THE HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 6288, 11 May 1883, Page 4

THE HARBOR BOARD.

The following concludes our report of yesterday’s meeting

harbor-master’s report. The following report was read :

Harbor-Master’s Office, Dunedin, May 10,1883, Sir, —I have the honor to furnish the monthly renwt on this department as follows: 1. The maximum depth of water during the month in the channel across the bar was 24ft at high water, and the minimum depth 22ft at the same state of tho tide. The ship Northern Monarch, from Calcutta, entered drawing 20ft. The s.s. Fenstanton Is now loaded, and only drawing 20£ ft, and proceeds to sea this afternoon. & Since the Board entered into possession of the tng steamers they have been fauly employed. The Koputai, with Captain Sinclair in charge, made a quick and successful trip to the Bluff harbor with the barque Edwin Fox in tow, and on her return towed the ship Invercargill from that harbor to sea. The towing service being tinder the direction of the Harbor Board is what I have long desired to see, and will, I am sure, prove a valuable arrangement in the shipping interests generally, as well as an acquisition to the pilot service. S. The mooring buoys that broke adrift in Port Chalmers Bay have been properly secured again ia their places. Tho diving-dress is getting worn out, and as it will be necessary to send the order to England for a new one, I would recommend that two dresses be procured when about it. 4. As telephonic communication with Cape Saunders is about established, it appears to me that the Marine Department should bo requested to instruct the lighthouse-ketpers to communicate to the Harbor Board office, Dunedin, information of sailing vessels passing the Cape bound to this port, and to establish a system of signal* at the lighthouse in order that messages may be conveyed to and from tho vessels if necessary. die ship-master will consider it a great boon to be able when off Cape Saunders to send a message for the services of a pilot or steam-tug.

