HARBOUR BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 October 1908, Page 11

HARBOUR BOARD.

THp' RECLAMATION SCHEME. POSITION OF THE SINKING- FUNDS. The . monthly meeting of the ellington Earbour-.Board, yestorday afternoon, was attended by the Chairman (Mr. T. M. AYilfrinl, the Hon. T. Kennedy Maedonald, Mfli.C. 1 ,. Messrs. I<\ 'H. Eraser, C. W. Jones, R.' ihetcher, J. W. M'Ewan, C. E. Daniell, M.'Colifen, and J. G. Harhness. Leave of absence. was,granted to the Hon. T. -W. Hislop and Mr. G. Bolton. FINANCE. The, following credit balances at the hank wer6 - reported:—Currant account, £15,37 d 16s;;ild.'; .imprest account, £958 -2s. 2d.; on fixed deposit, £70,000. 'The following payments were approved:— For accounts and wages, £13,893 Ds. 3d.; for-progress payments on contracts, £4127 105.•5 d. ; !> for. salaries for October, £696 6s. 9d.y,:t<)tal, £i 5,7.17 6s. sd. . . , . -EVANS BAY RECLAMATION. The Chairman reported that the board's privat'e:Bill intituled the Wellington Harbour Board Enipowcring Act, 1908, and the board's public Bill intituled tho Wellington Harbour Board and Empowering Act, 1908,-had passed both Houses of Parliament. Ho congratulated the board on this result. The' sub-'copimittees of the board had done in bringing about a settlemerit,' though it had again and again looked like an'irapossiblo task. It showed the value of by reasonable men, for absolute unanimity was at last reached. He had at;one .time had ten petitions before him in regard ;to" Evans Bay, and he did not snow how many! objectors there were, or how many ; lawyers-were engaged, but after tho betterment was struck out and after the Mirivmari Borough Council had agreed to give •thto'boarfl a sum of money, which the board called [betterment and the council called subsidjv th'e<wh~ole of the opposition was-done afray .with. The position now was that il Jssired to reclaim any part of Evans.Bay, they had power to enter'into an agreement with the owners in regard to sub-sidy-or betterment, and if reasonable terms were como to the board could reclaim the laid. >, The board was not bound to go in forany reclamation, as the clause was purely permissive and gavo tho board a free -hand. •Mr. Fraser: Are wo bound to do any reclamation if the people ask for it? Mr. Wilford: No. If anybody expresses a wish'for reclamation we can ask on what bails/and: wo can negotiate." . -JMr.-i, Cohen congratulated- tho Chairman aud jtlip-'lton. .Mr, Maedonald on their success -'.with- the Bill in Parliament. He hoped any/' negotiations under the Bill would be gorerprilby fair and generous considerations,'*as; the people with whom agreements migl!t:-'b6 m.'ide would contribute, by their etf6rU v t<r the general -prosperity. Mr.-;'Fictcher. seconded" the motion, and suggested the inclusion' therein of . the name of wizard. M.P. ~ He considered the agroemeiit, between the board and the Mira-ma'r'-Borough Council was a very fair one, and : ;h6 did' not see that either side could claim ;a'-victory. .^Che.,.Chairman', in-further explanation of thfT.poSition, said that the Miramar Borough Council iwould pay. the. board £5000, spread ovar'.a'ipcriod of years, and would transfer land'to the . board. In .return the board would . give ''Miramar an 80ft. quay "road along the water frontage, and wouldincreaso the width of; the cutting to \66ft.,' and ; take 'down a certain amount of | the .'.bluff near the wharf. The' spoil thus obtained would probably be tipped intothe" harbour, unless it was sold, which was the ionly alternative. But the chief thing Mirainar. would get would be the extension and improvement of the wharf. The board was ijot bound to reclaim an acre, but' the- spoil would probably be used in that war. ■Mr.-Fletcher suggested that it would be advantageous to do so 'in connection with the! extension of the wharf. /Tile,/Cliairman concurred. He also acknowledged appreciatively the expressions of thanks. ••• fthe'Jion. T.' K. Maedonald also'thanked members'- for . their appreciative references and his Parliamentary'colleagues. He f-said ' the general public had no conception jof the responsibilities and tho work . 'that;ban-.been involved in the matter. They must ; take .great care now that they had their and seo that -tlie income of the.; board was kept up, , and that the port charge's 'should bo such as, without placing any ,undue burden on those, who had, to pay th?m,; would assure the board a sufficient revenue. • ' The expresseu chanks to Messrs. Daniell,-Fra-ser, Harkne's?. Bolton, and-Flet-cher, ,members of "the Eta'qs Bay and Reclamation';'; Committees, and the other members vof j the board and the Patent Slip Committee.. ..' The-resolution - of 'thanks to the Chairman and; Messrs. Macdopald and Izard was unanimously passed. TIvNDEIiS. ' On-the recommendation of-tho Wharves and-Accounts Committee the board resolved to '.call', for tenders for the extension of retaining .wall and storm-water culvert at Waterloo Quay Reclamation North, after approval of ,: the plans by the Goyernor-in-Coun-Cil. . - I?:;FOR CHEESE. Mr. Cohen asked if anything was contem-plated'for-the provision of adequate storage and "grading space for cheese. He pointed out'thati'the export was already large, and was expected to increaso. It seemed to him more, important, at least as far as his constituentswere concerned, than wool. ■The •'chairman said the matter was undor consideration, and also the matter of space for .■ butter/ and flax, but the secretary and engineer-/were extremely busy. The 'Hon/ T. K. Maedonald emphasised the importance of providing such accommodation. r'.; IN COMMITTEE. The board, in committee, decided to spend £200'on.covering'the roofs of the Clyde Quay boat'; sheds with malthoid. Tho board also confirmed the special resolution passed on Thursday,- August 27 (referring to Mr. Alexander ;MacDougall's lease of sections in the Cable Block l'rom the board). SINKING FUNDS. ' The _haif-yearly report of the Sinking Fund Commissioners was considered in committee, arid/afterwards adopted by the board. It shbwed that the accumulated sinking funds on.Septembor 30, 1908, amounted to £97,323 145.'2 d., an increase of £4557 17s. 6d. for the half-year. The increase was made up by £2450 contributed by tho board, and £2107 17s'. 6d. - interest; The chairman stated, in reply to a question, that.the average rate of interest on the board's sinking funds was £4 lis. 6d. per cent.'.