HABBOUB BOARD.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 9118, 19 May 1880, Page 2

HABBOUB BOARD.

. . — f Tuesday, 18th May. A special meeting of the Harbour Board was held yesterday afternoon, at Mr Churlon's oiiices, Tanpo Quay, to consider tho desirability or otherwise of procuring a dredge for use in the Wanganui River. There wore present : — Messrs Morgan, Duthie, Sommerville, J. P. Watt, ljiindon, and ¥. R. Jackson. Me Jackaon was voted to the chair. Mr Dutliie stated that he and Mr Peat, when in Wolliugtou last week, had interviewed Mr Steele, the General Manager of the National Bank, on the subject o£ an advance to enable the Board to purchase a dredge without delay. The result was that Mr Stoelo agreed to an advauce of £3000, bearing ordinary Bank rates of interest. Of course, in the event of the loan iloating all right tho loan would only be temporary. Mr Stoelo expressed himsolf as hopeful that no difficulty would be experienced in tho floating of tho loan, now that a good margin was shown botween the prospective revenue of the Board and tho amount proposed to be raised. Ho said that a greater margin was looked for in tho case of Harbour Loards than of any other local bodies, as considerable danger was often run of tradu being diverted from a port through thenon-succossof works and tho oponiii" up of other ports. In case of the loan not floating, the Bank held the right to sell the laud. With regard to the question of interest, Mr Bteole said there was no disposition on the part of the Bank to tako any undue advantago of tho Board. Mr Duthio said that tho deputation next wont to the Engineer's department of ths Ciovvrnuunl to make iiNliiirios i'o dredge pUus, - M \A a«w>

tamed that the plans of the small dredge in uso at Groymouth, and which tlie Board's Engineer had recommended, were in Dunedin, but the Government officers promised to send for them and have them forwarded at once. They had not, however, yet arrived. lie, the Mauawalu endowment, they ascertained at the Survey Oflico that two gangs of men were employed on the block, and that it waa being marked of in sections for sale. They alao saw the Hon Mr Ollivur and slc Blackett with regard to .1 temporary rail being laid down on the lioclaimisd Land, pending tho erection o£ tho Station buildings. It was promised that it should be dotio at onco, but there was no appearance of it yet. Tli3 Secretary read n, letter from the Public Works Ollice re dredge at Greymouth, and also tho following letter from Messrs Pinches and 'Crevithick : — " Wanganui, May 15, 1880. " Sin, — Kindly permit us to sny we would make a dredge, such as we have submitted to you, of iron, for tho same amount, with merely a dill'ureuoe of 10ft in the length. The barge would be GO x 15ft. The engines we proposed using had, we arc informed, only eighteen months' wear in the Egtnont. They are of tho same power as those in the Tui and Jane Douglas, namely, 20 li p. nominal. Considering the great difficulty of obtaining material, through delay, &c, we are unable to guarantee launching the barge under four months. — We are, &C, " Pinches and Trevitijick.." Mr Sommerville moved, and Mr Lundon seconded, That so soon as the plans and specifications of the small dredge in use at Greymouth are received, they, together with Messrs Pinches and Trevithick's plans, be submitted to the Engineer for his opinion thereon. After considerable disenssiou, the ; motion was withdrawn in favour of the following — ■ Moved by Mr Duthie, seconded by Mr J. P. Watt, and carried, That tenders be called for a self-propelling , iron dredge, capable of and guaranteed to lift 75 to 100 tons per hour, draught not to exceed 3ft, and to dredge to 15ft. ' Tenders to furnish plans and specifications, and the dredge to be delivered in Wanganui within four months from . acceptance of tenders. Payments to be i half in cash on delivery, and the balance [ within one month on satisfactory trial of , the dredge. , The meeting then separated.