- . THB 810 DREDGE. Mr Burt moved, and it was agreed to—- “ That a return should be obtained from the master of dredge No. 222 showing the number of hours worked daily, and the period of the day or night, since the alteration of working hours.” Tho Chairman said he was not at all satisfied with what that dredge was doing. —(Several Members : “Hear, hear.”) At next meeting he thought the Works Committee would be prepared to recommend some sweeping alterations with regard to it. Mr Ross, in moving for a full return of the work done by dredge No. 222, and the expense since it first started on the bar, said he thought they had not been getting half as much work out of the dredge as they ought. He found that on the bar at Carlingford (an exposed place on the coast of Iceland) a dredge made by the same firm worked in 35ft of water and in a 2£ft swell a thing which their dredge never did. That dredge brought up boulders in the buckets weighing three tons; and although the accumulation on the bar was hard clay, the dredge averaged 1,000 tons per day. The cost of their dredge was at the rate of L 6,000 a-year, which was one-half more than -it ought to be, considering the amount of work done. Motion agreed to. TENDERS POE THE STUART STREET WALL AND HALE-TIDE WALL. ' No tenders were received for these works. —After discussion, it was resolved to again advertise for tenders. inspector’s report. The following report was received from the Inspector:— ' In absence of the Engineer, I have the honor to report the progress made on the several works in hand during the past month as follows : J.OWEB HARBOR. Dredging.—During the month of April dredge 222 lifted from tho basins at Port Chalmers 9,829 cubic yards of material, on an expenditure , of L 346 4s Id. being equal to B|d per cubic yard for dredging and depositing at sea. On Monday and Tuesday the dredge was at work on the bar, but had to return to Port yesterday on account of being too rough for dredging. She will be kept dredging on the bar, be it late or early, every chance that presents itself for getting work done. UPPER HARBOR. Victoria Channel.—The Vulcan has been at work in the Victoria channel, and lifted 22,985 cubic yards on an expenditure of L 243 Ss 3d, being equal to 2£d per cubic yard for the month’s work. Dredging.—Hie New Era was at work in the steamers' basin, Dunedin, till laid up at the end of April, and for the month lifted 13,209 cubic yards on an expenditure of L 169 7s lOd, being equal to 3§d per pubic yard. The side dredge during eleven days of April lifted 1,232 cubic yards from the punt channel in tho new dock on «a expenditure ofX62 Os sd, being equal to ll|d per cubic yard, which includes haulage of punts by hand to the derrick. The Priestman dqring three days of April lifted 170 cubic yards of stone and mad from the wharves on an expenditure of L2los 6d, which includes the cost of dismantling and laying up. Towage.—The Iron Age tendered the Vulcan, and towed into Blanket Bay 9,698 cubic yards on an expenditure of L13511a lOd. being equal to 3|d per cubic yard. The Balclutha also tendered the Vulcan, and towed into Blanket Bay 10,054 cublo yards on an expenditure of Lll7 0s lOd, being equal to 2£J per cubic yard. The Reynolds also tendered tho Vulcan during part of tho month, as also the New Era and work on the half-tide wall, and towed 5,359 cubic yards on an expenditure of L 72 4s 9d, being equal to j&d per cubic yard. The lona tendered the New Era during the month, and tow.ed to derricks Nos. 3 and 4 9,963 cubic yards on an expenditure of L 135 12s lOd, being equal to 3|d per cubic yard. Derricks.—At denick No. 1, Ravensbourne, 420 cubic yards wore landed on an expenditure of Lll 3s 3d, being equal to 6gl per cubic yard. M derrick No, 2, Ravensbourne, 537 cubic yards were landed on an expenditure of L 9 10s, being equal to 4d per cubic yard. At derrick No. «5, Peliohet Bay, 6,237 cubic yards were landed on an expenditure of LB4 3s 9J, being equal to 3|d per oubio yard. At derrick No. 4, btuart street, 6,640 cubic were landed on an expenditure of LSI Ss Id. being equal to per cubic yard. From ride-discharging punts there was deposited in bays during April 25,330 cubic yards on an expenditure of L 132 14s, being equal to l|d per cubic yard. The accumulation of sand at derricks Nos, 1 and 2, Ravensbourne, let by contract for spreading down, will be finished about Saturday first. Tenders for a contract for continuation of the half-tide wall, walling at Stuart streat, apd making up of walling at Ravensbourne, and aubridenoe of half-tide wall are due to-day. TJie reclamation contract beyond Jetty street is being gone on with. Woit at Maitland street is finished. ' Providing railway access to Jetty street wharf |s being gone op with, and the contract for formation of metalling of Jetfcy street is finished. £he landing stage for ftshermen at new wharf, Stuart street, is finished. plant.—During the month of April the works In tho Upper Harbor have been reduced, and the following plant laid up, viz.The Pries tm»n dredge, side dredge, and New Era? and boats Reynolds and Iren Age, The Lillie Denham was also withdrawn. All sidedischarging punts are laid up, and all dredgings that will in future be lifted by the Vulcan from the channel and steamers’ basin will be put into reclamation by derricks and cranes at Stuart street, Peliohet Bay, and Ravensijourue. CAPTAIN THOMSOKk' RESIGNATION.

Attached to the Works Committee’s report was the following The Committee recommend as follows «-*> That Captain Thomson's resignation as Harbormaster be accepted with regret, and that applications for a successor be advertised for a period of three months, salary to be at the rate of L4OO per annum. That Captain Thomson be requested to hold office till his successor is appointed, and, if considered necessary, to remain in the service of the Board for three months thereafter, to assist the now Harbormaster with hi# advice in getting his department in thorough working order.—The Committee further recommend the Board to place on record their appreciation of the long and faithful service Captain Thomson has rendered the province in his capacity as Harbor-master, and that as a ' alight recognition of those services the Board grant him a retiring allowance of L3OO upon his srial retirement from the service.—The Comrecognise the desirability of some re- ~' organisation of the pilot service, but recommend ithat ftteb be deferred until the appointment of 6he new Harbor-master, and that at the same rtiipn it should he considered how far the pilot . / flfcnrioe can he made to work in with tho managemen* of the towing service ; and further, that n&til then the services of Captain Sinclair and f%B engineer and mate be .retained in their ermant capacities, rad that Engineer , now Sthe service of tho Board, be employed jseoessuf « extra engineer to the tug-boats. Some discwwion took place regarding the ' mstipoeed payment of retiring allowance to ! Thomson. AU the members ex- ‘“— Tjßraied *themselves in favor of recognising tohgand : valuable services of Captain Thomson f but some members thooght the should bo paid in another way—

viz,, such as giving him leave of absence on full pay. No change, however, was made in the recommendation.

