutenance and new piles. Q ia r ry. The Kiilway Department his discontinued removing stones from the lower quarry s ; nce the last report, acid has taken way the p'aat.

The foreman has been instructed to mike a short dray road at the quirry, to enable the Coun'y Council's men to load stone directly iuto their drays.

A contract was enter .>d into with the Taranaki Oounty Council to deliver to the Council at the root of the breakwater, 10,000 yards of metal in annual quantities of a minimum of 500 yards ai 2s per yard, About 1539 yards have been delivered under this contract, and the sum of £lsl has been received on account of same.

Proposed extended ha* knur accommodation. —Nothiog has been done i-i this matter du-ing thu year save the appointment ef a committer who havj noo yet reported. Instructions have been given to the harbourmaster to proceed with the boring as recommended by Mr Napier I Bell, but the weathnr has for gomi tinn past been very unfavourable, the first opportunity will be taken to go on ; with this work.

Plant and buildings. —The electric light has beon installed at tbe wharf, and although costing more than was anticipated, has proved a groat boon to the shipping, and is now working sa'isfactorily. Housj accommodation has be:Bi provided for the man in charge of tbfl plant. New cylinders have beenp-ovided for tha locomotives " F/reman " and others ordered for the " Diiv»r " and screwing and drilling .michinea havo been purchased during tbe year, The buildings at the works have been thoroughly overhauled and recosered with new iron where necessary and pointed, and repairs have been efleeted to the cottages. All the plant in usa is in good order and well loaked after. Kales hive b;en made of a concrete mixer, pump, and some lots of old iron to ti;e extent of £llT).

Wharfage Dues. —Thasearasuntel to a total of £7610, having risan year by year to that cum sine* 1890, when they stood at £2157. The increase for the year was £072. Shipping.—4s4 vessels entered and left the port during the your, the aggregate tonuage being 189,806 as sgainst 193,020 in 1901. The total imports am unted to 41,675 tons as against 33,611 in tbe previous year, while the exports were 9545 tons as ngiiiiS l ". 10,971. In tha total trade at tin port there had been an increase. Eudjwnnnts. The total revenue from this source last year was £lOl7, but 20 seci;ii ns on Mount Eliot Reserve were ualet.

Rate and Land Revenue.—Offing to the serious falling off in the land revenue, and in striking, ia previous years, an insufficient rate, tha Board was reluctantly obliged last ye<r to raise the rate from fd to §1 in tha £, producing £10,370 0a 2d. The following will sbow the position of the trust account at the end of each year since 1899 :

t s. d. 1899 December 31st ip credit 4198 16 10 » „ ~ „ VBl5 U 5 i. „ „ „ 1172 111 1992 „ „ ~ „ 208 5 8

The amoHnt received from ra'es during the year 1902 was £BO9I 19s 9d, and from land revenue £3417 17s 7d. A table of land revec.uo was submit t;-d showing that in 1891 it amounted tj £7905, bub had now dropped to £3417, a docreasa of £2036 as compared with 1901. Sinkiag Fund.—The total worth cf the fund at the end of 1902 wes £45,984 5s 3.), £43,050 bsing invested iu tho Now Plymoath Harbour Bonds, and 'he balance bearing interest at the B'.nk of New Zealand,

New Plymouth Harbour Bonds to the extent of £1193 Is 9d have bfen b:u,;tit by 'he Sinking Fund Commissioners during the pisfc year, and funds ire available for further purchases, tiiiould any of thesj securities ba in the market. Dratbs and resignations,—Two of its members have l.ft the Baard during the past year, Messrs Ralfe and Hignett, by resignation. Two the Board's employees have also ; oen lost to the Board by death during | the year, McGiven and Johnson, both very valuable men, tha former being a very old servant of the Board. After some discussion the report (ves adopted on the motion of Mr King, seconded by Mr Price. Tho Board roeie.