HARBOUR BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 124, 18 February 1908, Page 8

HARBOUR BOARD.

i ' \ COMPULSORY PURCHASE OF PATEN" SLIP. !:. ■ : -RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD. • I,■ 'A special meeting of tho Harbour Boar< jv • tras hold yesterday afternoon, when then S' wore present: Hon. I'. Kennedy. Macdonald ; M.L.C (chairman); ' Hon. T. W. Hislop ; v Messrs. F. H, Frnser, C. E. Daniell, J. G ■ ■ Harkuess, M. Coljon, J. W. M'Ewan, T. M • Wilford, M.P., R. Fletcher, F. G. Bolton [ and C.-W. Jones. ■ I THE ELECTIONS. The Secretary reported, tho. result of tin • recent elections of representative, members o: r tho Board as follows Wellington Chambei ' : of Commerce, Mr. Joseph Georgo Harkness i : : Payers of. Duos and >■ Owners of Ships, Mr Cecil William- Jones; Hutti County and Sub . urban Districts, Mr. John William M'Ewan [Wairarapa Country Districts, Mr. Charles t' Edward Darnell;' Manawatu • Country 'Dis- • tricts, Mr. Maurico Cohen; Ratepayers of.tlu il City of Wellington, Messrs;-. Robert Fletchci '.'v and Frederick Georgo Bolton. LEGISLATION WANTED. ■ The Chairman stated that, 1 in view, of the ! : expiration'of 'his term .of ' office..- as chairman on February 25, ho had. convened this meet- ; dng in' order, to -lay before; the newly-elected members of-tho Board his views as to tho necessity of promoting a Bill during tho next ! ' r:. - . session of Parliament to include borrowing . powers and powers of reclamation. He . pointed out that if powers to reclaim we'ro required it would bo necessary to,act at-oncc so as to doposit plans in accordance with tho Section 148, at ; lfcast threo' months before tho .session. He had iV . placed his views of what was required bofore p■: -:tho Board very fully on January. 30. The v -. new members' had probably rcadin the news- ; what'he then said; y and ; it-would -be ;y (; r >; -. ''.unnecessary . for-him'to go''over :tho'whole - ground'again on the present occasion. Ho V-'proposed.that at tho'present stage the l Board •• • • . should go into committee. THE NEW MEMBERS •. . . Mr. Cohen said that, as tho issues before tho Board were so momontous, he desired to • . • ' suggest .that ; further time for' consideration should be.'givcn to members.Had the old K\ committed.,',itself . to theso proposals thero would bo no moro to bo done. In the ;' > '■ interests -of ;the.' constituency ho. had; the honi! - our to rfepresent; he felt that he was ontitled to ask for an adjournment, so that ho . could fr' go :into 'tho • matter.'/and mako his ■ voteof - ' . value to the. Board 'and; satisfactory to' his own .conscience. i Mr.' Bolton said it appeared that certain >•': items.'on "the; order .paper;were; urgent, , and 'Z'-l;'. if. not dealt with at. that' meeting - would fall ■' : 'to tho ground. Ho was. prepared to consider ki- '';, such ' matters at. onco, 'but ho' thought tho ;i.; general question' of ; what, 'works should bo . gono'on'with,'and the ; like, should bo post- ;■ v '' - poned. '. ..■ " ( THE PATENT SLIP. . V.:' Mr. Wilford thought all the subjects should Si; . be postponed,; except' 'the' matter; of 'the pro-' . .- motion of tho Bill for tho compulsory' acqtiisition of the Patent ,'Slip. He ■ believed : ii; the Board: would agreo'-' to -that ■ without" a dissentient' voice,-'so;that the; Board might take tho Patent Slip on terms that would be fair and reasonable. : • • ' ' Mr.' Jones. urged that* the ; new 'members should'not', be asked at their-first meeting -. to vote on? important matters whichv'thej r . had not had ; timd'to consider. - Mr. M'Ewan took up a/similar attitude. :/ -> Mr. Fletcher said ho had great sympathy V- with .tho new members,■ but 'there 1 could ''be • no harm in going on with the matter of the iv : .;, 'Cv . Patent Slip,' because the old Board-had unanimously passed a resolution in favour: of ' s ,Vj.;acquiring that property: Ho recognised; thiit other ■ 'matters of; ; a'; ratlicr ' alarming - nature : . . were.^et' dmvn for consideration. AGAINST COMPULSORY' PURCHASE;''