The Chairman said, in connection with Captain Thomson’s resignation, that he saw that gentleman had been censured in the Press with regard to making a recommendation in reference to the pilots, some people thinking that when Captain Thomson resigned himself he should not have said anything about others. Captain Thomson was not deserving of the slightest blame. Captain Thomson told him (the chairman) his mind, and asked his advice as to how he should act. He told Captain Thomson that, holding the opinions he expressed in regard to himself and the pilots, it was his undoubted duty to make the Board acquainted with those opinions. Captain Thomson was in great tribulation about mentioning others, and had only done so on his (the chairman’s) advice.

Mr Ramsay thought that anyone who read the evidence in the Monarch case must come to the conclusion that Captain Thomson was amply justified in what he said as to the pilot service. It was in as unsatisfactory a position as it possibly could be, Mr Burt said it was apparent from the evidence in the Monarch case that the pilot service was in a disorganised state; but whom could they blame for that, except the officer who had had charge of that service ? The evidence given before the Court, which had gone all over the Colony, was simply disgraceful, and showed they were not carrying on the pilot service as they ought. If the Harbor-master’s services were to be taken into consideration, the whole of his services must be taken into consideration.

Mr Ross thought they could scarcely blame the head of the department for the state of tho pilot service. He believed Captain Thomson had never hesitated to do his duty. Men who went into the witnessbox and stated that they hesitated in the proper performance of their duty because they were afraid of what the public would say about them, were unfit for the position of pilot, where so much depended upon acting promptly, decisively, and cautiously. The Chairman said, with regard to the evidence given by the pilots, that, apart from its relation to the accident—which he had all along believed to be a pure accident, that could not be helped—it indicated several things of a most unsatisfactory character, not so much as showing disorganisation of tho pilot service, but as showing what he thought was almost a malicious desire on the part of one pilot to injure all and sundry. When the question of reorganisation came up, in three months’ time, he thought the evidence given should weigh very materially with the Board.

Mr Ross thought the suggestions of the Harbor-master as to reorganisation should be gone on with at once. Mr Guthrie said it should be remembered by those who blamed Captain Thomson for the disorganisation of the pilot service that he had no power to discharge the pilots. If they wanted him to be responsible entirely, then the pilots should be put under his charge, with power to discharge them if he thought proper. Mr Ross thought that if Captain Thomson had had that power years ago this accident would not have happened. Mr Borns thought he remembered reading in the evidence that one of the pilots said he hesitated to leave the Monarch at anchor on account of the aspersions that were cast upon them by tho Board. He would like to know if there was any ground for that statement with regard to the Board. If so, of course it put the thing in a different light. If not, then the man who had given such evidence should be there no longer. The report of the Committee was adopted. PORT CHARGES. A letter was read from Captain Fox, agent for two vessels—one of which had recently visited Port Chalmers and tho other Lyttelton—drawing attention to the great discrepancy in the respective port charges, and expressing a hope that the Board would take steps to so reduce the charges at Port Chalmers as to more equalise them with the Lyttelton charges. Tho Chairman explained that there was a difference of about Ll7 in the charges for the two vessels, of which over Lll was made up by the high charge for towage at Port Chalmers. Tho letter was referred to the Finance Committee and will come up in due course at the Board’s next meeting. CONSTITUTION OF THE BOARD. The Secretary read the following letter which had been received from the secretary to the Chamber of Commerce:— Chamber of Commerce, Dunedin, May 5, 1883. The Secretary Otago Harbor Board. Sir, —I have the honor, by direction of the chairman, to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 3rd ult, enclosing copy of the Harbors Act for 1883, and asking the support of the Chamber in endeavoring to get the Bill passed into law. In answer, I am instructed to say that, whilst generally according their support to the Bill, strong objections are held by the Committee to section 24, as perpetuating some of tho evils which exist under tho present constitution of the Board, and in which they consider a charge necessary. The Committee therefore submit for the consideration of your Board a copy of the resolution passed at their meeting on Thursday last.—l have, etc , H. Houghton, Secretary. The resolutions are as follows : This Committee, after consideration of tho Bill proposed to be introduced to the coming Parliament l>y the Harbor Board, desire to record their dissent from section 12 of the same, which treats of the constitution of the Board. They regret that tho principle of an elective Board should be sought to be perpetuated, and that tho ovijs which this Committee believe exist under tho present system siiould be intensified by the still lurther widening of the constituencies. The Committee, therefore, have agreed to the following resolutions, which they suggest should be adopted by the Board in lieu of section 12 :

