HARBOUR BOARD MEETING.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 202, 28 August 1888, Page 8

HARBOUR BOARD MEETING.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting o f the Harbour Board was held this afte r noon. Present : Messrs McNiccol (in the chair) T. Henderson, Button, A. G. Devore, C. B. Stone, Holland, Dignan, Buchanan. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Correspondence.—Letters read from the Hon. Geo. Fisher, the Minister in charge of the Marine Department acknowledging the receipt of a sealed copy of Board's Bye-laws, Received. From W. G. Winstone, asking permission to allow the engine house on the Board's allotment in Mechanic's Bay, in which machinery is fixed, to stand for a few weeks, and offering to pay a reasonable rent.—Permission was granted, rental to be £1 per week Mr D. H. Nairn wrote asking'tor permission, as occupiers of the allotment leased from the Board by Mr Oliver Mays, to erect a wharf, etc., in continuation of his present one, and covering *he balance of the allotment not at present utilised. It was decided /to get permission from the Minister of Marine and in the meantime Mr Nairn be requested to forward apian of what they purpose doing.— From Mr.C. G. Andrews, acting manager of the Bank of New Zealand, enclosing a notary's certificate as to the number of the bonds drawn for payment on 4th July last in London, and also accounts for expenses in ( connection1 with the drawing amounts to' £10 5s 6d. The account being correct was ordered to be settled.

Works and Tariff Committee. --Thefollowing recommendations of the Works and Tariff Committee were considered :—(l) That the consideration of^ plans for shelter for small boats be deferred. (2) That the Foreman of Works be authorised -to issue permits to deposit material in Freeman's Bay, such material not to be of ah offensive nature, and to be described in the permit; the person depositing material shall undertake to have same removed if found offensive, and faliing to do so, will be liable to be prosecuted. (3) That the Foreman of Works bo instructed to cause the channel opposite the sewer in Freeman's Bay to be kept clear, pending the City Council making arrangements re sewer extension. (4) That two lamps bo placed upon Hobson-street wharf, one at entrance and&the other at end of wharf, such lamps to be lit only when vessels are alongside the wharf. (5) That two lamps be placed on No. j 2 jetty, Quay-etrset, one at north end ■. of shed, and the other at entrance to jetfcy. (6) That application be made to the City, Council to lay water down Quay-street jetty No. 2r (7) That k6rbttg: be placed on Hobson-street Wharf, as suggested;by foreman of works. (8) That a suggestion be made to the Gifcy Council to confer with the Board re electric lighting. (9) That or/Jinary burners «bo substituted for Bray's burners on Queenstreet Wharf, and that the. Gas Company's offer' to light lamps at per lamp be accepted, theTquestiottrof /putting out lights on moonlight nights and at 12 o'clock to be deferred. (JO) That thelplansand specifications tor additions to 'Victoria Wharf be approved, and "tenders called for the work. Finance and Legal Committee.—-The report of the Finance and Legal Committee recommended :-»-(l) That application be made to the City Council for payment of cost of formation of approach to Hobsonstreet Wharf, viz., £237 5s sd. (2): That the increase of wages of Mr A. W. Elliott by £1 a month applied for be granted. (3) That Messrs Banks and McCallum be requested to insure the shed on No 2 jetty, Quay-street, as suggested by the.foreman of works. (4) That the Secretary make temporary,arrangements for cay 12 months for occupation of offices on Queen-street Wharf at existing rentals, (o) That the Secretary ascertain if the present holders of allotments, 'Breakwater Road, will continue to occupy all6tments at exist, ing rentals, and that he be authorised to' make arrangements for temporary occupation of allotments Custom-sti'eet West and Mechanic's Bay, now vacant, at rentals paid for same while under lease.

