HARBOR BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 244, 20 November 1909, Page 6

HARBOR BOARD

The New Plymouth Harbor Board held | its usual monthly met ling yesterday, i Present: Messrs J. B. l.'umieu i>'iinirnian), J. McCluggage, K. I'iu.v, C. .i. Wilkinson, E. Maxwell, and X. Ko.g. FUBEMAN'ri REiVi.T. The foreman, Mr. F. Hciukison, .submitted his report on the works at the port. Breakwater extension.—Eighteen concrete blocks have been made the breakwater, the number now on hand being 70. There are 700 baric.,, to cement in stock, which will make another 41 blocks, leaving about 100 oil hand after completing the protection of the end and the seaward side. liic, quantity of stone tipped was 1204 tons. Two sections, each ol twelve feet, have been completed. The measured length of the extension is now 000 feet, and the total length of the breakwater 2512 feet. I may explain that on the 20th October 1 received instructions from the chairman not to put down any more sections. 1 had just completed a section on the previous day, which was built in the usual manner. But I had nV.i conlidcncc that this would long I withstand the heavy seas which break | a. ross the end, and I ask id the sane•lion of the chairman to bi.al another

sieiion of heavy masses of concrete in situ, set down at two feet bclo * the usual- level. Therefore a film! ie.-lion has been built, consisting of three musses uf concrete, weighing, respectively, 70, 00, and 104 tons. Wheujhis i*| thoroughly protected it can be depended i upon to'stand without subsidence o'l undermining. , Wharf—The wharf widening was comI pleteu early in the month, the rails I laid, and the wharf opm.ed for trauit. Three piles' have been drawn from tne old wharf and eleven new ones have

been driven. Repairs have been effected to chafing pieces on the, western side. Dredge.—The dredge has been laid up

for 18 working days for repairs, the principal items being four new plates and two palchos in Ihe hopper, patch under stern-post, new delivery pipe from runner, and new runner and shaft. The boilers and hull have been examined and passed by the Government Inspector. The dredge resumed work on the 17th inst. Plant.—The whole of the works' machinery was laid up on the 16th inst. for annual inspection of boilers. All were passed without reduction of pressure, and no repairs were ordered. The chairman's action in arranging for the iinal section was confirmed. RECLAMATION BILL. The chairman reported that the Board's Reclamation Bill had been submitted to the Marine Department, and they in turn had placed it before tae Railway .Department. The latter had given their approval of the proposals, upon condition that the reclamation was made to the railway boundary instead of high water mar 3. This had been agreed to.

THE DREDGE "PARITUTU." Air. F. \V .Miu'chant, C.E., consulting engineer, forwarded correspondence recened Hum Sir J nines -Mills, managing director oi the U.S.S. (Jo., advising mm mat it had been arranged that the company's building superintendent in England, -Mr. J. it. Campbell, should make a visit to the .Dominion, leaving Engla id about the end of the present mouth, it would thoreloie be necessary to appoint someone in his puce to superintend tlic building ui the dredge lor tne New Plymouth Harbor Board. In connection with this their London oll'ice had cabled that Air. Kuowles, .chief engineer of the -Uurihiku, was at Home, and -would be willing to linish the superintendence of the building of the Paritutu lor a fee of JCSO, provided he was retained us' the dredging master by the Mew Plymouth Harbor Hoard. The shipbuilders were willing to accept -Mr. Kuowles. As an alternative, they could get a consulting engineer to linish the job at a fee oi .C3U. .Mr. Campbell preferred the former. The cablegram added Unit the dredge should be finished by the end ol January. Sir James -Mills expressed lih regret that it would be necessary for Air. Campbell to leave before the completion of the work, but lie bad no doubt that such arrangements would be made as to safeguard the interests of the dredge. To this .Mr. Alarchant had replied regretting Air. Campbell's departure, ami declining to accept Knowies unless lie

waived his condition that he should be appointed dredge-master by the Xew Plymouth Board, as he could not recommend the Hoard to accept his services on such terms. Seeing that ho had the building superintendent's recommendation, he was quite willing that Know cs should supervise the balance of Fleming and Ferguson's contract, provided he Look his chance of appointment by the Hoard. Air. Campbell should be instructed accordingly. Writing to I lie lliiard oil (lie matter, Mr. Mnrclmnt said: "We must leave this matter in the hands of the Union Co. ;o deal with. It will never do to tie our

Ininds in the appointment of one particular man as dredge-master out here. We must keep this appointment, entirely open and in the Hoard's own hands as far as tlie permanent appointment is concerned." lie much regretted that .Air. Cameron had to leave Glasgow, for he had given excellent service, and he (Mr. Marchunt) had every conlidence in him.

