HARBOUR CONTROL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20257, 27 May 1940, Page 2

HARBOUR CONTROL

ANNUAL MEETING HELD CHAIRMAN RE-ELECTED THIRD TERM BEGUN The .Gisborne Harbour Board to-day re-elected Mr. A. J. Nicol as its chairman for the ensuing year, Mr. Nicol thus commencing his third term in that office. The annual meeting was held in conjunction with the monthly 'meeting of the board. Those present were Messrs. A. J. Nicol, chairman, T. Corson, I. J. Quigley, J. J. Macdonald, J. B. Broadhurst, H.,J. F. Tombleson, R. D. Dymock, M. Doyle, R'. Murray, W. R. Clark, J. E. Benson, C. H. Williams, W. T. Veitch, M. T. TrafTord, and W. G. Sherratt. The Merchant Service Guild wrote asking the board to reconsider its reported decision to omit, the watch at the signal station from midnight to 6 a.m.—The chairman stated that the midnight to 0 a.m. break in the signalhouse watch was instituted early in 1938 and resulted in no complaints, though he had learned that ships had not fully observed the prohibition against entering the port during the period mentioned. The war had changed the situation, said Mr. Nicol, and he now felt that the board should reinstate the full 24-hour service at the station, for the duration of the war at least. Mr. Quigley agreed with the chairman, and, on the motion of Mr. Corson, the board decided"to reestablish the full watch for the period of the war. Signal Station Employees Tho board also dealt with a letter from the Marine Department, covering a complaint from the Gisborne branch of the Harbour Employees’ Union, on the subject of the signal station watch. . —The chairman expressed the view %«t the action of the board’s employees in endeavouring to dictate- to the board was most reprehensible. Moreover, the statements in the union’s letter were incorrect. The board shared the. chairman’s objection to the action’of the union, and it was decided to inform employees that in the opinion of the board any complaints or suggestions should be referred to the board through the harbourmaster' The secretary-man-ager, lyir. H. A. Barton, was instructed to advise the Marine Department of the decision. Work Around the Port The works committee recommended that ships be charged for the use of the new cargo-working lights at the Kaiti wharves. It also reported that instructions had been given for repairs and painting at the Waikanae beacons, and supported a suggestion by the works foreman that the deck-house of the Korua, salvaged before the scuttling of the old dredge, be used as a storeroom for machine parts.—The recommendations were adopted. The secretary-manager reported that during the four weeks ended on May 21, the maintenance dredge A.C. had completed 53j hours’ dredging and 25j hours’ dumping. Other work done by the dredge brought the full time worked for the month to 175£ hours. The spoil lifted and dumped totalled 8700 tons.—The report was 'adopted. The harbour master, Captain G. McKenzie Smart, reported inter alia ■ that soundings in the channel were maintained, and the navigable depth remained at 14ft with zero on the guage. The net tonnage of shipping which worked the port for the month was 17,023, and the gross tonnage w-as 29,138. For the seven months of the , financial year now completed, the 217 • ships handled at the port had a net tonnage of 147,173, and a gross tonnage of 254,834, the comparative figures for the previous year being 163,289 net and 290,542 gross.—The report was adopted. When the election of officers for the ensuing year was undertaken, Mr. ; Sherratt nominated Mr. Nicol as chairman, and Mr. Nicol was returned unopposed. He in turn nominated Mr. Corson as deputy-chairman, and this nominee war. also re-elected unopposed. Committees were re-elected en bloc, without changes in personnel.