HARBOUR BOARD.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10059, 10 June 1898, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD.

A special meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board was held at 2.45 p.m. yesterday. Present—Messrs F. Graham (Chairman), A. Chalmers, J. Joyce, D. McMillan, F. Waymouth, Hay, E. R. Deacon, D. Buddo, Hon. J. T. "Peacock, and Captain McClatchie.

The Chairman explained that this Was aspecial meeting to receive the opinion, of counsel on the Lyttelton sewer question. He thought that the Board should go into Committee to consider the question. After some discussion this was carried.

On the Board resuming, it was reported that the opinion 'of Messrs Beswick and Harris was that the Board should give notice to the Council to discontinue discharging silt and refuse into the inner harbour, and if they did not acquiesce in this then the Board should obtain an injunction to restrain the Council., A letter was also read from the Dunedin Harbour Board forwarding a copy of the legal opinion obtained by the Board from their solicitors. Hen. J. T. Peacock moved—"That the necessary notices as recommended by counsel be given to the Lyttelton Borough Council to discontinue discharging silt and refuse into the inner.harbour." He was not at all opposed to some reasonable concessions being made but the position taken up by the Borough Council was quite unreasonable.

Mr McMillan seconded the motion,

Mr Chalmers said the Lyttelton people bad acquired rights long before the Harbour Board was instituted. But the matter would have to be fought out in the Courts. He would say no more now. Mr Waymouth said that he quite agreed with the motion, of Hon. Mr Peacock, but he Would be one of the first to agree to a reasonable compromise which might be arranged. It was, of course, the duty of the Board under the circumstances to stand on its legal rights. Mr Buddo could not but agree with Mr Peacock's motion, but he, like Mr W.aymouth, would be only too ready to agree to a' compromise. But the' Lyttelton Borough, Council must first approach them with regard to the terms.

Mr Deacon moved as an. amendment to Mr Peacock's motion—"That a committee of three be appointed by the Harbour Board to confer with three members of the Lyttelton Borough Council with a view of avoiding litigation. That the Harbour Board invite the Lyttelton Borough Council to delay further aggressive measures until that conference has been held, and that the opinion received by the Board together with the report of the conference be referred to a future meeting of the Harbour Board to be held at some convenient time." Lyttelton could not do without the Harbour .Board or the Harbour Board without Lyttelton. Let them avoid going to iaw as a certain elderly gentleman was stated in the papers that day to avoid holy water.

Mr Joyce seconded the amendment. There was no doubt that the Lyttelton Borough Council had some equitable rights apart from the purely legal ones. Mr Chalmers said if the Lyttelton people were met in a reasonable manner he felt sure they would be reasonable also. But the proposals of Lyttelton had been boohooed down when brought before the Board. He would be only too glad to see the matter settled amicably, because there would be far more money spent in law than would be sufficient to carry out the work from an engineering point of view. Hon. J. T. Peacock said t>. Board could not go on continually cringing to a body which would do nothing at all in the matter. After a deputation waited on the Board the Council decided to inform the Board as the next step would be to proceed to extreme measures. All had been done by the Board that could be, but they had been met with defiance. What his resolution meant was to bring the Council to book; when they had done this then the Council might ask for a conference. Surely it was not the proper thing for the Board to ask for a conference. He would be in favour of any reasonable concessions, but surely the Board had done all that could be to settle the matter amicably, but they had not been met in the same spirit. Mr Deacon urged most strongly that a conference should be held between the two bodies. If the .Board stood on its dignity and went to law, at the expense of the ratepayers, they would be doing a wrong. Mr tfuddo pointed out that the deputation from the Borough Council to the ■Board wanted the Board to give a sum towards the cost of a drainage scheme. This, of course, the Board could not do without legislation. Hence he thought the Lyttelton Borough Council should come to them with some other proposal. The Chairman said that he was very loth to see the Board going to law, but he thought that the Board ought to take up their proper position. He should vote for Mr Peacock's motion, but he would only be too ready to consent to a compromise if the Borough Council were willing that this should be done.

Tha amendment was then put and lost by six to four.

Mr Joyce then moved a second amendment to.the effect that conditional on the Lyttelton Borough Council abstaining from opening the drains and formulating their demands re drainage these demands be considered by a

joint committee of the Council and t&s Board. Captain HcClatcbie seconded the amende ment!

Mr Chalmers supported the amendment, and after some discussion, in which Mr. Buddo, Hon. J. T. Peacock, and the Chairman took part, the amendment was put and lost by five to four. Mr Deacon then moved another amendment to tin effect that the consideration of the matter be adjourned until the next ot: dinary meeting of the Board. Mr Joyce seconded the amendment. After some remarks from Mr Chalmers, who moved—" That the Chairman, Messrs Langdown, and Deacon be apponted as a committee from the Board to meet a similar' number from the Borough Council with a view of suggesting a scheme of compromise," —Mr Deacon withdrew his amendment.

Mr Joyce then seconded Mr Chalmers's amendment, which was put and carried unanimously. The Standing Orders having been suspended, on the motion of Mr Deacon, a committee was appointed, consisting of the Chairman, Messrs Hay and Deacon, and Captain McClatchie, to open and accept a tender for the erection of a building on.the Cave Rock at Sumner. <'

The Board then adjourned