HARBOUR BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 117, 19 May 1903, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD

The Board met on Friday. Present —Messrs Oounett (chiirman), N. ' King, McLean, Dingle, Price, Ward, Foreman, and Maxwell. Correspondence read from Campbell and Earenfiied Co. re terms upon which th y obtained Board's diviDg gear. The firm were under the impresion tha*i it was loaned for the pur- j poee of prosecuting salvage operations i at the wreck of the Elingatnie, and that the loan wa? in no way dependent upon the ssrvices of th-3 Board's diver bring engag3d, The diver had oppor:uoities of prosecuting this work wrrch were not 6uuc;asful. Under the circumstances they hed been compelled to obtain the services of ano her diver, to whom th?y entrusted the care of the gear, Hid they thought the loin did not permit of their taking this step they would not have done S3, and expressed their rc/jre's if ary inconvenience had been caused. Had they kcown the urgoat neel they could have lent the Boaid another suit.— Tin Chairman rematked that it was a mo3t extraordinary reply, and i* would teach the Board to hj moro careful in the future. Hesug.,es ed a strong resolution on the f.stheiiroj should surely kcow that iha div«rw:sno go:d to th m till tha dres came back. After discussion it was resolved (oi tho motion of Mr Dinglo) that a charge of X2 2s per weak, or p)r ion of w.e>, he imposed uatil the gear is returned, from the tima it was borrowed, The Comoaittea reported, ia regard to Board's diver, that thsy rocoaamended dispensing wi h his services. A letter wis nad frcm the diver setting cu. his complaint, and th* diver and foreman were in attendance to { iutirvisw the Board.

Mr Foresaid protested acairnt going into the matter in the f *o of the report of the committee.

Others membsrs spjke strongly on the pactice of allowiug employee* to coma prsonally b3fore the Board to review a committee's recommendation, and also as to the attitude takoa up by the diver.

In reply to Mr Maxwell the chairman explained the position at largtb, pointing out the reasjns that induced the committee to recommend die miss il.

The report was adopted, a fjitnight's notice to be given Toe Chairmm brought up the question of the desirability of having the forennn at tho Bard meoting.

It was decided that the Works 0. mrait'ea could supp'y all tieiuform tioc the Board required. Captain Ooyle, luspector Submarine Mining, wrot-, thinking the Boird for otter of diving geir and diver, but that he had made other arrangements.— Rec-iv;d.

The Marine Departm nt wrote requesting inform .tion as to pjrt for N.iutieal Almanack for 1904. —To be cent.

Mr Marchant (engineer) reportei that the sand pump .without engine) is wotth about £503 cs a second-hind machine if the Bjard desires tJ sell it. It c;so when new about £750 to £BOO, taking a fair propjnijn of era s for the whole of Morgan and Oablo'a contrac' for the work. Toe delivery piping is worth 4s to 5 3 a running foot if in god order. The cast iron bunds, etc., are worth £SO.

The Obaiimia said the cotnmtttei hid as yet done nothing in the matter, excepi that they htd sold some tf the piping at 2s 61 a fo)t aud it was difficult to get that amount. On the mo ion of Mr King, seroaded by Mr McLean, (he mitter wash-.li over until Mr Marchantcaa be s;enon th 9 subject. Permission was granted, en the usual terms, to a tenant to mortgage. The Opucake Town Board wrote concerning a resolution of the Board as folbws: - Tnat this B >ard, as a payer, and representing payers of the New Plymouth Harbour Boird rate, onside s that should the Harb-mr B 'ard have su plus ordinary revenue the tics' charge upon same should be towards the payment of the harbour That his Bjard having io mini the agitatioos ngaiißt tbe rate at i'.s inception regre's that ths Harbour Boatd hisfor yesrs ptst considered it a foregone.conclu ion that the require! amouui to mike up tbe inter,a; shculi be levied from the ratepayers as the BoirJ. could, mora particularly at the prtsent time, transfer suras to the interest account.

Raleigh Town Board wrote concerning asomewba' similar resolution,as f jl--:—That tbi-4 B.mrd, as ropre3< nv iog payers for the New Plj mouth batbour rite, considers the titno his arrived when such rate should be ab Jished, us it is of opinion that all surplus ordinary revenue should ba allocated for the paynunt of in'eras*-, and ill accrued moneys in hanl should be transferred to the in teres'; aoojua ■, tke Boatd oansi Jering it u jmt tha'. suc'a large sums should be wrung annually from property holders in the district to moot int.res*, mo e especially seeing that at the inception of the borrowiog proposals it was clearly demonstrated by those desirous of obtaining the loan that no rate would be levied for 21 years, and even at the end of such time the possibilities, of such baing levied were vary remote, and it was antici-1 patad that the ordinary revenue of the Board would meet such demands.

The Hawera County Council for[w.irded a resolution endorsing the resolution of the OpumkoTown Boaid, The New Plymouth Borough Council wrote thanking the Board for use of the cement testing apparatus, ah~> asking if the Board would supply 200 'feet sand pump delivery pipes.—Resolved that requests be acceded to at 2i 6d per foot. ! The Harbourmaster reported:— During four weeks ended May 13th, 35 steamers were berthed at thi wharf, the aggregate gross tonnage, 28011 tons; imports, 3852 tons; exports, 989 tons; including 306 cattle, mik'ng a total of 4841 tons. The dredge woi ked 18 days, making 239 trips, removing 14,340 cubic yards of sand. The depth of water from end of wharf outwirds is j showing a markel improvement. Attention was directed to the shotting of j the dumping ground, owing to the j large qutntity of sand and silt being j deposited there, lie had instructed the dredge master to deposit; the silt further nor.b.— Received. J

The Foreman reported progress of general work at the breik water, namely, whirl' repairs, tainting, deposit of some stone at end of breakwater, etc. —Received, The HarbiU-master a'so reported tbat the Kane ri, on the 12th ins*,, had s'ruck the wharf ind dimag d onq t;f i the walings ; eMmoted damage, <£ 10. [ —lt Wis stit-d that the Company h*d I agreed to m'ke the damage gojd. J An order was given fo.- store* ss pr requisition, A matter of at tho Jfct sarva was lefs iu the hands of ih) Chairman. I The Works Committee reported that it specting the works they reoom-! mended; That shingle applied for from

the H.rs) :■■). i> i ■'i,.'i u» > >uiv - *it Is per yard. I'hat gr*v.)l r-quired for repiiring the road to the quarry bgranted free. That the Borough Council's applieatioa for 250 fest of tacd pump pipe be granted at 1\ 6d per foot on tte beaob, to be taken down and placed above high water mark by the Boatd's employees. That in the event of fencing the Board's property on each side of the Ngamotu-roid, a | 3-barbed wire fence be erected, old rails I to be used for posts, [ Ths Chairman explained that there was a luge quantity of stone suit ibb for lifjht traffic roads, and that it would be a goad thing to get this cleared away so as to enable the County Council to get a further supply of heavier metal. Mr Maxwell questioned whether the stone was not worth more than Is a yard, bub other members considered the price was fair. Mr Hone) field and theßirrett Rovi Boird are to be informed they cm be supplied with the metal in qucs'ion at Is per yard. Mr Dingle inquirel if there was not fiiction amongst the Board's employees, as if thit were the case he was con vinced sa isfactcry work would not be done. Mr McLean considered there always wou'.d bo faction unless all the men were placed under the authority of one re potisible officer, whs had absolute power to discharge any man he thought fit. Accounts were passed, and the Boaid rose,