HARBOUR BOARD.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20308, 6 August 1931, Page 4

HARBOUR BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board -was held yesterday. Present—Captain H. Monro (chairman), H. Holland, M.P., F. Horrell, J. Leslie, J. W. Bowden, E. J. Howard, M.P., W. T. Lester, F. E. Sutton, H. M. Chrystall, F. L. Parnham, W. 6. Gallagher, W. J. Walter, and H. T. Armstrong, M.P. The treasurer reported that since the last meeting, up to July 31st, £BIB6 2s 4d had been paid into the Harbour Fund account, compared with £9791 2s 3d last*year. The total ordinary receipts for the first seven months of the year 1931 (January io July) were £57,203 Is sd, as compared with £68,070 4s 2d for the corresponding period of 1930. The bank book showed the Harbour Fund to be in credit £3221 13s lOd. The unpaid accounts to be passed for payment amounted to £1134 2s Bd, which left the account in credit £2087 lis 2d.

Engineer's Jtepoit. The engineer reported that the suction dredge Canterbury was engaged partly in the outer channel, whence she removed 115,802 tons of spoil and partly in the open parts of the inner harbour, whence 21,540 tone of spoil were taken. A good deal of trouble was experienced through the picking up. of foreign bodies. Wire ropes were picked up on July 20th and 29th, and a bucket pin from the dredge Manchester on July 16th. On July 24th the suction pipe was blocked by a piece of railway rail 3 feet long and a piece of ship's timber 4 feet long. A more serious mishap occurred on July 28th, when a stone j entered the port pump and cracked the casing, necessitating the application of two patches. During the same period the grab dredge Tewhaka was engaged iu deepening the berths at No. 4 east and No. 4 west, the total amount of spoil removed being 5040 tons. The four new electric grabbing cranes on the Gladstone pier were put into commission during the month, the first work offering for one of them being the coaling of the dredge Canterbury from railway waggons, which was carried out quite satisfactorily. On July 27th all four cranes were employed in unloading coal from the B.s. Storm into a hulk moored alongside the steamer. The crauea were designed with a special view to this class of work, the jibs having a reach 15 feet greater than that of the other wharf cranes. This enabled them to work bulk cargo between two vessels of moderate beam moored one outside t1.3 other. When not required for grabbing, the cranes were readily and quickly convertible for handling general cargo. The work done in unloading the Storm was quite up to expectations, especially considering that the machinery was new and the men unused to the type of crane. • l

Harbourmaster's Report. The harbourmaster reported that ing July, 124 trading vessels, aggregating 170,078 tons register, ontered the port, as compared with* 129, aggregating 145,787 tons register iu July, 1930, as detailed below:July, 193;. July, 19H0. j \ Teasels. Tons. Vossela. Tons. Cw>Btai . 74,84} 113 78,707 Intnrcolomal .. 5 , 6,580 6 12,740 Overseas • u 88,644 11 54,250 124 170,078 129 145,787 There were no.diroct arrivals or departures during the month. .Overseas vessels arriving and departing via coaßtal ports wore: — Arrivals—lo from U.K., •£ from U.S.A., 1 from Nauru Island. Departures—9 for U.K., 4 foil Australia, 2 for U.S.A. Sailors' Home. The Sailors' Home Committee reported that 600 meals were supplied from «uly Ist to July 18th, compared with 1373~f0r July, 1930. The average number of boarders cho occupied rooms during the month was eight; the maximum being 11, and the minimum 5. The debit balance on earnings and expenditure for the nine months ended June 30th, was:— . ■ « £ s. d. 190 17-10 For July it is .. •• 35 16 1 Making a debit balance for 10 months to 3rd and 4th .. .. £226 13 11