HARBOR BOARDS BILL

Evening Star, Issue 14512, 2 November 1910, Page 12

HARBOR BOARDS BILL

[Fu'osi Odb Parliamentary Reporter.]

WELLINGTON, November 2. The Harbors Amendment Bill completed ilc committee stages yesterday. The House spent tho whole afternoon on the schedule) dealing ■with the constitution of boards. There was a unanimity among members in pleasing contrast with the variety of opinions shown when the House last considered tho schedule, which had led to the Minister reporting progress. The constitution of the Otago Harbor Board was altered on the motion of tho Hou. J. A. Millar. The number of Government nominees was reduced from twp to one, and tho extra elective member is to bo returned by the payers of dues on ships. Mr Clark drew attention to an oversight in the omission of tho Tomahawk, Bortobello, and Otakou road district, which it was thought were covered by the Peninsula road district. The omission was rectified. The Board will therefore comprise fourteen members, of whom one will bo a Government nominee, and the remaining thirteen will bo elected as follows:—Four by the electors of tho City of Dunedin and the Borough of St. Kilda; two by the electors of tho, Borough of Port Chalmers; one by the electors of the Boroughs of West Harbor and North-cast Valley; ono by tho electors of the Boroughs of Maori Ilill, Hoslyn, and Mornington; one by tho electors of the Counties of Taieri .and Waikouaiti, that portion of, tho County of 'Waihemo not included in tho Oamaru Harbor Board district, tho Bay Town district, tho Peninsula Road district, the Tomahawk Road district, tho Portobello Road district, and tho Otakou Road district; one by tho electors of the Counties of Bruce, Tuapeka, Maniototo, and Clutha; two by and out .of tho payers of harbor dues on ships ; and one by and out, of tho pavers of harbor dues other than dues on slaps. Among other things, the Bill gives power to harbor boards to license porters and carriers who use their wharves. Members approved the proposal, but tho opinion was expressed that the license fee, if any, should bo merely nominal, as tho jmrters already have to pay license fee to the municipal councils. The maximum fee chargeable by harbor boards was fixed at Is per annum. AN EMBARGO. After the schedule had been passed tho Minister of Marine suggested that tho House should reconsider tho amendment it had made to claqso 16 of the BUI. The intention of tho .amendment had been to prevent any director of a company who is a member of any board from getting any contract with the board. As worded, however, tho amended clause would act in a directly opposite way. Mr T. E. Taylor said there w;is a danger that a Board might be desirous of getting rid of a member, mid would achieve its aim by placing orders with that member’s firm for goods to the value of £lO. That would suffice to cost a member his scat, presuming that the proposal became law. The Hon. J. A. Millar said any man who was a director could not become a member of a local body and accept a contract of over £lO. Every man entering local politics knew that that disqualification would follow his action in seeking election. Tho principle applied in the case of municipal councils and hospital boards. Mr Bussell objected strongly to tho principle which might moan the disqualification of some of the best men on local bodies. By 42 votes to 17 it was agreed to alter the clause so that no member of a Board would bo entitled to contract for supplies unices tho incorporated company with which ho was associated contained mono than twenty shareholders and he occupied neither tho position of director nor general manager. The Bill was then reported as amendod amidst applause.