HARBOUR AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 6

HARBOUR AFFAIRS.

ELECTION SPEECHES,

■i MESSRS. FLETCHER AND . BOLTON. • Mr. .K- . Hotelier .and Mr. F. G. Bolton, who aro standing for' rc-election as -representatives ;of,the,;.city electors > on' the •Harbour 'Board,"" addressed ,a meeting., in tho Concert "Ctiaidber of the Town Hall last-night,,;!, About! 100 1 persons" were present. Each of ;tho speakers ; had":a good Mr. -Boltbri,jwho did riot begin, speaking until .ajquai-ter;: past nine,, had to submit to .-a .good' deal of interruption 1 from -.two or three; individuals. ' '!,'■■' ' '

The Hon. T. Kennedy MaSdonald, Jl.L.C.','' who presided, said* : that ; v';' Mr.

Fletcher ...and. . Sir." Bolton ; deserved'; all tho . confidence the public could " place in them: V. Ke remarked;.. that;' the /•Harbour Board .wasnowdivided-into: two parties, ■! onecomprising; seveiri,'-.'andsth'e! other, four -v" J-' ■''.! .- y

MR. FLETCHER'S .SPEECH. ! -Mr. with yarious liirboUr.,' worfis. ~ He censured the board's ',late-V engineer :i(riow engineer) ' and' /the 1 gentlemen 'who suc-ceeded-liim as regard' to * the-' subsidence of. the ■ Ketone Wharf. He . repeated .his condemnation .of -the appointment of the latter as ofEco engineer. The lung's "Wharf was,- also rel'errbd.to.;by Mr. Fletcher as on which'' money; had (he: declared)-; been Wasted, in-spite' 'of his /advice';; Shipping companies" couldi'notiuse' their.jown gear, on the' :wharf, 'and' the ;board v had '.now;, decided" 'to' alter;, this, at.' a ..cost of some thousands''of'pounds; id'Theri..'there was,; the Clyde";. Quay Wharf. ... If ' his hearers'-. ,'- went, .down to . see 1 .it, they'would what ■.. it' was- .meant ,for:-.-!' 'ahlJofficial statement :vthat 'theClyde,,i Quay iWharf; '■would'rbdfa 1 for : -,the' doc£' ?l Tims'' ■wer'd r :.building J '.fa .J>300,000-'dock .arid: a '>£35,000''b're'akwater for it.:'. The dock. was ori.a 'able of .the -harbour.. "Pretty Good Financing." •'.'•The-boat harbour-'at-Clyde".Quay,'ac-cording :t'o. a": statement !iriaflo;by. Mr. rWilr' ford,. ; ;.was.".(hd ! continued)/ bringing in in,' reveriu&of,-.£93 ■ per - arinum',rarid ; had,-" cost; ii00,000.-""-Sihce theriia-'cajetaker. had been' appointed at M a week. "Pretty,igood' fi-' nancing,";.wasi; the , speaker's -coininont. The'cons traction .and site of. the new dock, were, : alsb adversely commented- an%:lfr.; Fletcher. -'He' further observed; that, the •bbaM'"'l6st •■j^. ; ;ortif''.'ttß:. i - 6^lTaging;Bfter,; .the "J":' she'dfirej; iand'Ypromised > that: if: given an o^portunitylhe'would,lhako, some' revelations: aYjut ■";it'' laterJ;on>". 'Dealingwith'the'question of,lightihg",the-wharves, Mr. -Fletcher expressed approval s of. ttlw board's .'decision M instal fan electric : plant of its' own. 1 H©• ulso pointed.outjtliflt.tri6' bond's, consulting'erigme'er -.w^ 'also nian^' ager: of; the Gas Company, -which, lie- subwas*.:an"'-' iiiffiatisfactory" state :oi. affairs.'! 7lt: was! his ..opinion that ' there had',been'' a;, waste-'of; money tric installation' on tho Glasgow-Wharf, ■MrV-'i-Hetcher'-'attributodythe irr^form-.-in signalling .to : the 'harbourmaster,' .but al-leged-'that it had-been opposed and-hinder-ed by. another .'officer.'. -He eulogised Mr., Marchbanks,. tho present: engineer. . • .

• "Blundering"-and its Results. ' If - the':' experts bitinfcied. so in regards.' been-1 -.no 1 ;! rieed: to ~'the ■ -port,, charges, which- would' have to be; done; soon; - He would try to get the increased burden distributed; as fairly, as-possible. Tho speaker went -'on !-V: advocate': a-',purely elective basis -for,,the harbour-board,- and asked what;,ir'ight!the'(Charaber' of;;Ccmmerce—^ -the ' nine -.! tailors. • ofTooley v Street . :had:',t6 -elect'.a,meinber .of "advocated:tho! municipal'franchise-for the time. beirig.-arid .hoped:the Parliataentary; franchise '.would! ultimately , be, adopted. (Applause).■'; By \vay.,.of,'further instances of' alleged l engineering ; ;^undCTs; Mr. Fletcher! -mentioned the - rP_ , shed, the Epna Bay wharf,--thd,"X shed, ,tno accumulatpr 'tower (which; 6'uilt' atV-first! without..'foundations), .the 'discarded! ti-aversors, etc'.'.He spoke'against gJsm^^iiess.'in; coinmitteb. : If. they .were :to have good 'rilaifagement, they,- must..come .out into the light of, day. :ThereHwere ;Mmetunes ; delicate hmtters that Must be,discussed in .doriimittee, but in gerieral; the-public_ had a right' to know what was being done. 'Better!' office v.accotnmbdation/; the : new dbcW reorganisation, of -the; staff,'-..a; super-, ari'nuation scheme -for the employees; were mentioned :.by-;Mr. Fletcher 'as patters. that , would-.require- attention : durmg : . the coming year.;.(Applause.) .

