Harbour Board.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 194, 20 August 1904, Page 2

Harbour Board.

The Harbour lloai-di met yesterday. i'resent: Messrs King, McLean, Single, Price, Ward, llomliy and Foreman. In the albsence of the chairman Mr J. I!. Connett, owing to illness, Mr King was voted to the chair. —Harbour Extension.— Mr Merchant wrote under date July Kith, notifying Hint he would conimimirato with tihe Kitson light people, and order the erection of a trial lamp a t the light-house He hnld ascertained that the cost of the lamp erected complete would lie £3O 2s fill', plus £L lis for oxlra mantles anil spare fittings. The -question of rails, points and crossingsi i-eq'uired in tho breakwater extension works had given liiin , a tremendous amount of trouble. Relying on Mr Burnett's promise, Mr Mai-chant reckoned that ho could -get these from Wanganui or else that, the former would have ordered them from England direct. Now it turned out- that the engineer could not 'get ainy points or crossings from the Government. He had now communicated with Anderson's, of Chi-istchurch, who had given a low tender, for tnein, and ho had subsequently written to Mr Burnett asking for the rails, even if he could not send the points and crossings, reminding him of the board's generous treatment of his department in the matter of the crane, which was readily lent for use in the quarry when tilie department was building the railway station in New Plymouth. Should the Government rails be not o-tl ainabk', Mr Marchant thought he could obtain second-hand 521b steel ones in Dunedin, and if so, would see Messrs Sparrow ft nd Co. about the crane a> tile same time. He proposed attending tho -board's- September, meeting, and hoped then t 0 niako a start with concrete block-making. On the 27th. ult., Mr Marchant wrote that Messrs Mills and Co., of Wellington, had supplied tarred jute felt sheathing instead of hair felt as specitied in terms of their contract. The jute was most inferior stulT. The specification plainly said "jute felt will not be accepted."- lie had obtained estimates' from Australian linns for hair felt -in case Mills and Co. refused to fulfil their contract. In this connection Messrs Mills and Co. submitted that there was no such thing as "hair felt," and the linn tendered for "tarred sheathing felt for piles." Tho sample inferred to by Mr Marchant was the same as supplied by them, except in point of colour. The matter was referred to the board's solicitors for their opinion.

Mr Marchant will bo asked to attend the October meeting. The secretary statod that the rails ordered from the Railway Department had been delivered. On August 6th tho en'gineer forwarded plans and specilications of the wharf ext-'nsion for the foreman's guidance. Tho drawings for the fiveton crane were nearly ready. He had obtained suHieUmt. rails from the railway department, in Cliristchurch to make seven sets of points and crossings for 581b rails, and this work was now being executed by Messrs Anderson and Sons, Christchurch, Mr Marchant on loth lilt, miotified receipt of a letter from the foreman,, stating he could' not bo ready .to Start block-making until October. —'WagslalT's Estate.— The secretary said there was some difficulty in settling Wagstalf's estate.—Consideration deferred. —Paritutu Road.— The Chairman reported that the committee appointed, on the matter of the Paritutu Road had not yet met, —Etiquette.— The Cliairninn moved thfit in future all correspondence between 'the foreman and the engineer must pass through the board's oflice. —Currio-street Extension.— The Town Clerk, New Plymouth, notified that the Borough Council was prepared to take over Curriestreet extension subject to existing leases, provided the full (iti feet were dodicaled and the present street formed and metalled and file footpaths kerbed and channelled to the satisfaction ol the 'borough engineer. Tile Chairman said • tiio Hoard must recognise that the property would be very valuable to the board at the expiration of tho term. Mr Price askod 1 if the value of the property would bo enhanced -by doing this work now. If it cost £IOO the work should bo done.

Mr Hornby moved that the Borough Council be atked to allow its engineer to prepare an estimato of the cost of niiiking the street in accordance with the council's letter. Mr Price seconded-,

Mr Foreman thouigllt that .the position could -be inet by the boarej, improving tiio street at present formed and -doing the balance at the expiration of tho present leases. Tlie Chairman, reading the letter carefully, said tho council was evidently prepared to accept the improvements 0 n tho present street,, and would do the balance themselves. The motion was carried.

Mr F. I'. Corkjll, Lloyd's ngent for tho province of Taranaki, re- | quested the board's sanction to the acceptance by Captain Hoo'd of the appointment of surveyor to Lloyd's agency at 1 hig port. Tlip olliee was not a salaried one. On the motion of -the chairman and Mr McLean, the board's sanction was granted. —Remission of Fees. — Mr G. If. Morgan, New Plymouth manager for tho U.S.S. Co., wrote : "On t-lic Ofh ult., our s.s. Rosamond called at the wharf to land a few bags of mails, and wo are askeel to pay £1 3s 7el for warps and l'9s 4il registered tonnage. As- the ve'ssel had neither cargo n,or passengers, and used her oivn lines during! ;the ten minutes she was at tho wharf, I woulel ask that the fees be remitted."—The request was granted, —Waitara Foreshore.— Messrs Roy nnel Wilson, solicitors for -the Waitara Harbour Board, forwarder! a copy of the " Waitara Harbour Board Foreshore Endowment Hill, 1904," to give effect to the agreement, recently arrived ill between the New Plymouth and Waitara Hoards. T.li(.> matter ivas referred to a com-mitte-e comprising the chairmai) and Messrs King, Ward and Foreman to consult the soljcitpr and consider the -question on Saturday (to-day). Mr J. F. Hooker oll'eretl to spread metal on Currievstreet extension if the board would supply a few loads.—As the board was treating with the Borough Council -the oiler was not considered. —Mount Eliot Reserve.—

Mr .1. C. Montefiore acknowledged (lie board's- letter declining to pay cjovciipence « yard for the removal, of 8000 cubic yards of earth from' tlio Mount Eliot reserve, and oll'ering tenpence. lie was unable to accept this, pointing out that there was nn average -depth of eleven feet of s-anei-' stone to contend v.-itli. This had to be drilled and blasted, -a costly work, ami insuransa j-atca jmm » licftvy,

charge. Ho did mot think thero was a contractor iu the town ahlo to cope with this quantity at tho price offered. On the motion of Mr Ward, the previous resolution was rescinded to allow of tho question being re-open-ed. Mr Ward advocated the payment of elevenpence. The work could not be [ done for less, and it must be done i sooner or later in the board's interest. He moved in that direction. Mr Foreman seconded. The work done so far without going further was of no good. The money would be well spent, as the sections when cleared would be very, valuable for leas ing purposes.

The Chairman said' the board had a tactician of tho highest order in Mr Ward, who had set out to get tho sections cleared, and had got n small slice <lone Hist to clear the way for the rest. He (Mr King) would oppose the motion on principle.

The motion to give elevenpence per yard was carried. —A New Scheme.—

Mr J. Colbett asjied the board to investigate a scheme of his for harbour extension.

The board could not depart from its engineer's plaius. —Rating.—

The board decided to sttike a general rate of tliree-dgihths oi „ penny in Hie £ rt nd that, Messrs Connett and Ward sign th-? rate-hook. —Foreman's Report.—

The. foreman reported that the material for the extension way now arriving and work could soon be commenced. The repairs to the mixinghouse were nearly completed' and the oil-tngine for driving the crusher was being set up. Work in preparation for the wharf extension was now beI ing proceeded with,