THE HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 4895, 8 November 1878, Page 4

THE HARBOR BOARD.

The ordinary meeting held yesterday was attended by the Hon. W. H. Reynolds (presiding), Messrs Tewsley, Ramsay, Mills, Rutherford,;and Fish. An -byvthe Port Chalmers Naval Brigade for a rifls range at Goat Isiand was Veferred to the Woiks Committee with powe* to act. '.... Messrs Thomson Bros..wrote, asking_for protection against the Board's launch Reynolds, which -it was alleged was being employed, in a manner, which injured the trade of the steamer Jane in towing light vessels. On the motion of Mr. Ramsay, seconded by Mr Fish, it was resolved—"That the; harbor-master be instructed to discourage interference with private enterprise as much as possible." An application by the Sailors' Home Committee for a site was referred, to the Finance and Reserves Committee for consideration and report.; ;Mr Ramsay complained of the want of facilities for discharging timber vessels, and the matter was referred to the Works Committee to get the necessary cranes fixed at Dunedin and Port Chalmers. The Finance Committee's. report was adopted. It recommended that in future the ordinary m«etings:be held on the second and last Thursdays in each month, the trade accounts"to be : brought up at the former meeting, and the wages account at the latter.

The Harbor-master reported having taken soundings on the bar every favorable opportunity during the month, and stated that the spring, tides were very high, and that during such springs the least depth of water obtained in the channel was 16£ ft. at low water. This depth was a little on the west side of the line of beacons, and as the channel h»B a tendency to keep on that side he recommended that the outer leading beacon be shifted in order to indicate the exact mid-channel line. Thia recommendation is made to meet what appears an immediate neeessity, so that masters exempt from pilotage entering at night may not say they were misled. The question of dredging : the bar will have to be considered, and as the harrowing and blasting on same have not been commensurate with the expenditure on such works, a small hopper dredge was recommended to be obtained as being best adapted for the work. The suggestion, the report continues, is not made as if the bar was rising—there is no fresh accumulation ,of sand thereon—but vessels now visiting this port are of a larger tonnage than formerly, and the steam-boat traffic now demands that the way should be made wide and clear for them coming in and going oat at dead low water. The Customs; returns of shipping at Port Chalmers for the month are :—Foreign shipping, 7 arrivajs, 4 departures; intercolonial, 17 arrivals, 21 departures: coasting, 53 arrivals, 59 departures. " The Board then went into committee.