HARBOR BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 10391, 12 August 1897, Page 2

HARBOR BOARD.

The usual meeting of the Otago Harbor Board was held this afternoon, when there were, present Messrs H. Gpurley (chairman}, J. Robin; W. Wright, W. Barclay,; J. T. Mackerras, J. Tnoriison, j. Carroll, and,, the Hon. D. Pinkerton. FINANCE. The bank book, which was laid on the table, showed, a credit balance amounting to £13,21114 3 lid. • S RESIGNATION OF MR AVALES. A letter was read from.Mr N. Y. A. Wales resigning his seat on the Board owing to absence from the coloDy on account of his health. Mr J. Carroll said it was a great jity that the Board were to lose the services of such a practical man as Mr Wales, as there were not too many men of that sort,offering their services for positions on the Board. He had very great regret in moving that the resignation be aocepted; The practical knowledge possessed by Mr Wales ; was such as was absolutely essential to theß"oard, and he (Mr Wales) was always willing to do anything in the interests, of the Board, and was one of the hardest working and most honest, straightforward, and disinterested" members the Board had ever bad.

Mr Robin seconded the motion with a considerable amount of regret. Mr Wales's well-known ability and attention to the duties of the Board had rendered it all the more regrettable that he should find it advisable to resign on account of his health. He expressed the hope that Mr Wales would obtain experience in seeing what was being done m the older countries, and that he would return restored to health, and once more become a member of Board, and that his temporary absence would be for the benefit of the Board. The Chairman regretted very much the cause that had led up to Mr Wales having to resign his seat on the Board. The motion was carried, and it was agreed to enter on the minutes the regret of the Board at Mr Wales's resignation being rendered necessary, CORRESPONDENCE. Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co. forwarded an application by MrR. Waghorn for the lease for fourteen years of sections 30, 31, and 32, block 6, Dunedin, at the yearly rental of £5 per section.—The application was granted. - The town clerk, under instructions from the mayor, brought under the notice of the Board the facilities now offered for the obtaining of rotten rock for the'formation of streets on the reclaimed land from the excavation work in theDowling street cutting. It was resolved to vote £2O, on condition that the City Council expended a similar sum, towards the works in question. The general manager of railways wrote that there was no objection to the lines of rails on Jetty street wharf beiDg extended, provided the cost of the work (including the necessary strengthening of the wharf) was defrayed by the Board.—Referred to the Works Committee to report. Messrs Hanna and Thomson wrote forwarding one of their improved life-saving jackets for an expression of opinion by the Board. —The Chairman expressed the opinion that the jacket was the best thing of the kind he had seen, and it was resolved to get the harbor-master to report on it. Messrs Stone, Sou, and Co. wrote offering to lease section 39, block 55, for fourteen years at a rental of £65 per annum.—Referred to the chairman to act.

The town clerk notified that the City Council purposed laying water mains to premises occupied by numerous tenants of the Board, provided the Board had no objections.—Permission was granted. Mr James Bruce, of Wellington, wrote suggesting that the Board should make a tunnel to connect the ocean with the harbor, so as to keep the channel always flushed and clean.—The letter was received. REPORTS. The Works Committee report on the matter of a private telephone wire to Port Chalmers, referred back to them for farther consideration, that as the cost of the present system is somewhat in excess of what it would be by a private wire, they recommend the Board to grant the request of the harbormaster, and to request the Telegraph Department to erect a private line for the use of the Board at the cost stated, £9o.—The report waß adopted.

The Finance Committee reported on the question of Government officers' furniture being exempt from payment dues as follows: —J* In accordance with the solicitors' opinion that the word ' baggage' does not include household furniture, and is there, fore liable to dues in the. ordinwy. way, recommend that suoh furniture be not exempted, but oharged with the usual dues." With reference to outstanding accounts, the Committee oonsider that these are still too higb, and tho oolloctir has been given instructions to have all outstanding accounts past due oolleoted during the ourrent month. —The report was adopted.

THE HIGH STREET SEWER. Mr Mackkrras broughtfup the matter of the siltage in the channel on account of the sewage deposit. It, was, he luid, becoming very B9riou?, and would involve "a largu" outlay of money. The City Council must be aware of it, and that it could not much longer oontinue as at present. He would propose--" That a sub-committee be appointed to confer with the City Corporation as to what steps they are prepared to take to stop the inflow of sewage into the Victoria channel from the High street sewer, the committee to consist of Messrs Robin (chairman), Thomson, Barclay, Wright, and the mover, three to form a quorum, and to report within one month ; the chairman of the Board to be, of course, ex officio member of the Committee." He did not think it required any urging on his part to induce the members to pass the resolution. The matter had now become so serious, that since January the channel for about a mile had silted up over IBin, involving an estimated texpense of £BOO. This could not be allowed to go on, and he submitted that the course he suggested was reasonable, and should be adopted. Mr Eobin seconded the motion, and he did so all the more readily because the Corporation was composed of business and reasonable men, and that those of them with whom he had come in contact were very grateful to the Board for their loDg forbearance in this matter, and he had no doubt that they would meet the Board in a fair and reasonable manner. The necessity of such a move was very great and urgent, and as the resolution entailed no expense nor bound them to any scheme, he hoped the resolution would be passed without any delay.

Mr Caeboll opposed the motion as being unnecessary. The inspector had been requested to prepare a report of making a channel three chains wide for taking the sewage to the sailing channel, and when that was ready they could then go to the Council with something definite, and say : " The disposal of the sewage will cost so much; are you prepared to pay half the cost and to defray the cost of keeping the channel clear ?" He favored the making of a channel to carry the sewage from both the High street and Rattray street sewers to the sailing channel, and the dredge could be put on to this sailing channel as often as necessary, and he had no doubt the Corporation would: pay the cost. At the present time this was the most advisable scheme,' and would be more readily adopted than one by which the Council would have to go into an expensive alteration of their present drainage system. The Hon. D. Pinkerton supported Mr Mackerras's motion. The Council have some scheme for overcoming the diffc" culty, and by committees from the two bodies conferring together the proposals of each could be compared, and there was in that way a prospect of something definite being arrived at.

Mr Mackbbbas pointed out that the report of the iuspector referred to by Mr Carroll, instead of being an argument against his suggestion, was in its favor, for that report could form one of the matters which the Board's Committee could at the Conference submit to the Council's Committee.

The motion was carried without dissent. This concluded the business of the meeting. '.; ~ ■■;. f /:..:■