HARBOR BOARD.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5096, 27 January 1885, Page 3

HARBOR BOARD.

A meeting of the members of the Harbor Board was held last evening. Present— Messrs Kennedy (chairman), M'Lean, Lahman, Sheedy, Thomas (mayor), Kerr, Guinness. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The report of the Chairman was read. ■■ It announced that Messrs Hamilton and ' Smith had entered into the necessary bonds for removing the wreck of the Star of the South. It also pointed out that the progress made with the telephone service between the wharf and the signal station. The report, in referring to the work of dredging stated that in consequence of the want of barges dredging could not be proceeded with for at least four weeks. , The outward correspondence was read and approved. Tolegram from Hon. MrLarnach stating he would visit the coast. Amongst the outer correspondence was a telegram to Ministers from Mr Kennedy offering to tow the Hinemoa over the bar free in the event of her visiting the coast. Also, a letter from the Chairman stating that the board wanted all the plant connected with the harbor works to be handed over aa had been promised, together with reply to same. Letter from Inspector Murray of the Bank of New Zealand at Auckland in respect to the terms upon which the £100,000 loan is to be raised. The Order in Council guaranteeing the loan was laid on the table. Letter from J. A. Wilson informing *he board that they could have the use of the two locomotives and 12 trucks, which Government originally intended to retain, until such time as they were required by Government for other purposes. The report of the committee appointed to inquire into the condition of the boats required in dredging. It said that the work was very costly, and that it would take three weeks to complete those undergoing repairs.— Mr Brown, the boat builder/said he would sooner build a new , boat than; repair- the forth one.— The Ohstonansaid he thought they would be ftbl td build a cheaper though equally

-«erviceable^lass of boat. The^ia boats cost from .£l2O to £140^aW> and MiBrown said they coul<k»6ifc be constructed any cheaper now.— Mr Guinness thought that more hands should be put on to get the boats readyC^Mr Lahman thought the report very unsatisfactory. Tenders ought to have been called. That was a principle they ought to stick as close to as possible. — The Chairman pointed out thati the work was of such a kind that they, could only take the estimate of a boatbuilder. However, there was nothing to prevent them calling for tenders if they chose. There were three bbat'ibuilders here and some shipwrights..— Mr- Sheedy^in answer to Mr Lahman's reniarks, said that it was impossible to satisfactorily value the work of repairing the barges. If they called for tenders' they might haveto\ ; pay double the worth of the Work,' and they could not -say: whetheWit was too high or not. : The work was being done in a satisfactory manner,, and they ought to. pay" a reasonable price' for it. There was really a great deal to be done to the boats, as they had been allowed to fall into a most disgraceful state of disrepair.— Mr Kerr approved of " the action of the committee. It would be a difficult matter to draw up specifications suited, to the requirements of the case. The report was received and adopted. The report of the Public Works Committee as to the appointments of a captain and an engineer for the dredge, and also as to printing and advertising. — The Chairman said he thought there had been a misconception at the last meeting of the committee as to the clause dealing with printing and advertising, and he would move an amendment upon it.— ln order to enable the Chairman to move his amendment on the report, Mr Lahman moved that the report be adopted.— Mr M'Lean seconded. — The Chairman then moved that the question of advertising be left to the Printing Committee ; that .the board's business be only advertised in one local paper at a time j and generally that the Argus receive two-thirds and the Star one-third. That was what he thought to be the intention of the committee, and he thought the interests of the board would be best consulted by adopting the amendment. They might of course call for tenders, and that might be more encomical for the board, but it would not be equitable for the newspapers, unless they joined to extract money from the board. — Mr Sheedy thought the matter should be left entirely in the hands of the committee, who would see that justice was done to both papers. The cost would not be a great deal, and this was one of those cases in which it was not wise to be too stringent. — Mr Guinness supported the motion. The board should have one paper as a gazette in the same way as other local bodies. They wanted their business notices to appear in the medium that was most looked to for such information, and was the most widely circulated. There was nothing to be gained by inserting their advertisements in both papers. The Argus had the largest circulation and was most read, and the board would study economy by advertising in that paper only. It would be a mistake to leave the matter to the Printing Committee, who would be constantly worried by the canvassers of both papers. Let the majority decide which paper they wxmld. select.— Mr Thomas thought ■it only right and reasonable that both papers should have a fair share. The Printing Committee would have plenty to do without throwing any more on their shoulders. The amendment was then put and carried by the casting vote of the Chairman, Mr Kerr having withdrawn from the table as soon as the discussion came on. He took no part in it and did not vote. The report of the Public Works Committee on the specifications drawn up by the engineer before his departure was read. It recommended that the successful tenderer for the contract for stonework which the board had decided to call tenders, and Which it was estimated would represent £20,000, should deposit £500 cash, in the hands of the board and find sureties for £1000.— The Chairman moved the adoption of the report. — Mr Kerr moved an amendment that the deposit be £250. He spoke at some length in support of his amendment, contending that the resolution would have the effect of playing into the hands of men with capital and out of those of poor men who might be perfectly compefent to perform the work satisfactorily. He held that the work was of such a nature that there was no necessity to make any such stipulation. In any case the deposit money should be returned to the contractor as soon as the bonds were signed. The work was of a very, simple kind, and there were numbers of men here thoroughly competent to can y it out. There ought to be no obstacles thrown in their waj. On the contrary, they should be^ afforded every facility. He believed from what he had been told that the effect of the restrictions imposed by the board the cost of the stone would be increased by about 2s a ton. He had no desire to pose as the poor man's advocate or the rich man's opponent. He was* merely advocating a principle that he had often argued in favor of before. He had no selfish end in view, as he was not contemplating contesting any election. There were men here who could carry out the work as efficiently as the richest contractor in New Zealand ; and in order to give men of moderate means and technical knowledge a chare 3 he would be prepared to pay only 75 per cent, as progress payments instead of 90 until such time as they retained LSOO to serve as a deposit.— Mr Thomas seconded. It was only righL to]|make the deposit as