That in tho opinion of this Committee, as teehnical knowledge is required % to carry out harbor improvements successfully, the Harbor Board thoqld npt be an elective body, but consist of members appointed by the Governor-in-Oouncil.

That the Board, as appointed by the Governor, should consist mainly, if nob wholly, of skilled men, whose sole business it should be to manage the business of the Board, and who should receive adequate remuneration for their services. That, whether an elected or an appointed body, no person who has a personal interest in shipping, or in the loading or unloading of vessels, or who has a contract under the Board, should hold a seat on the Board.

Mr Ramsay thought it not worth while to take lip the time of the Board in the discussion of the Chamber’s resolutions, as they were not properly before the Board ; and in fact he did not think they should be before them at all. The Board on the 3rd April \yrote to the Chamber of Commerce asking their co-operation in furthering the Bill they intended to brim' before Parliament' next session. They had up communication with the Committee of the Chamber ; in fact they did oojb know the Committee in the matter. The Committee had gone a good deal out of their way, and exceeded their duty in forwarding those resolutions at all, or jn forwarding them to the Press for publication without the authority of the Chamber of Commerce. Holding those views, he begged to move—“ That Mr Houghton’s letter bo acknowledged, and that the following reply be sent to that gentleman : Dunedin, XQth May, 1883. Mr IT. Houghton, secretary (Jhamhv of Commerce, Dunedin, gir,—I am instructed by the Otago Harbor Board to acknowledge receipt of your letter of sth iusfc, enclosing copy of resolutions passed by the Committee of the Chamber on the subject of the Board’s proposed Bill. Your enclosure is herewith returned, aad J kayo to iutimata to you that the Board will be gjad to give their bo ,t consideration to any resolutions on their proposed Bill which may be agreed to by tiro Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, to whom their communication of 3rd April was addressed. —I have, etc., (signed) JOHN L, GiujES, Secretary. Without going into the merits of the resolutions, ho y/onh] simply say that on the face of them they boro evidence of _ being illconsidered, and appeared to bpouite impracticable. One resolution, besides, whether intentional or not, was somewhat insulting in its character, as it reflected in a grossly unfair manner on several members of tho Board who were connected with shipping and the loading and discharging of goods, and, which was worse, it conveyed thy .unjust imputation that there were or had hoen members of the Board who were interested in .contracts with the Board. He felt auite certain that Jtfce of Commerce would never pass these r.cppiutiops, Mr PATEESOif seconded the remarking that the course by the Committee of the Chamber during tun past twelve months was most unusual. This was nojb the first instance in which they appeared to bp dHujctrically opposed to the interests of the harbor, pjjd even of the City; and when their resolution,! cpjpe before the Chamber of Commerce taey had been defeated by an overwhelming majority. That was not a course which should be pursued by the Committee. The Committee