i*'.' . ADDRESS BY MR. BOLTON ' ,'Mr. p. G. Bolton! said that, on;most of -the vital iixestions •' before tKe board M saw -eye." to eye . with 'Mr. \l?letcher. , -He endorsed '■ Mr. Fletcher's, praise ..of Mr. Marchbanks (the; engineer) .and ~Captain Johnson (harbourmaster),• but -he also, be-lieved-that: reorganisatioi^of.^ absolutely .necessary., He ; , (iur v . Bolton; had tried,' on allthe local bodies of which lie .had been'a member, to. got as much 'business as ' .possible'.dono.in committee. The ; Wellington 'Harbour Board/adminiS:. 'tered property ■ whieli l .belpnge.d; ; to- all the i citizens; of .Wellington : and the. residents, of . the counts-districts,- and the.vpepple tad a-right to know:,how.: it was, managed. I '.He; mentioned that' 'out of 141 meetings of the' board : ahd commiiiees he |had been. siHninohed, hp;had attended 112. Constitution of the Board. : In rcard ' to''' the : tho board, : the;• scheme - approved by ;; -.the ma-, Mi* JFietcher * dud 'luDisoli'j ,• >yould_giv,o . tuQ city'^dnly^thr^.'i'epi'«,s.ep.ta& v 9?v- M-'urgea^ ■that'i'the.'.sUyJslio^d;^l^B^TO'Tßpreswrta>. wider,'-' * witli'.'": oue-story .sheds,^-and fewer:.■: br.-'./.differerit': oriuiM, :i,^6;--Wotw-loo '. .reclamation need; ' . not .. . have, |Wn': ; -'imdertito/,^l^iiP?»P<«W':;? l P 1 :-. tea 1 ' Wharf need'^ v vnpt : y-have;been; consideredv-uifter-conderaninK.the.adminr' ,Bolton:::sai|ithat ;tho,» board, would becauso; 'of :- tho : i ari'angemcnt; mado; v w'ith,; •the.Ci^'Cbuiicili'.: : -Heiwasvglaid;they.liad stopped 'some" unnecessary expenditure on ■craves. ; They : would - see .no: cranes;, on the, Clydo -Quay' wharf-for -a. : long,- timo, to come: '.'The.-preceding: board; .had;i, he alleged, -' left: a - legacy.. of,; waste,, includes waste'on' tho -Seatouii and liarakaßay wharves,'* the'.-boatyharbour,y; and. other wolks " "The Miramar Mistake." ' \ ; vlnlregard 'the 7-Miramar - mistake,'' ( the- present board -found 'itself committed to a- groat-, deal - of-: work..-; 'fhe PP!?t.- ; was estimated: at' je3G,130 "by.'the ;'then 'acting-: engineer.'- ':.The i cominitteo'then i soughtto, get'a .tho'-lo'cal-: lty '.'Theyr-'hadsno.'.idling'- against'the tq; get' - a •• faii ileal' -'Ihev,' negotiated . and* secured JBSOOO in - cash'and land 1 valued ~ 'They thought '.they :werej getting & per..^nt.-«« : the'cost,'but; were;-htirriao.d-:t6^learn-, that the cost •w6iUd^be.^' !^l,oM.;;.\CpulA^they blaiue familiar with those facts - for voting; agaihst-' tho.Tctentioii,. in the board's.;seriHco..of ; tlio. mail..who,. in their ; .'opinion, was responsible: vipivaii'. error :of over -;.Thev,;.now-;knew.; where: they were,- and,-would- uot -undertake ;ahy.' further work at, Mira;niar. WUeSs, it' was' showii' to bo financially; sound 1 and revenue-producing. 1 -V'-;'

■ Suggested Duty on Exports. ■Hp thougbt'?the .board deserved, creditfor tho comparative-immunity' from acci-dents,-and for tho ; fact that its last' bal-ance-shect was .a good bne.' uhder. tho circumstances; .After, -quoting - recently-pub-lished -figures' relating.to.'the.boaru.s loans land sinking funds! Mr! Bolton;emphasised tho desirability-of .having capable-men on tho' board. . .Great,euro: would: have. to be taken that'- no'- 1 unprofitable '.works' were' undertaken; .that tho works in - himd' were economically conducted,-and'that the.pbrt should be:kept' as/cheap. a'port as'pos-; sible. Tho" ,' cbarges :'should, notbo increased-. more' . than . was,: necessary. ,They' should consider whether a': small, ;- duty should- bb' placed-on, exports. Tho- farm•ers would not. feel it, and the. city .people iWtio paid all.tho'charges 6n-imports would be' somewhat relieved, i He had here.. and there ' been - instrumental iii' saving the" board ?ri- large' amount of money,' and 'he hoped' tho electors,..would .'consider pastseryicds 1 arid try to choose tliu best qualified "mehi'-:(Api'lw |S ®.) V A . vofc>>; iit" thanks?ancl confidence was proposed. : -by/--'Mr.-iW.-. Bennett,■■''seconded by Mr. Warner,-and earned- .