LYTTELTON HARBOUR BOARD-.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14908, 5 March 1914, Page 2

LYTTELTON HARBOUR BOARD-.

« MONTHLY MEETING. A meeting of tho Lyttelton Harbour Board was held yesterday. Present: —Messrs R. Moore (chairman), F. Horreil, A Kaye, W. Miller, J. Storry, J. Little, J. P. Webb, C. Allison, J. J. Dcugall, and li. Friedlander. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. Mr R. Moore, chairman, said that since the last ordinary meeting, the following suuis had been paid iiuo the Harbour Fund account: —Pilotage and Poit charges, £_2u2 1-is 4d; -vliarl'ago, £l_b-3 is; towage, storage, etc., £4U-U 0s -id; total, i-.-DU los tid. Ihe total cash receipts since the l-egimiing of the year amounted to £l\,\)6'i 14s 3das against £11,771 1-s 3d received during tae coiT-s.-oj-diug period of last year. The bank-book showed the Harbour fund to be in credit _-.'olo_ Os 3d, and tiie Uiipa.d accuuuts to bo pr.__;od for payment at that u:e._iiig ainoinued to £-.'73- 10s 10d wiiieh would s.ill leave a credit balance oi £-,'2'J Us .".d. During tho mouth of February, 2GG vessels had entered the Port of Lsttei'.on with an aggregate net tonnage of 203,371, as against 2(K) vessels aggregating 107,815 tons during tlio corresponding nionth of last year. The chairman's report was received. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENT COMMiTTEivS REPORT. Tlie Harbour Improvement Committee reported that it recommended tenders bchig called for tlie supply of new boilers for tho dredge Canterbury, tho tenders to bo invited in Sew Zealand and London. The engineer had beon asked to submit a report on the cost of cementing the upper part of the face on the reclamation mole. The committee recommended that tho report of the Conference regarding watersido labour be received. It was recommended that tho life-boat service be offered to tho Sumner Borough on the same terms as those contained in the Board's offer to the Royal Lifesaving Society. The committee had no recommendation to make regarding tho letter received from the Lyttelton Railway Casual Union. It was recommended that the sum of £25 be voted to the widow of the late Mr Tatnell, lamp attendant. .Mr T. Carter, late signalman at tho Heads, was recommended for an extension of lcavo on half pay. Mr Dougall moved that, n Government engineer be asked to inspect tlio boilers and make a report, with a view to ascertaininc' tho extent of the contractor's liability in failing to comply with tho specifications. The motion was carried. Tho engineer reported that a certain member of the Board had been down to tho port, and had mado enquiries from subordinate oflk-ers with regard to certain matters outside their duties, .bus placing these officers in an ex--remely uncomfortable position. Mr Littlo said ho supposed the cnineer's memorandum referred to him. He had certainly asked questions from oilicers for his own private information, and had not divulged any of tho information so obtained. Mr Friedlander moved: "That, having .ily considered the engineer's memorandum, the Board was of the opinion t was not in tho best interests of discipline that subordinate officers bo asked for information that could bo more properly supplied by the engineer, and aat tho members of the Board bo ask--3d to discontinue an exceedingly undesirable practice." Mr Allison thought thc motion went too far. but on being put to tho inect._s it was carried. RECLAMATION WORK. Arising out of the Harbour Managejient Committee s report, tho engineer .eported that the cementing of tno iper part of the face of the reclamaon mole would cost about £200. There ,-as a dilhculty in building a parapet along tho mole, as it would interfere with tho side-tipping of stone. The matter was left in the hands of the engineer. GENERAL BUSINESS. The Special Committeo set up to deal with tho matter reported having referred the disputed items on tho Christchurch City Coiinci]_s account for the Board's share of tho cost of the last election to tho Audit Office, in accordance with the Harbour Amendment Act. Tho engineer referred to the installation of an electric light plant on the tug Lvttelton at an estimated cost of £4(30. 'and the matter was referred to the Harbour Improvement Committee. It was decided to nurchnse a special open-tine grab for the dredge Tewhaka The matter of inviting tenders for tho supply of materials for repairs and reconstruction and enlargement to No. 6 jetty, was referred to the Harbour Improvement Committee. The same course was adopted with a letter on the high rate of wharfage on glue pieces, and a communication from the Commander of H.M.S. Psyche regarding a damaged boat. REPRESENTATION. Tho chairman brought up the matter of representation on the Board, and referred to the deputation which had recently waited upon tho Hon. F. M. B. Fisher on the matter. Mr Storry spoke at some length on the subject of tho representation of country and town, and moved that the Prime* Minister and tho Minister of Marine be informed that the Lyttelton Harbour Board strongly protests against any alteration in the system of representation, as advocated by the deputation that waited upon tho Hon. F. M. B. Fisher in February. Tho motion was carried.