and their resolutions should be such that they could be looked upon with respect. The resolutions emanating from the Committee during the last twelve months had not been such as he would like, and these resolutions were part and parcel of their previous conduct. Mr Ross supported the motion, saying that it was somewhat singular that the Committee had passed such a resolution as the last of the series, because three of the four members present at the Committee meeting were present at the meeting of the full Chamber in February when they elected as their representative on the Board the member who was most intimately connected with shipping. He did not think the Chamber would agree to these resolutions. The Chairman quite concurred with the motion of Mr Ramsay. He had himself prepared a series of resolutions setting forth what he thought were sound objections to such resolutions as had been forwarded to them by the Committee ; but as a matter of fact they were not the resolutions of the Chamber, but only those of a committee of three or four men, and he therefore thought they would only be lowering their own dignity in discussing them for a moment. There was only one portion of the resolutions to which he would refer, and that was that which appeared undoubtedly to have been passed with the intention of insulting the members of the Board who were interested in shipping —Messrs Ramsay, Guthrie, and Mill. Now, as long as be had been on the Board, he could affirm that those three members had all been most anxious to carry out the purpose for which the Board was orginally constituted —to bring the ships up to Dunedin. Mr Guthrie’s interests were diametrically opposed to this, yet he had been most anxious in assisting to get it carried out successfully. But, apart from this, he held that the members who were interested in shipping were the best members they could nave, for they possessed special knowledge, which would be of great advantage to a Board composed largely of gentlemen who, although excellent commercial men, had no special knowledge of shipping matters. There would have been no harm in the passing of the Committee’s resolutions but for the fact that they had been telegraphed all over the country as the outcome of the deliberations of the Chamber of Commerce, while the fact was that the Committee had no right to publish them until they had been endorsed by the Chamber. It was singular, and it would be interesting to hear what other people thought of them. The ‘ Lyttelton Times’ said :

In their anxiety to escape from what they consider the Scylla of an elective Harbor Board, the Committee of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce seek deliberately to fall into the Charybdis of a Board nominated by the Government, and paid for its services. The Committee are evidently not acquainted'with the recent hit* tory of harbor boards, and have not reflected much upon matters political. A little knowledge would have shown them Mr Richardson passed over simply because, though an excellent member of the Harbor Board of Lyttelton, he was not subservient to the Government. A little reading of newspapers would have shown them a chorus of disapproval of the Government’s conduct towards Mr Richardson, even from many Ministerial journals. Did the Committee know anything of politics they would not require to be warned that their Board, if handed over to the tender mercies of the Government, would become an asylum for obsequious Government supporters. Have they yet to be told that this Government never has done anything for anyone who is not a pronounced friend ? And it must be said that other Governments we have had have indulged in similar practice. The Committee’s desire to make the Harbor Board an element of ministerial patronage is incomprehensible. Very little better is their objection to those who are interested in shipping, for that looks like an objection to anyone who knows anything about harbor work. The only comprehensible recommendation of the Committee is that contractors should not held places on the Board, That is the severest of three most uncomplimentary references to the existing Board. If the Committee knew anything about what they were doing they would know that the reference to contractors having seats on the Board was unnecessary, for the Act provided that no contractor should take a seat on the Board under a very heavy penalty. It would be interesting to members to hear the names of the gentlemen who formed this Committee. They were Mr Thomas Brown (of Brown, Ewing, and Co.), Mr Robert Wilson, Mr George Bell (editor of_ the Evening Stab), and Mr G. L. Denniston (representative of Neill and Co., Limited). He would now read them a small extract from another paper, a paper of which a member of the Committee was the undoubted propidetor and the reputed editor. Writing of these resolutions the Evening Stab said:

Had such a proposal emanated from Ministers there would have been without doubt a grievous howl from the Opposition and their organs as to centralisation and interfering with the liberties of tho people. Fortunately, however, it comes from the embodied intelligence of the commerce and trade of Dunedin.

A great many years ago there were three celebrated men in England who wrote to the Czar of Russia, and headed their epistle thus: “We, the people of England.” Those men were known in history as “ the three tailors of Tooley street.” He had hoped that they had kept in the Old Country, but after what he had read to them in the Evening Star he was fain to believe that they had got the tailors of. Tooley street among them here, and that the Chamber of Commerce’s Committee was formed from that class. The only way to deal with the resolutions was by ridiculing them. The motion was carried unanimously.

RETURN OP VESSELS. Vessels Vessels In. Tons. Out. Tons. Foreign .. .. 3 2,226 2 1,399 Intercolonial .. 15 12,273 11 9,324 Coasting.. .. 65 12,201 68 13,003 Totals .. 83 26.700 SI 23,726