HARBOUR BOARD CHARGES,

The following letter from,iVlr \V. Philson, the acting manager of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, was read:—-"I have the honour to request, that you .will be good enough to give your kind, consideration to .the following instance where we have to pay landing wharfage on coKS, the product of anafticle (coal) which has already paid landing wharfage. I\ believe I am' correct in! assuming that your Board has no intention that landing wharfage is ;to be imposed more than onco, viz., when the goods are imported. The Gaa Company who ship the coke across the harbour, to us are prepared to, declare that the, whole of their shipments to us since the Ist of January, 1888, is the product of Newcastle coal on which they havo ■? paid the usual import landed .wharfage of Is per toil.; I therefore respectfully beg to suggest, if .you do not recognise the justice of my argument, and der cline to allow the coke to be delivered over one wharf free, that the shipped rate of 6d per ton' be levied in accordance With the bye-laws referring to goods wharfage, page

21. •. ;,' •.■■■- ■-.- ' ■•■,-'. > ■ J' Mr George Holdship, managing director of the Kauri Timber Company also wrote in reference to certain charges as follows : I beg to ask your consideration to tliat I believe, seriously1. a Beets .'■ this port, homely the export charges on timber. Owing to the present charges amounting'to about 6d per.; ,ioo'.:^eet : nearly 'all; the timber exported is"shipped from out ports, thus materially - reducing your revenue ; whereas, if you would refund thi3 I am satisfied a gain would be madeby you on the increased charges on shipping, and greater activity and employment for local coasting vessels, which would then be engaged carrying timber from the1 mills to this port, instead of being mostly, idle as at present-. ■ Another advantage to ,your would arise from revenue obtaiheel from produce now shipped direct to the mills from foreign. and, . Southern portsj ■which •would/ bo ~ lnncled.; - here and carried to its destination by our looal vessels. Should your jßoard, take this into .consideration, 1 would ' Baggesfc that coaßters employed -in this ; trade be .allowed »to iand oargo on the Hobfjon-street "Wharf for re-shipment. Any further explanation I-will be gliul to afford, j bub believing you arejsyellacqufcinted.with tho details JTthink it Js only necessary to OaUatteniibnto'tt; "~: ' • ■ '-h|

CALLIOPE DOCK.

The following letter was, read from Mr Pierce Lauigan in reference to his contract for the : constructionof thei Calliope Dock:—lb is now three years and nine months since my tender for Calliope Dock was accepted by your Board, and if I had not been delayed I could have had the job finished and out of my harid3 within my contract time, viz.," about fifteen months ago. You are aware that I spared neither trouble .nor- expense to expedite the work and.to make the job one of the best finished and most creditable of the kind in the world, and competent judges of such work all agree that I have succeeded in that. Unfortunately for me all my exertions and expenditure were to a very great extent thrown away, and I was prevented from achieving what I had set myheart on, namely, to complete the work within contract time by my being delayed for want of proper detail plans, the machinery not being ordered in sufficient time and other causes which you are aware arose from no fault of mine. Being, however, unwillingto cause your Board trouble I struggled on against great difficulties and finally got finished about three months apo. I then requested the engineer to settle up quantities and prices with me and after trying my best for two months to get him to certify to as many items as he thoughtright;hefinally refused to certify toa ; single item so we directed them to call in an arbitrator and he has been going over them now and then when he could spare time dwring the past month. But it is impossible for Mr Ware to arrive at a correct estimate of the work in the absence of detail drawings, be not having been on the ground during the progress of the work, most ot which is now carried up, and the arbitrator is now trying to measure some of the work on the ground which cannot be done accurately. Had proper detail drawings been supplied to me as they should have been, these quantities could be settled in less than a week, but it appears I am not only to put up with the loss and inconvenience arising from the^abeence of these drawings when carrying on fcho work, but am now also to suiter in the adjustment of accounts through the. impossibility of the arbitrator computing the quantities owing to the want of these drawings. It is no exaggeration on my part to say that it has been far less trouble to •me to do the. work than it was to eefc instructions and orders, and although I knew I was unwise in acting without written orders and directions in many cases, I was fairly wearied with doing bo, because I could not afford to wait for them, as I would have to knock off the work when pumping 'water, and other expenses would go on nearly the same as if in full work. I always comforted myself that I was working for a Board composed of honourable men who would treat me fairly, and who would look rather to the spirit than the letter of the conditions, and I now appeal to you, gentlemen, to help me in getting a settlement of my accounts. It must bo apparent to you that the long delay, first in completing the work and then in getting settled up, is ruinous to me, and it is only because I almost despair of ever getting done with this matter that I write to you. • The engineer has not met with the arbitrator himself for somo timo and s we, seem as far as over from any result. I therefore.beg that you will take the matter into your consideration. , _