light as possible.— Mr Lahman said the deposit should only be retained until such time as the bonds were entered into. He had no objection to the 2£ per cent, mentioned in the original resolution standing, provided that the marked cheque be returned a3 soon as the bondsmen signed their bonds.— The Chairman supported the motion as it stood, and argued to Bhow that the recommendation of the report was a fair and reasonable arrangement in every way, and did not unduly favor crpifcalists at the expense of the man of moderate means, or any syndicate of that class. He was just as ready to consider the claims of the working man as anybody else, but they had a duty to perform to their fellow citizens. They must prevent all chance of collusion and bogus tenders, and see that bona fide applications were sent in to them, LSOO he held to be a very reasonable deposit, and as little as the board ought to fix to protect themselves ; and the syndicate of working men who could not find that amount, especially when all the plant was found for them in good working order, were scarcely worth making arrangements with. This talk about the working man was mere claptrap. He had entered into contracts with the Government in which he had to deposit 3 and 4 per cent. It was raising an invidious distinction to say that the conditions were more favorable to capitalists than to men of moderate means.— Mr Guinness asked how much the contractor for Cobden bridge was obliged to deposit. The Secretary said £100, besides entering into a bond for £1000.— Mr Guinness concurred in a great deal that Mr Kerr said. He would like to see the percentage made 1£ instead of 2£, and in support of his contention he would instance the case of the . Cobden bridge, in respect to which the General Government were satisfied with a deposit of i! 100. He would presently more that the deposit be l£ per cent, but in the meantime he would support Mr Kerr's amendment- This was then put and defeated, only Messrs Kerr, Guinness, and Thomas voting in favor of It.— Mr Lahman moved that the cheque for 2£ per cent be returned as soon as the bonds were entered into. — Mr Kerr seconded. — Mr M'Lean said that when Cobden bridge was cited in support of a small deposit being accepted by the board, it seemed to be forgotten that the contractor had to place over £3000 worth of plant on the ground before he could go to work at all. After some discussion Mr Lahman's amendment was carried — Mr Guinness moved that it be optional with the tenderer whether the sureties shall be two or four. —The Chairman strongly opposed this as inconvenient, undesirable, and unnecssary. The amendment was lost on a division, only Messrs Guinness, Lahman and Kerr vating for it. The report as amended was then adopted. The cqnditions accompanying the report were referred to the Public Works Committee to make such alterations as they might deem desirable. " Plans for the board's offices were laid on the table. Applications for the position of captain of the dredge were received from the following persons : — William M'Pheraon, Patrick J. Allardyce, William Galloway, and J. M. Langdon. Referred to the Works Committee to report at next meeting. Applications for the position of engineer for the dredge were received from the following persons : — H. M. Langbridge, Allan M'lnness, Charles James, Clement Armstrong, Anthony Ashton, and Robert Moore. These also were referred to the Works Committee to report at next meeting. The Chairman referred to the inadequacy of the Brunner bridge for the present wants of the coal trade. He was told that a good deal of the woodwork was in a bad state, and would shortly want renewing. It would therefore be necessary to bring these facts under the notice of Government with the object of getting another bridge erected for the conveyance of coal, leaving the present one for foot and dray traffic. There was great labor and expense incurred in the present system of men and horses. The work could be done much better and more economically with a small engine. He would like to move in this matter before Government incurred any outlay, as it appeared that they contemplated erecting another structure alongside the present bridge. He would like to see the principle affirmed, and he moved in that direction.— Mr Guinness supported the motion warmly, and after pointing out the inconvenience school children were put to for the want of another bridge across the Grey river, suggested that Rocky Island was the best place to take a coal bridge across, and then connect it with the mines by a branch railway. The resolution was then adopted. On the motion of Mr Sheedy Mr Lahman was appointed treasurer. But subsequently on Mr Sheedy attempting to move that a remuneration of £50 a year be allowed for the extra duty, the Chairman opposed it, and said it would be better to give notice of motion. He considered such a motion was in direct contravention of the terms of the appointment of the secretary, which stipulated that he was to give all his time to the board, and he could give no more when made treasurer. Ultimately Mr Sheedy withdrew his motion for. the purpose of giving notice of motion. Mr Guinness asked the board to adjourn to Friday next. He would be at Westport oa Monday, and as there were some important appointments to be made members would not care to make them unless every one was able to vote. After some little discussion Mr Guinness moved as an amendment that the meeting adjourn till Friday next. While still speaking the Chairman said that concluded the business, and the meeting stood adjourned til Monday next. He declined to receive Mr Guinness's motion or resume the chair. —Mr Guinness said he would move that Mr Kerr take the chair in order that he might move his motion. He added that he considered the Chairman had not acted in a proper manner. But the Chairman did not resume the chair and the meeting then broke up.

