HARBOUR BOARD.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16881, 8 July 1920, Page 5

HARBOUR BOARD.

YESTERDAY'S MEETING. The Lyttelton Harbour Board met yesterday. Present —Moesrs H. B. Sorenseri (chairman), It. Galbraith, T. D. Boag, J. Stony, F. Horrell, A. ICave, T. Blakeley, R. Macartney, H. Holland, W. J. Walter, J. Flood, S. K. Sleigh, and Dr. Thacker. The chairman stated that during the month ibrr© had been an tmurrual congestion of shipping in the port, with a'cfonsequent shortage of labour «nd trucks. The conditiona had resulted in the neuul outcry against tho Railway Department, and the Canterbury members of Parliament,' on tho 30th ultimo, in a body, interviewed the Primo Minister, who is also Minister of Uailwcys,, to urge upon liim tho necessity for improved facilities on the Christchurch-Lyttelton line. The Minister's reply was sympathetic, <Lnd indicated that tho Department recognised the necossity for the • improvements outlined by Mr'Hile? in 1014, but he also nracb it clear that his reference was to all the big centres, and, reading between the lines, it was easy to e.co that Canterbury would have to take ita turn with the rest when the difficulties of mctorial, 'abour, and finance were overcome; so that hor© was evidently little hope of from ;ho Government in the near future. "It reminds me of the circumlocution office," added the chairman. ,f Wo get the ■amo reply every time, but there's nothing doing.' The engineer reported that 19t-h and la?t row of bearer piles in the No. 3 jetty extension was now being driven. Capo ana beams were lflid for 208 feet of the extension, and the lower decking for a distance of 78 fe&t. Tipping of stone' was continued at Officers' Point to make good the damage from heavy sea 3. The report was odopted. The treasurer reported that the re.C3ip.fi for the first sis months of tho year amounted to £10114 8s 9d, ns compared with £40,200 2a 7d for the first six months of last year. Dur-, in" Juno 104 vessels with a total net tonnage tons entered the port, as compared with 148 vessels ajrrejating 92.532 tons durin» tho corresponding month of lfvrt year. Tho total tonnage inwards for tho first six months of the year amounted to 730,801 tone, as compared with 620,522 tons during tho first-1 x rfffl 1 near Officers' Point, and tne Board d-Cided to draw the attention.of the Government -o t! Th™ a engineer stated that tho ouostion was not the property of tho BoardL * The warehouseman recommended theo-ec tion of a large .tore eastward- of Officers P S £~£ «» H«ao» copies of the pamnhlct. on K^apoi Mcs3r3 Miller Bros, applied for a kxUksticn the charge for berthing tho schooner A if wS 11 decided to reply that the charge would be reduced to £10 r?r f .t, Mr W. Comfort was appointed night watohman on the dredge Canterbury. ■ The usual erant of £75 \ros made to the British and Foreign Sailors' _ A circular was received from tho Isew Zealand Society of Acountants, cmplovers should give preferential conaidewt;on to members of tho Society, and encurate its officers to qualify for mcmberof the Socicty. The letter w*« rco-ivcd. • 'The Sailors' Home. recommends ed that the accommodation at the ircr»a--ed by the erection of a second over" the present dining-room, to provide nine "dditioua 1 bedrooms and a second _bathroom, an Climated cost of £1072. The r*com- : -"That tho Board an urssnt letter to the Coal Control Board, "Wellington, asking fox a cargo of foal for the Board, to avoid the dredges 1 This motion was seconded by Mt Holland una carried.