TIMARU HARBOR BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2414, 20 October 1892, Page 2

TIMARU HARBOR BOARD.

The usual monthly meeting of the above board was held yesterday. Present —Messrs Acton (chairman), Flatman, Evans, Stumbles, Talbot, Wilson, Morris, Manchester, and Gibson. Mr Teschemaker sent an apology. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read by the clerk. Mr Evans wanted to know whether the specifications as altered had been placed on the table last meeting. The chairman replied that three copies were placed on the table. Mr Flatman wished to know what objection there was to laying the solicitor’s advice before the board. He understood Mr Gibson got a legal advice. The chairman said he interviewed the solicitor. His advice was not reduced to writing. He merely advised verbally. Mr Evans objected to such a hole and corner way of doing business. Every member of the board was entitled to know the advice given by their solicitor. The chairman said the solicitor merely advised them to retrace their steps, and put themselves right by passing the resolutions carried at last meeting. This was necessary in order to comply with the law.

Mr Evans said it was a very unbusinesslike way of doing business. The advice ought to have been in writing and laid before members. The chairmiu quite agreed with Mr Evans. Mr Gibson said the way it happened was : He himself did not feel satisfied, and he saw the solicitor with regard to their legal position. The lawyer told him that as a matter of good faith between themselves they had acted right enough, but if they were forced into the Supreme Court they might be made liable. Mr Evans pointed out that the chairman had said that it was himself (the chairman) had consulted the solicitor. The chairman: I interviewed him afterwards. Mr Evans : The lawyer ought to have been consulted through the chairman, and the opinion made known to the members of the board. The chairman : It has been made known. Mr Elatman : I would like to see it in black and white. The minutes were then confirmed. THE CHANE. A telegram was read from a Mr Hungerford, asking whether the board had a crane, which would go round curves, for sale. The secretary read the read the reply he had sent, to the effect that the crane Hercules was for sale for £1250 ; it cost £3OOO, and would not go round curves. Mr Evans said it ought to go round curves. It was intended originially that it should, but they were deceived in it. Their engineer, "Mr Goodall, reported it was all right, and they took delivery of it, and it was afterwards they found "it would not go round curves. In consequence of this blunder another crane, which cost about £4OOO, had to be got,; and now they had £12,000 worth of old iron lying idle on the beach. Mr Gibson insisted that two cranes were necessary, and Mr Morris supported that view, but Mr Evans appealed to the chairman, who was then a member of the board. The chairman said nothing could be gained by continuing the discussion. THE K.M.S IIIMUTAKA. The chairman said the Royal Mail Steamer Rimutaka would be in port the following day, and anticipating that there would be a crush on the wharf, owing to its being a half-holiday, he had written to the police to send a policeman to the wharf on that day to prevent accidents, as trains would be running very frequently. He then read the reply to the effect that a policeman would be placed on duty there. THE NEW VESSEL. The chairman read a cablegram from Mr .1 olm Darling to the eifect+hat he was mailing tenders. He expected the tenders by tho meeting. Mr Stumbles ; Did you cable Home to Mr Darling, Mr Chairman '! The chairman ; I did, and immediately after mailed all the necessary documents.

Mr Stumbles wanted to know on what authority the chairman did so, whereupon a resolution passed at last meeting was read. This resolution authorised the chairman to communicate with Mr Darling either by wire or letter, Mr Stumbles said he knew nothing of that resolution. In fact, everything was done so as to prevent a section of the board knowing anything about it. The secretary then read the names of those who voted for it, and those against it, and Mr Stumbles was put down as not voting at all. Mr Flatmau asked for a copy of the cablegram sent oQiqe, and it was pro-

duced. It instructed Mr Darling to call for tenders immediately, and cable out the amount of the most favorable tender and the name of the tenderer. Mr Flatman asked: Whatdid the cablegram cost ? The chairman : About £22 or so. Mr Evans protested against the haste that was adopted. The board would go out of office next February, and they ought to leave it to the new board, more especially as the whole district was against them. Mr Morris : We have heard that before. Mr Evans : You will hear it again, too, and you will be sorry for it. He (Mr Evans) saw more harbors than any member, and he saw that on the West Coast they were spending £50,000 on extending out, and in Napier £IOO,OOO. The chairman : Their engineers have advised them to do it. Mr Evans : Our engineers would have advised in the same way only for the hole-and-corner work that went on. Mr Flatman : I wish to correct Mr Evans. He is laboring under a misapprehension. What we are getting is a vessel to deepen the harbor. Mr Evans : We don’t want it. We have now at least £IO,OOO worth of old iron lying on the beach. The chairman said it was no use going on like that now. Mr Evans said he was only trying to make the chairman reasonable while on the board. It would not be long. He would soon be off it. Mr Gibson : So you say. Mr Evans : I do; and you too. The chairman then read a letter from Messrs J. Anderson & Co., stating if the Wellman pump was put out of it, as in the English tenders, he could reduce his tender by £2OOO ; also that the board would have to pay duty the same as the Kaiapoi Board had recently, and when this was considered their tender would compare favorably with the English tenders. Mr Evans: What is the difference between the estimate of £BSOO given by our engineer and the amount of the tenders ? The chairman said Mr Evans ought to know; it had all been laid before the board. Mr Evans said he was not present at last meeting. He demanded to know. (The chairman handed him Messrs Anderson & Co.’s tender.) This is for £20,115. The chairman: That is only Mr Anderson’s tender. Mr Evans : But this is what you have given me in reply to my question. The Chairman : That was not entertained. Mr Evans: I wanted to know the amount, and you handed this to me. The Chairman: The secretary will prepare a list for you. (Mr Evans subsided.) Mr Flatman ; And are we now bound to a Wellman pump ? The Chairman: Yes. The chairman then proceeded to read an extract from a newspaper about Welman pumps, and was soon interrupted by Mr Evans, who commenced to dilate on his experience of them on the West Coast. He was, however, very soon brought to a standstill by the chairman, who, in a voice as of a suppressed volcano, said ; “ Mr Evans, I have the honor to be reading, and I don’t want you to interrupt me.” Mr Evans smiled, and the chairman read, but very soon again Mr Evans complained of the waste of time, and the chairman’s voice grew huskier, but Mr Evans insisted that the case was not parallel, as the place described where the Wellman pump was working was a riverbed, and rot a beach. The paper was read at last, and Mr Evans asked was it true that a vessel drawing 21 feet had come into the harbor.

The chairman said yes, a vessel drawing twenty-one feet six inches of water had come in. Mr Evans : That shows the harbor is not silting up. TIMBER. Letters were read from the Public Works Department, Sydney, stating that Turpentine was found to prove the best timber for harbor works ; and from the Marine Department, Adelaide, stating that Yarrah was the best. COMPARATIVE RETURNS. The secretary read the trade returns for the last cjuarterj as compared with the corresponding quarter last year. It showed they had handled 23,562 tons, as against 23,236 tons in 1891 ; showing an increase of 327 tons. The main increase was wheat 67,861 sacks; as against 31,242 sacks last year; potatoes 31,299 sacks ; as against 22,183 sacks last year. The decrease was in frozen mutton, 16,467 carcases as against 73,054 carcases last year; flour, 32,622 tons as against 41,773 tons last year; bran and sharps, 13,802 tons as against 19,236 last year. Several members said they were very sorry to see the decreases, and Mr Flatman said it would be worth their while to consider the question of reducing the coal charges. Mr Evans said that grain from within. ten miles of Dunedin went to the Bluff, because the charges were lower. accounts. Accounts to the amount of £655 10a 6d were passed for payment, and the meeting terminated.