HARBOR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 215, 16 October 1909, Page 6

HARBOR BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary monthly meeting of tin New Phmoulii Harbor Board was held yesterday. Present: Messrs .1. B. Connet t (chairman), .Xew'ton King, J. Ward, J. Mc'Clnggage, K. Price, C. A. Wilkinson. 1). .1. Hughes and E. Maxwell. HARBORMASTER'S REPORT. '1 Hi' harbormaster, Captain iluod, reported that 'during the month there had been 31 steamer berthings at the wharf, the aggregate gross tonnage amounting to 213,004 ton.s. Imports were 5853 tons, including 10S3 tons of railway coal and 410 tons" of private coal. Exports were 720 tons, bringing the total of cargo handled to Cs73'tons. Wet and boisterous wcatner lad been experienced during the four 'weeks. The dredge had worked ou 14 days, -making Mi trips, and removing O'.KiO cubic yards of silt from off the spit. .FOREMAN'S REPORT.

The foreman reported for the month as lollows: Breakwater extension.—Twelve concrete blocks had heen made for tiie breakwater extension, and the numlisr now on hand was 04. The quantity of stone quarried and tipped was 1350 tons. Ihc protecting apron, at the outer end oi the extension, had been very much reduced liy the winter gales, and he had .o rebuild it for a Icngu, of 100 feet ivith concrete blocks and large stones, i.fwing to wet and unsittlcu weather, and to a breakdown of the crane, which occupied three days in repairs, he had been unable to complete a section. Wharf widening—At 'the wharf Widening the whole of the braces and crosswa lings were now in position. Longitudinal walings, butler .stops, and packing blocks .between Hie outer piles have yet to be lixed. The railway staff was now engaged in laying the rails. When this work was completed a start would be made to renew the old piles on the western side of the wharf.

Drevgc.—rt was proposed to lay up llir iluege for repairs for a fortnight, trom lite. 20th inst. BORING RIGHTS.

Messrs Govctt and Quilliam, the Boinl* solicitors, wrote in i. I'ercnce to .Mr. T. Miowles' apjilitalioii for boring license ou .his leasehold at Moturoa. iiicy .fun.il mi investigating the title li' Hit the base fioin tile JSoard to J. T. ii amond (now held by T. Knowles) was granted subju-t to boring rights in one jainee Hazlett and to a. runner right in ,i.i ox of W. D. We.bster and S. Hill.

'iiu- first-menu' nul righ'ts were surren,.v.red to the Board on the 25th March, i.02, but they ruuld find no trace of liic surrender'of tiie rights granted to

.Messrs Webster mil Hill. If there were any existing grau.s in furce the Board couid not, of coins;-, make the proposed plant to Mr. Knowles.—Mr. (Juilliam in-ii-rvicwed the Hoard on this matter i.iter in the iUi..', anil consideration was deferred fur further investigation. PnWEiXISED WOOD. Mr. F. \V. Saunders, manager of tlia New Zealand Powell Wood Process, Co., bid., wrote:— "\\\- had tile pleasure -if a visit from Mr. Maxwell, an active meinlier of your Board, and we arranged with him to for'waird a powellis''d sample .of rimu, which we submit will resin- the attack of the toredo, and should' be glui for you to submerge same and submit the wood to apractieal test." Mr. Maxwell said that this test would be carried out without cost to the Board. The chairman said that the foreman was placing the povellised timber in a position where it would be subjected to a good test, being submerged and dry by.turns. He was also placing a piece of ordinary rimiv alongside it for the purposes of comparison. 'Mr. Maxwell said that he had spent a day at the works at Rangataua. They were immensely costly works, similar to those in operation in New South Wal;s and West' Australia, where it was found that timber treated by this process had its durability immensely improved. It was claimed'that Now' Zealand \>asiw timbers, such as while pine anil miio, when- subjected to "this proce.-s. ln'cauie valuable and durahle timbers. The Government was having railway sleepers treated'at the works, and if was understood that the timber for the new Government House would be similarly treated. He had been much impress id by the claims put forward for til's scheme of treating timbers, and-lie thought that in view of the scarcity of timber these tests might prove very valuable to the Board. GENERAL.

Mr. P. K. Jury wrote offering £7' l per annum for the lease of sections ''o to 2.3, Kuwait Pah, being the six sections adjoining the railway goods office and having frontages to Oirrie stre-.t and Kawau s'treot. —The sections are open for lease at upset prices lixed for the auction sale on November 23rd last. Mr. Roberts applied for leave to re move buildings from his leasehold on the Kawau Pah reserve.—Declined.

ft wa- decided to extend the period for receiving tenders for muntz metal until the December meeting. The tender of the .State Mines was accepted for coal supplies, and of Johnstone and Co. for pile shoes. Tenders for timber for wharf extension were opened and acceptance deferred pending .consultation with 'the engineer.