Every detail about the dredge had been arranged between Mr. Campbell and himself, and there remained nothing to ho done except to see that those details and arrangements were carried out. Mr. Milrehnnt wrote on October 201.1 i that in a 'letter just received from Mr. Campbell he said that a first-class job was being done for the Hoard. I'ii a later letter, written on September .1(11 li. Mr. Campbell had said the hnll was just on completed, and the engines and boiler in an advanced state. Further, tlie builders continued to do first-class' workon the vessel and give him every satisfaction. The Board approved the stand tnke-i by Mr. Mnrchnnt, and decided to leave the matter in his hands, THE TIMBER CONTRACT. Messrs 11. Chestermnn and Co.. of Hobnrt, wrote confirming the acceptance ol their tender for the delivery of blue ginn timber and piles for the siim of t-fsi!). In tendering their best thanks for tie order the firm wrote: "Notwithstanding that the price is a low 07ie, we are glad to have the doing of it. as l sliowing"'oii that Tasmania has hardwoods second to none in the world." Several members expressed tlieir satisfaction with the result of tie ne"otbilious. "

C.ILI, STREW EXTENSION. The lloroiigh Council wrote that the work of coiistrucliug i| H . culvert a I tiill street extension would commence almost immediately, and the C.'i cil would be pleased if the Board would have the buildings removed from the part of the Kawau reserve agreed to be dedicated as a street. -Left with lhe chairman and Mr. King, with power lo The secretary reported that the Hoard's solicitor hud the dedication mailer iu hand. BFJiTIIAOF CUARCFS. Letters were received from various harbor boards in answer lo the Hoard's query as to the system observed in lix-

ing berthage charges. Summarised, tlie position is as follows:—At Auckland, Jilull, Lyttclton, Napier, Otago and Timain 24 hours from time of arrival constitute a day. At Groyinouth and S'ew Plymouth from midnight to mid•light counts an a day (thus a vessel liming at 10 p.m. and leaving at 2 a.m. vould be charged for two days). At lunioru, "prohably a day mean, 24 lours, hut the harbormaster has power o use his discretion in such matters. it Wellington, if a "vessel works cargo efore and after midnight, two days, thorwise charges would be for one day nly. At Wcstport, charges aro made (V trip, and no vessel is charged for nore than one trip per week. At n.l liese ports, with the exception of Dunein, the Board's staffs attend to moorfig lines. A suggestion was made that it be ;ft to the harbormaster's discretion to ay whether or not the extra day's barges should be enforced. It was uneeesary to go to the trouble and excuse of altering the by-laws. Mr. Wilkinson said that leaving audi natters to the discretion of a'ny official rould lead to friction. The Board knew iow that in practically every port in he Dominion a day comprised 24 hours. Lt this port, according to the ny-laws, f a vessel berthed at a minute before nidnight, and left again a minute after nidnight, she could be charged for two lays.

ilr. Maxwell said that this port was rather differently situnted to most others, for they knew their shipping. Vessels usually came here early ra th2 morning, and left during the early evening, according to the train time-table. Captain Hood explained that vessels often arrived here at, say, 0 p.m., and worked right through the night until I six o'clock next morning.

Mr. Connett said that to change 'he day to one of 24 hours from the time, of arrival, would probably cost the Hoard from C7O to £BO a year. All that, was wanted was for the Hoard to make a concession, so that a vessel leading up to an hour after midnight ahould not incur the second day's charges.

This proposal was put into the form of a motion by Messrs MaxweU and Price.

Mr. Wilkinson preferred allowing fill two o'clock instead of only one o'clock. He moved an amendment to that effect. The amendment was not seconded, and the motion was carried. PROPOSED RETRENCHMENT.

fl'he Hoard went into committee to discuss the return prepared at Mr. Wilkinson's instigation to consider his proposal to reduce Ule cost of the harbormaster's stall consequent upon the reduction in shipping. After a brief discussion, the hour being late, the committee made no report. Mr. Wilkinson subsequently moved for a return showing what recoveries had been made by the Hoard out of the salaries paid to the harbormaster's stall, such as payment for handling mails, labor paid lor by steamship companies, and so on. Captain Hood said he felt convinced that no reduction could be made in t.ie staff, and that Air. Will;':)' on would lind when he went into the n.atter that al ready he had effected al the retrench- j ment possible. ■ . Mr. Wilkinson said that by the Board's action in committee a few minutes earlier he was now compelled to take the bull by the horns, and he would have to move definitely that certain people be dismissed. The members by declining to appoint a committee to go into the whole question had compelled him to do things at next meeting that would not have been done had his wishes been met a few minutes earlier. Subsequently Mr. Wilkinson informed our reporter that it was his linn intention to move at next meeting for a substantial reduction in the salaries drawn by the harbormaster's staiV. lie was going to have the matter discussed, too, in open board, and, if necessary, force the Board to a division,