HARBOR BOARDS’ CONFERENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 14688, 4 October 1911, Page 4

HARBOR BOARDS’ CONFERENCE.

[Pee United Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, October 4. The fifth annual conference of harbor boards was opened to-day. Mr Robert Fletcher, chairman of the Wellington Harbor Board, who presided, said that the most important matter on the order paper was that of the cost of elections. The last election cost the Wellington Board over £I,OOO, and an amendment of the Act was desirable in the direction of reducing such expenditure. The annual report showed that 22 boards were affiliated.

Mr Greenland (Westport) moved an _ y amendment of the Act to allow of greater j' freedom in allowance by boards of travelling expenses of members. An amendment was proposed by Sir Arthur guinness (Greynionth) that the danse referring to expenses should define them,/ ’ actually incurred, as allowed and passed by the board.—Both the motion an/fT amendment were lost. / Mr Louden (Otago) moved an amendment to the Act in the direction of providing that boards should . have power to charge storage on any goods allowed to remain in any shed or 'wharf or approach thereto for a longer terin than that allowed by the bv-la.ws.

It was explained by Mr Belcher (Otago) that at Dupedin a largfl quantity of coal and timber was dumped on the boards land, and the board were unable to charge for it. I

The) motion was agreed to by the conference. *

The conference also passed a motion from the Otago Board to empower boards to recover damages for injury to property in any court of competent jurisdiction. On the motion of the Otago Board's representatives it was also resolved to extend the limit of lease from throe to seven years in the case of buildings, or parts of buildings, the property a£ a board, leased tor any purpose other than storage of goods. It was also resolved, on thijr motion of the Otago delegates, that board lands adjacent to a wharf be included in the definition of “ wharf.” By a narrow majority it was decided to empower a board to acquire or take, under the Public Works Act, more land than is required for any of its objects, and dispose of any not so required by sale thereof.