NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8053, 21 February 1906, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOR BOARD.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the New Plymouth Harbor Board was held on Tuesday. Present: Messrs J. B. Connett, Newton Kin" G. McLean, J. Thomson, R. Price, J. Ward, It. W Hornby, and E. Hine. The acting clerk. Mr S. Eeunell, took the chair, and called for the nomination of a chairman for the ensiling year. Mr J. B. Connett was re-elected, on the motion of Messrs Hornby and and Hinc, who paid a warm tribute to manner in which he had fulfilled his duties. Mr Connett thanked members for this expression of confidence. It was gratifying to him to be re-elect,od for the fifth term, showing that he still retained the confidence of the Board and the ratepayers. The Chairman said he was desirous of hiving a Works Committee to share with him the responsibility of prosecuting works. Mr McLean was in favor of the Works Committee being comprised of the whole Board. The Chairman said that in that case meetings would probably lapse. Country members were not likely to attend. Mr Thomson favored Mr McLean's suggestion, because at present the members of the Works Committee were the only member* thoroughly conversant with harbor affairs.

Mr Hornby moved that the old Works Committee be re-eleeted, be. e iu.se be thoroughly believed that (hat ennmitiee had worked well and done it; duly to the ratepayers. He added the Dallies of Messrs Thomson and Hine, It was useless to appoint all members, as some eould not. attend. Mr Hine seconded the motion, withdrawing his own nam.', as it wjuld not be convenient for him to attend.

Mr Thomson again protested. if my nun refused toa.'t he was shirting lis responsibility, and should resigii 11s seat at once.

The Chairman siid that the whole Board sytem would not w jrk. He referred to the time when the Chiirniin

had had full power, without any committee. That was a bad system, too. He asked if any country members w ere willing to act on the committee. Mr Thomson declined to act. He " would have nothing to do with it unless the whole Board was on." The old committee was then re-elect-ed, Mr Thomson dissenting.

Messrs Weston and "Weston, on behalf of Mr Walter Freeman, lessee of one of the Board's reserves in Broug-ham-street, asked for an extension of time until August Ist next in which to build on the reserve.

The request was granted, on the u'llerstauding that no further extension rill be granted.

Mr A E. Surrey, contractor for supply of timber for decking on the wharf extension works, wrote stating that timber had be'.'ii forwarded. The Chairman said that the contractor had been behind with the contract when his mill was burned, This made the matter even worse, it e work had been delayed by the failure to supply the timber up to time. It had been necessary to purtdiase timber elsewhere.

The Chairman was authorised to procure timber elsewhere, if the contract is not filled by the 26th inst. lie » ■> Sparrow and Sons forwarded a claim for payment for crane supplied.—Beferredto the Board's engineer.

The Bank of New Zealand notified that interest on the Board's overdraft had been reduced to a per cent. The Taranaki County Council asked for a reduction of royalty frgni fourpence to threepence per yard on stone to be removed by the Council's contractors from the beach near Oakum. After ln'icf discussion, Mr Price gave notice to move that the previous motion, lisiwg the rate at fourpenee, be rescinded.

The General Manager of the New Zealand Railways, wrote that the Department coulil supply iron rails, fishplates, and fish-bolts.

It was decided to purchase the required quantity, a»d that the Foreman inspect prior to taking delivery, as the prior shipments had included a bait rail or two.

The reports of the Harbormaster, Foreman, and Works Committee were adopted, and the stores reeuniineiiilcd will be purchased.

The wages of Kretls, employed at the wharf, will be temporarily increased lo|niue shillings per day.

It was decided to call tenders for arting gravel from the beach at iloturua.