HARBOR BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 10749, 8 October 1898, Page 2

HARBOR BOARD

SECRETARY.

APPOINTMENT OB ENGINEER AND

A special meeting of the Otago Harbor Boird was held yesterday to appoint an engineer and secretary, and was attended by Messrs H. GourJey (chairman), J. Carroll, J. T. Mackerras, J. Robin, J. ThomsoDt W. "Wright, W. Dawson, "W..Barclay* and Captain M'Kinhdn.

The Secretary read the following report of the Committee appointed to consider the appointment of seoretary, treasurer, and engineer:—Your Committee having carefully perused and considered the Various applications for the position deoided to obtain the opinion pf Mosbh Napier Bell, C.V., and William Ferguson, 0.K., tnereon before coming to a decsioD, and these gentlemen have advited the Committee that in their opinion Mr T. H. Riwson is the most suitable of the applicants. With this opinion your Committee agree, and accordingly recommend that Mr Rawson be appointed secretary, treasurer, and engineer to the Board at the salary already fi*ed—viz, £6OO per annum, and that the appointment be subject to determination by three calendar months' notice on either side.

The Chaibman : I beg leave to propose the adoption of the report. Mr Dawson : I think it was uiderstood that they were to recommend several names-ntwo or three—to the Board for the position. The Chairman : Yes; I think that the intention of the Board was that two or three names should be recommended. However, they thought it advisable to recommend one.

Mr Mackebras said that In order to put tbo business in form he would second the motion for the adoption of the Committee's report. He had no doubt thit the Board would see the wisdom of falling in with the recommendation of those two gentlemen, and save them the worry and bitterness which might have ensued had half a dozen names been put before them. Some of them would certainly have had different opinion". Now they had the recommendation of two gentlemen, possibly the most fit in New Zealand to advise them in the matter, and he looked upon that as a most fortunate circumstance.

Mr Dawson wished to explain that when he asked his question he had no intention of oppoing the recommendation of those two geutlemen. It, in fact, shifted the responsibility off the members of the Board. Mr Robin was going to be candid and say he wis very much disappointed with the recommendation. He was under the impression that one of the applicants from Sydney would have been the favorite, and he would have suited them admirably from the report Mr Ritchie gave of that gentleman from Sydney. It confirmed his belief that he would have made an excellent man, and he attended the meeting of the Committee with a great deal of disappointment. But, as Mr Mackerras bad said, he believed there were no two gentlemen in New Zealand able to give better advice than the two who made this recommendation. He thought that they would have recommended two or three nam*, which, he believed, was the right way, but he bad no doubt in his own mind that they had done the best possible thing for the Board. He hoped that the members of the Board, whatever their differences of opinion might be upon certa n minor points, would cast aside all their differences, and agree to the recommendation of Mesßrs Bell and Ferguson. Mr Carroll, as A member of the Special Committee, said that he thought when they advertised for an engineer for their harbor they should try and obtain the assistance of a man who had had a large amount of experience in harbor works where there had been shifting sard banks similar to those hire. Ho thought, from the credentials of one of the applicant-, hiß experience was more in that direction than the gentleman who had b-eu recommended, He did not altogether agree with the report when it said " With this opinion your Committee agree." He did not say that he agreed or disagreed, but he allowed it to pass simply because those gentlemen reoommended the appointment. Ho thought that it would be better to leave that out

Mr Thomson had no objection to the recommendation, but ho did not think that the wish of the Board had been carried out Two or three names were to have been submitted, and now they had only one name. The Chairman said that this question was referred to a special committee, and that committee admitted themselves that no one was competent to form opinions on a marine engineer, so that it was suggested that the matter should be referred to the two gentlemen at Wellington. On that the Committee weio unanimous. At the next meeting of the Board the question was asked what had been done, and he replied that the Committee deemed it advisable to ask tho opinion of Messrs Bell and Ferguson as to the man best qualified to carry out the work. The members would remember that the Board agreed with the action of the Committee, and this was the result of their action. He thereupon put The motion, which was carried without; dissent. Mr Maokbbbab laid that his attention had been called to the term "Three months'notice on each side." He would suggest that Mr Mirams be asked to submit to the Board at their next meeting the terms on which all their officers hold their appointments. The Ohaibman intimated that this would be attended to, and the meeting then closed.

Mr T. H. Rawson, M. Inst, 0.K., who is forty-six years of age, has been nearly twentyfix years in the Public Works Depaitment as cadet, assistant engineer, and resident engineer. In 1891 he was appointed resident engineer, Westland, and engineer <o the Greymouth Harbor Board, and in 1893 was transferred to his present position of resident engineer, Westport district, and engineer to the Westport Harbor Board. He has had considerable experience of co-operative work in the construction of both railway and road work*. He has carried out extensive harbor worVs, both at Greymouth and Westport.