Professor Blackie, an eccentricbut highly gifted Scotch professor, produced a great commotion in Glasgow by giving a lecture on a Sunday, and selecting a subject so mundane as " Scotch Love. Songs." r The lecture was a eulogy of beautiful women and of the historic characters that had proved amenable to their influence from David downward, and wound up by the spirited singing of an old Scotch song by the professor, who is nearly 80.

THE BAD AND WORTHLESS are never imitated or counterfeited. The is especially true of a family medicine and it is positive proof that the remedy imitated is of the highest value. As soon as it had been tested and proved by the whole world that Hop Bitters was the purest, best, and most valuable family medicine on earth, many imitations sprung up arid began to steal the notices in which the Press and people of the country had expressed the merits of H. 8., and in every way trying to induce suffering invalids to use their stuff instead, expecting to make money on the credit and good name of H. B. Many others started nostrums put up in similar style to H. 8., with variously devised names in which the word "Hop" or "Hops" was used in a way to induce people to believe they were the same as Hop Bitters. All such pretended remedies or cures, no matter what their style or name is, and especially those with the word "Hop" or "Hops" in their name or in any way connected with them or their name, aae imitations or counterfeits. Beware of them. Touch none of them. Use nothing but genuine American Hop Bitters, with a bunch or cluster of green hops on the white label, and Dr Soule's name blown in the glass. Trust nothing else. Druggists and Chemists are warned against dealing in imitations or counter feits. — [Advt.j