THE HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 6252, 30 March 1883, Page 4

THE HARBOR BOARD.

The ordinary meeting held yesterday afternoon was attended by Messrs H. S. Fish (chairman), Ross, Burt, Mill, Paterson, Burns, Barron, Barnes, and Guthrie. The Works Committee reported inter alia that the Board's solicitors had been instructed to defend tho actions in connection with the Philomene and Motley, notices of which have been served on the Board, and if necessary to appeal to a higher Court, so as definitely to determine the Board's liability or otherwise. Be discharge of ships, a sub-committee, consisting of the Chairman, Mr Guthrie, and Mr Barnes have been appointed to confer with the Chamber of Commerce. Dredge 222 has been laid up for her periodical docking and overhaul, and it has been arranged that on her coming out of dock she will at once proceed with dredging a berth at George street pier, so that the steamer expected about the 10th of next month may lay afloat when loaded, the Priestman's crane also to be used if found necessary. The Finance Committee reported recommending that the question of pilots' salaries be deferred for future consideration, but in the meantime recommend that LI per month be added to boatswain D. Williams's salary. Messrs Joachim and others, letter re charges on wool having been considered, it was resolved to recommend the Board to agree to the wool exporters' proposals. The Manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company wrote stating that the Company's steamers would require a depth of more than 20ft alongside the wharf, and by the terms of their charter the steamers must be "always afloat." Therefore the urgent necessity was pointed out of the Board at once deepening the water to give them wharf accommodation. A steamer would be here on the 10th of next month, drawing at least 21ft, and a larger one would be here in June.—The letter was received, the Chairman mentioning that arrangements had already been made to meet requirements. A communication was read from the Chamber of Commerce forwarding resolutions re dues passed by that body.—The Chairman said that there appeared to be an opinion on the part of one or two members of the Chamber that the Board were compelled to levy export dues on all goods coastwise, if on any. This was substantially correct, but the Board, without waiting for legislation, might, if considered desirable, levy dues on all goods, and afterwards remit a portion if they chose.—The matter was referred to the Finance Committee.

ALLEGED MISMANAGEMENT OF WORKS. The Chairman said that he felt great regret at being constrained to say that the management of the Board's works was not proceeding in a satisfactory manner. He felt perfectly satisfied that hundreds of pounds were being wasted through improper supervision of the works. He had taken the trouble to inquire into the matter, and found that on No. 2 and No. 4 derricks the enginedrivers and boys had been paid while the derricks were stationary; the laborers got no pay while not employed with barges. Then from the pay-sheets it would be found that five punts had been repaired in the dock at a cost of L 72, while ten repaired by day labor had cost L 228 18s 7d. These matters ought to be inquired into. He felt satisfied that the whole system required altering; and although he did not say the Board were being robbed, they were paying a large sum of money which would not be necessary with proper supervision.—(Hear.) He had a strong convicti.n that a thorough investigation should be held, and someone made responsible for the want of organisation. Mr Burt said that no new matter was disclosed in the Chairman's remarks. Laboiers could be discharged from the derricks, but the engine-drivers must be paid for the few hours they were not employed. The only way to save their wages would be to stop working the derricks for a time. The Chairman expressed the opinion that the Board's inspector should report as to the suitability of the Board's employes. Personally, he thought they had a number of incompetent hands. He did not agree that public bodies should be made the emporium

for the assistance of the incapable and destitute. THE UPPER HARBOR. The Engineer forwarded a lengthy report upon Mr Paterson's motion re the reduction of the expenditure in the Upper Harbor. Taking his proposals of November 2 last in their order, he made certain suggestions which he thought would be conducive to the interests of the Board, and in the direction of the curtailment of the expenditure for the current year. On full consideration of the whole question of Upper Harbor improvements, he could not suggest any departure from the programme already submitted, so far as the order in which the works were to be done was concerned, but as the Board might wish to curtail expenditure for a few months his proposals went in the direction of a less rapid execution of the works. The probable expenditure for the remainder of 1883 would then be : Dredging steamers' basin (to be dono when part of the outer boundary wall of reclamation is filled up), L 1.000; rooky and clay walling south of dock, L 2.300; reclamation south of Jetty street (total amount of contract, L 7.879), L 4,000; dredging shoal parts of "Victoria channel, with one dredge, L 2,600; training wall of Victoria channel to be continued south, L 3.500; additions to half-tide wall, L 300; contract for cranes, L 1.611: street alongside the Jetty street wharf, L 150; repairs to wharves, L 600; small contracts and contingencies, L 2.000.