Mr.-.Cohen said, thatj even on the question | of tho Bill for the. purchase of the Patent i Slip,- ho wished , to.ask for time for further, study and consideration, v He found that tho . power to purchase .the Slip was given to tho Board by an Act of 1902. The Board;. had : thus-had five, years in which to eiercis.eVthat ■ right, 'but had .taken no "steps' to; do so until, recent events .had precipitated ; ; it3 'action. Ho could see no just cause for tho promotion , of the .proposed Bill to acquire the Slip compulsorify. ■ If it was ■ a'-schQjno for communistic taking of the fruits of private enterprise ho would ; oppose it. The purchaso,: lie observed, • was-estimated to cost: £135,000, He ■ suggested,- as an alternative,; that the Board snould construct a' new slip,, but he; would not 'object to tho Board acquiring the Slip ;if it'could bo done by friendly arrange-, ; ment .without compulsion.- i Compulsory, ac'qiiisition .of ' .the ;Slip might'. logically tbo-.fol-" lowed >by-compulsory-jnirchaso of repairing / shops. • THE CHAIRMAN'S REPLY. . . The Chairman said that His object in mov-. V; ing to go into committee was to enable mem-. : bers jto go.fully' into.all the*.subjects, to bo placed before them,, and postpone all those ' which' they wero not prepared to- deal/with. . He was in- full sympathy with the- new, members •in their reluctance' to vote on import- '\ ant: subjects-without further- consideration, " but .'there 'were one or. two matters which required to be dealt-with at oiice.''He would, remind -Mr.' Cohen of the resolution in favour . of purchasing the-Slip, passed by tlio Board .on December 5, 1907:'• :■ ' . V k -- Mr. 'Harkness said , that he was-not favourable asa" general rule to public' bodies • doingtheir." business--in-.committed but ho ' recognised that in the present instance'there . wero special-circumstances. . Tho Board then-jyent into committee.j... 'A BILL FOR COMPULSORY PURCHASE. .' On the Board resuming,'tho-following resolutions were, reported : andconfirmed '".-That!the:,Board!s solicitors prepare a Bill ■ - .Mjroviding for tho compulsory purchase by the ®oard of tho property of the "Wellington - Patent; Slip' Company, Ltd.,' at Evans'Bay; and that tho Committee (to bo : appointed- after the, election of chairman on ■!: the: 25th, inst.) bo authorised to . settle ~'tho ! ' terms,.of .tho' Bill, .and to introduce it and, -act in '.respect' thereto."' " .'. ' . " That- plans, bo prepared and deposited with tho. Marino Department, ifter approval by .tho '.Legislation Committee,""of reclamations, proposed at tho. Patent, Slip* property. 1 ' .Mr. Cohen, asked that liis dissent from tho : 'resolution in regard to'.compulsory purchase. . of tho ; Patent. Slip property bo: put on record. WORKS'IN PROGRESS. The Board also, after consideration in committee, decided .to -approve of the follovring . list of works in progress, or, in contemplation, tho ; figures representing ; tho ■ allocation 5 for. 1908: — Potono. 7 Wharf and works incidental ■ thereto (contract No. 146) ...' < ...' £9,000 King's Wharf and Stores (contract No. 138) -13,100 Clydo Quay Wharf (contract' No. . 124) 17,250 Mooring buoys (contract 1 No. 149) ... 370 Fire-hydrants (contract No. 150)180 Hydraulic jiggers (contract- No. 148) and'estimated cost of erection .v; 5,030 , Hydraulic cranes for King's Wharf ... 16,200 Worthington pumping engine ' ; 4,000 Boiler-house oxtension... ... - ... 1,500 ■ : Road formation, To. Aro reclamation - cast, £750; ' Waterloo Quay• re-.; clamation,- £1500; drainage, Water- ' - 100 Quay reclamation', £500 2,750 Wood-blocking -Custom House and Jorvois Quays • ' " ... 4,000 Completion retaining .wall, Waterloo / Quay'reclamation ' ... I,OCO Filling-in,. street formation, water- - scrvico, etc., Waterloo. Quay- reclamation/ .••--w-K--:-;.'..'-' . 5,000 Filling-in, etc.', i.Te- Aro "-reclamation, west ....,i . .... 200 Pipitea Wharf with cranes, lighting, v.. etc 1000 ' Wool Store, Z, Waterloo Quay, north 2,000 Electric light installation <, v.v. fj. .... 1,000 Drodging, Lambtou Harbour... ... 5,000 Total ... ... ... £118,600 All tho othor business on. tho order paper, as set out under another heading;-was postponed until thenoxtmeotmg of the Board.