Thames Harbour Board.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3792, 22 February 1881, Page 2

Thames Harbour Board.

The first meeting of the new Harbour Board was held this morning at the Borough Chambers. Present: His Worship the Mayor and Messrs Brown, Bagnall, Osborne, Head, McGrOwan, Carpenter, and J. Wilson. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN. Mr J. Head asked what was the usual course in electing a Chairman. He proposed that His Worship the Mayor be the Chairman of the meeting.

Mr Dean said it was the usual custom to elect a Chairman of the meeting, and afterwards elect the permanent president.

It was decided not to have a Chairman of the meeting.

Mr Dean read the list of gentlemen elected to sit as a Harbour Board for the ensuing year.

Mr Osborne said that he had great pleasure in proposing Mr Lemuel J. Bagnall as the chairman for the ensuing year. That gentleman was thoroughly acquainted with the routine of the Board work and he thought there was no one more fitted tor the position.

Mr J. Wilson said he felt great pleasure in seconding the nomination.

Mr Bead proposed that Mr Carpenter be the chairman. Hi 9 reasons for so doing were because he did not consider Mr Bagnall had given a sufficient account of his stewardship. He was one of the gentlemen who had brought down the dredge from Auckland. Mr Bagnall and Mennie afterwards backed out of it. lie thought the vote of money for Mr Bagnall's use while at Wellington had not been thoroughly accounted for- Mr Bagnall had been spoken to about it, but had not given a satisfactory account to him.

Mr Brown said that he was one of those who helped in getting the money voted. It was desired at the time to float a loan of £5000, and the members of the Board were in earnest to have it. (Hear, hear.) Mr Bagnali was appointed to go to Wellington, and he endeavored to raise the amount by hook or by crook. Mr Read: We don't know about that.

Mr Brown : If you will wait, sir, until I have finished I will talk to you then. I must ask the Secretary to call Mr Head to order.

Mr Read said it was Parliamentary to

say " no, no.'' Mr Brown said Mr Read was not generally: considered a good judge of Parliamentary practices, although he was very clever—Mr Bagnall did not get the money, but he understood that there was a probability of getting it. If he did not get it a refund would be made.

Mr Read : And are the public paying ini^rest on the money ?

Mr Brown said there was no difficulty about that. Perhaps Mr Bead, with his customary liberality, would pay the interest.

Mr Bagnall said he had given an account to previous meetings of the way in which the money had * been expended. As for the dredge, the Board had f considered that some good might come of dredging, that a channel might keep open, and their opinion was also favored by Mr Blackett, the Engineer in charge of the Worth Island. He did not see why- the old members of the Board should be sat upon. They had endeavored to do their best, and just because the result had not been satisfactory, odium was cast on them.

Mr Eead: I'm glad you've taken the onus of the work on your own shoulders. Mr McGowan said there was a difference of opinion in regard to their election. He thought that the Mayor was the fittest man to be the Chairman. He had great pleasure in proposing :Mr William Wilkinson as Chairman tor the ensuing year. Mr Carpenter proposed that the voting should be by ballot. Mr Osborne said that all the Acts expressly stated that the voting should not be by ballot, but should be by open Toting —by show of hands.

Mr Carpenter seconded Mr McGowan's motion.

Mr Dean said he thought the meeting would have done better to have acted oa his advice and elected a temporary chairman. The business had been conducted in a manner utterly without precedent. If a chairman had been elected, the proceedings would have been conducted in decency and order.

Mr Brown: Perhaps Join Head will retract.

Mr Dean : Mr Bagnall has given an account of his stewardship both by letter and verbally to the Council. He would take the votes of the Council.

For Lemuel John Bagnall, 4; for the Mayor, 4. ...

As the number of votes were even, it was unanimously decided, to elect the chairman by lot, and the names of Messrs Bagnall and Wilkinsoa were consigned to the depths of Mr Dean's hat, which was then presented to Mr McFarlane who drew the name of Mr Bagnall. The result was received with a flutter of applause.

Mr Brown said tha'fc he wished to raise the question as to the legality of the election of Messrs McGowan and Marshall.

Mr Dean stated that they were duly elected on the 14',h.

Mr Brown so.id he should speak his mind, and ii" necessary he would take steps to prove that the election of the two Borough membors was illegal. Mr Bagnall took the Chair, and said he hoped there would be no ill-feeling. He was sure the;re would not be between himself and the Mayor. He trusted that the business would be conducted in the same business: like way it had hitherto been conducted in. (Applause.);. ,

THE BAD STATE OP THE WHABF.

Mr McGowan said he would call the attention of the Board to the dangerous state of the wharf. It was absolutely necessary to ensure safety to passengers and horses that the wharf should be seen to. •" . . .

Mr Eead drew attention to the bad state of Curtis' wharf. , „ ;

Mr Carpenter also spoke in favorof attending to the wharves.

The Chairman said he would authorise the matter to be attended to, so long airifr would only entail the expenditure of afeTf pounds.

The Board then adjourned to TararUt at Mr Dean's invitation to see the depth, of water there at high tide. •