Mr Burns said that the matter as merely w one of pounds, shillings, and pence. The Board had already made a large hole in the loan which they had not yet got, and it was time they looked at the thing seriously. The question which they had to face was, Should the port become a second-rate one or not? It would never become a first-rate port unless something were done soon, and in the face of this fact he would be sorry to see such a report adopted. The Board should make up their minds to spend all the money they could get on the bar and the Heads, even if they had to raise another loan to complete the works. The works in the Upper Harbor could very well be allowed to stand over for a time. He recommended the Board to try and get the Government to quit, in the first place, the differential rate at Port Chalmers. They should then say to the Government "We are prepared to meet you fairly; we will do no more work up here than is necessary to prevent the money already spent being lost—that is, such repairs, etc., and work in Victoria channel as is needed to prevent its going to rack and ruin." Let the Government then double the line of railway to the Port, and reduce the rate. That would enable merchants to get their goods landed at considerably less cost, and it was a course which was of necessity forced upon them. If they could not get more money to spend upon the works they could not struggle against impossibilities; but if they went to the Government openly in this way he thought there was a very good chance that they might get it. To go to work as Mr Ban suggested in his report seemed to him suicidal.

Mr Ross thought that before agreeing to the adoption of the report it would be as well for the members of the Board to. have a statement of their financial position laid before them. Some time ago they arranged with the Colonial Bank for an overdraft of L 44.000, the debentures to be forwarded to London for negotiation. At present the overdraft on their Dunedin account was L 25.289, and on their London account L 3,576; cheques passed for payment that day amounted to L 5,382 ; and the amount required for payment of coupons falling clue in July was Ll o,soo—making a total of L 44,747, or L 747 in excess of the amount agreed upon with the Colonial Bank. In addition to this there was the interest on their overdrafts in London and Dunedin, and six months interest on the new loan, which would amount by itself to L 7,500. Both these items together would probably amount to L 9.000, which, added to the total, would bring it up to something like L53,000][ or more than half the sum they could appropriate to the Upper Harbor. And there was at present little or no revenue which they could set against this. In view of these figures the Board should stop all the works in the Upper Harbor for the present. It was much better to stop at once before being pulled up by the Bank. Mr Barnes agreed with the two last speakers. The sooner they put a check on the works in the Upper Harbor the better. Mr Paterson moved—"That the report be referred to the Works Committee." It was not the reply that he expected from the Engineer. The question asked was: Within what minimum expenditure could these works be brought ? The Board would have to give up the fallacious idea that they could bring English ships up to Dunedin in their time at any rate. The Chairman reminded members that only from reclamation could they hope to find the interest on the new loan.

It was agreed to refer the report to the Works Committee, to report to a special meeting of the Board if necessary. The Chairman said that if the Board were to decide to suspend the dredging in the Upper Harbor it would be necessary to give the employes on the dredges a month's notice. Would it not be better to give such notice now, not necessarily to be carried out, but as a precautionary measure ? This was assented to. CONTRACT WORK. Mr Barnes moved—" That the Works Committee take into consideration the quarrying of stone and filling the waggons with same at Logan Point by contract; and the letting by contract the discharging of all material by the derricks and cranes, to include the spreading of the material to reclamation level." The quarrying at Logan Point was at present badly managed, and the money was merely being wasted. He did not think the men in charge knew anything about it. When he was there he saw an old man, too old almost to walk, let alone to work, going fifteen or twenty yards carrying a piece of stone about ae big as his hat to the waggon and coming back for another. Such work would never pay. The way the work was done now it must cost 3s or 48 to remove every yard of stone, and he hoped that all these works would be let by contract. The matter was referred to the Works Committee, with power to act. FINANCIAL. The bank-book showed a debtor balance of L 25.289 14s lid, and the debtor balance of the London account was stated to be L 3,575 18s Bd. Accounts and wages, amounting to L 5,382 2s 2d, were passed for payment.