HARBOR BOARDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 90, 6 October 1911, Page 5

HARBOR BOARDS.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. By Telegraph—Presß Association. Wellington, Thursday. The question of harbor board elections was fully discussed by the Harbors Conference this morning. On the motion of .Air. IT. C. Tewsley (Wellington), it was decided that the principle one man vote should be followed in harbor board election's, and an elector, entitled to vote for blank members of a different district or claws af electors. must choose which one particular rijrJit of voting he electa to exercise. JI was mentioned that the total cost of Hie last elections in Xcw Zealand aim.anted to .C 41147, as compared with £330 for six previous' elections. The conference deeided that in respect of any harbor board elections that is held simultaneously with the election af the local authority, where it is necessary to hold poll for such local election, the board shall be liable ony for the cost of advertising and printing, other than the compilation of rolls and a sum equivalent to 10 per cent, of the actual cost to the local authority of conducting its own and the board election, apart from the costs of advertising and printing.

On the motion of Mr. J. C. Darkness (Wellington), it was resolved that the election of members for harbor boards, county councils, road boards, town councils, hospital and charitable aid boards, and the municipal corporation be held upon the same date, and at triennial intervals.

The conference also adopted another motion from Wellington, that the costs of compiling anil printing of harbor board elections by the various local authorities within a harbor district should be borne by such local authorities respectively. The conference pissed the following motion, by Mr. Belcher (Otago):—That this conference is of opinion that the various 1 harbor boards, as far as po-sible, should give preference to local manufacturers in acquiring, machinery required for harbor purposes. Speaking to the motion, Ml', Belcher stated that two tenders for Iniilding the Otago Board's new tug came from Hongkong, and at a meeting of the board he ha«l protested against either Asiatic or Oriental' conditions in carrying out the work. Both these tenders were much lower than those from the Old Country. By accepting a Port Chalmers (ir.n's tender the board was keeping the mo.icy ill the Dominion.

SURVEYTN'(i THE COAST. Wellington. Last, Night. Speaking ul n luncheon to the delegates to the Harbor Hoards Conference to-day, the lion. .T. A. Millar said, with regard to the survey of the coast, that some years ago the Ooverimicivt gave some £OOOO a" year for a long time towards survey liy Imperial authorities, but that filially fell through. If the matter were to lie undertaken, a vessel posting over £40,000 would have to be secured, and the cost per year would be £:1I5.000. The. coast line could only be dealt with by "sweeping," as sounding had proved insufficient. Still, he would he prepared to put the matter before Parliament with a. view to coming to some arrangement. As regarded lighthouses, it was the policy of the Department to ask Parlkimcn't .for two lights a year —one. first-class and one sewmrtcUvss. There was a. danger of too many lights. With regard to the new Art, he could assure the Conference that the Government were anxious to make the Act more workable by rectifying defects. There was no chance of doing anything tins session, however.