HARBOUR CONTROL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1035, 26 January 1911, Page 7

HARBOUR CONTROL.

DEFECTS IN NEW ACT. SOME "TUIMMING VP" NEEDED. The now IlarLoiii-s Act, passed last session, ticcordiug to Mr. 1(. Fletcher, chairman of tlio Wellington Harbour Board, is food in iljs main features, but has not been rounded oft' well, and need; trimming up u bit. Sir. Fletcher pointed out to a reporter that while the Act contained a section providing thrrt it should como into-force at the beginning of (he present yew , , a later section provided that Sections 17 to 36, inclusive, of the old Act should remain in forco until the date of the next ensuing election of Harbour Boards under the provisions of the new Act. This entails something of a conilict between thu provisions of the old Act and the new. It was wider a provision of tho old Act,, retained in this nay, that the annual meeting of the board was called on January 15, Nalthongh, under the new Act; the annual meeting must be held, and the accounts of the-'beard presented, in March - next. This'- particular matter righted itself. ■' The meeting called on January 13 lapsed. Under another provision of • the old Act, which still remains in force, tho board will have to elect a chairman on February 21. The new Act ' directs, however, that tho board shall eiect its chairman after tho general election of members on the fourth Wednesday in April of the election year. This means, to supply a concrete example, that the Wellington Board will have to- elect a chairman next month, and some weeks later repeat the process of election. Mr. Fletcher mentioned still another "situation" which will arise from the operation of (ho new Act. There is i;o doubt, he states, that the intention was to make the election of Harbour hoards a triennial affair, but in fact, unlil new legislation has been passed, the ek-ctions will occur biennially. Section- 3. of the Harbours Act of 1910 provides that in the case of any constituent district which is a borough or in a combined district wherein the principal authority is a borough council, the election of members shall be held on tho day appointed for electing • mombers of borough councils. In the case of all other districts, tho election,' it is directed, shall be held on tho last Wednesday in April in every third year. There is here an obvious anomaly. Borough councils are elected in April of every second year, yet tho action just quoted, while making the election of board? in some districts synchronise; with borough elections, directs that others shall be held once in threo years. Tho explanation presumably is that the Government intended to make tho election of borough councils triennial, b$- an Act .of Inst sefiinu, but failed to 'carry ire intention into effect. ■ No doubt, Mr. Fletcher remarked, - the Government would bring down an Act to make the borough elections triennial beforn tho second election of Harbour Boards occurred under tho new Act. Another strange feature of tho Act,of 1910, referred to by Sir. Fletcher, is that which gives two representatives upon tho Wellington Board to payers of harbour dues on ships, and only ouo representative to payers of harbour dues on jjcods. When tho Bill, which has now become an Act, was in Committee, Sir. Fletcher suggested that the payers' of dues on ships should havo only ono representative, and that tho city of Wellington should be given an additional representative. The suggestion, however, was not adopted. Mr. Fletcher points out that in Wellington those who pay dues on goods outnumber .payers of dues on ships in the proportion'of about 900 to 1. In Wellington the number of payers of dues on shins- would range trom about. 20 to 2G. A provision in tho New Act which Mr. Fletcher unreservedly approved is that which empowers the board to spend JC23O per annum under'the head of miscellaneous expenditure. Hitherto tho .board has been limited to an annual expenditure of .£SO under this head. The increased authority will enable it in future to make reasonable allowances to employees under special circumstances, as, for example, when they retire after long service.

AN ANOMALOUS POSITION. ■ ACTION BY BOARD. The Wharves and Accounts Committee last evcninj recommended the Harbour Eoard to suggest to tho Marino Department that a- municipal' borough bo selected and appointed , as the principal authority in each combined district to conduct elections to' tho 'Wellington Harbour Board, under tho Harbours Amendment Act, 1910. Speaking in sunport of the recommendation, Jlr. Wilford said it would be absolutely necessary that the Government should take the course , suggested. Otherwise the bonrd would probably have representatives occupying, office \ for different terms, some for two years, and some for three. The chairman: "Jlr. Millar himcslf told me that his intention was to make the election of Harbour Boards triennial. Also it was the intention of the Government, in tho new legislation affecting municipal corporations to mako tho election of borough councils triennial, too, but this was not done." This, the chairman remarked, accounted for tho anomaly in regard to elections embodied in the Harbours Act,. 1910. Tho recommendation of the committee was agreed to.' ■•..'•: ■ :: ■ "-'■'",'' ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN. In reply ,to a question , by Jlr. Jones, tho chairman stated, that the board's solicitor had advised that it -would be necessary, to elect a chairman next month, to hold office for three or four weeks.