IN PORT.

Grey River Argus, 30 March 1906, Page 2

IN PORT.

Annie Hill, from Lyttelton. Taieri, from Lyttelton. Poherua, from Wellington. Waverley, from North. Himitangi, from Foxton. Mapourika, from north.

The Mapourika from Wellington, via usual ports, arrived shortly before one o'clock this morning.

The Himitangi arrived early this morning from Foxton, and loads coal for Wanganui.

The Mapourika is ; to sail for Wellington, : via usual .ports, at. . midnight

■ The ; R6sampnd;i -is^due .to-day -l/ficim; O^ehtihg^j ''arid :' loads, State 'coal: 'for Napier and Gisborrie. She partly loads here and completes at Westport.

The Kini is due here on Monday and loads coal for New Plymouth and Onehunga, taking up the Rosamond's running in this route.

The tug went out shortly after noon yesterday and made soundings on the bar. The very heavy westerly weather experienced for nearly a week has resulted in an appreciable silting up of the bar. A heavy fresh in the river is now required to clear it. Owing to the shoaling draughts have been limited to 14ft, and consequently the Taieri and Poherua will only be able to load to half their capacity. This is to be deplored, as the coal and timber trades have been considerably delayed owing to the, bar being unworkable.

The Waverely arrived from Westport and the north yesterday, and brought with her the delayed mails per Arahura. " The Mapourika did not connect with the Waverley at Westport, otherwise her rails would have been brought on also.

The Oreti arrived from Wanganui yesterday, and after loading coal sailed for the same port.

The Putiki arrived from Picton yesterday, and after loading coal left for Foxton.

The Pareora loaded with Blackball coal left yesterday for Wellington.

The Taieri, from Lyttelton, after being outside for five days, berthed yesterday afternoon and commenced loading coal and timber for Lyttelto:i.

The Pukaki berthed yesterday, and is loading timber and coal for Wellington.

Mr T. H. Lippitt, formerly chief officer of the Kotuku and Rosamond, is now chief officer of the Taieri.

An incipient fire was discovered in the forepeak of the Ripple at Dunedin on Saturday morning. The chief ofiicer noticed smoke issuing from the forepeak, and going down noticed some bales of oakum on fire. He promptly removed them, and the danger was at an end.

The Defence Department, says the Wellington Post, has decided^to dispose of another of the four torpedo boats which it obtained from Chiswick in ISB4. The boats, which were able to steam 17 knots when they left the builder's yard, were allotted to Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers. The boat sent to Wellington was sold three years ago for a mere song to Gamman and Co., of Foxton, for towing timber rafts, and now the one stationed at Port Chalmers is also to be sold.

. A combination of Sailors' boarding house keepers has been formed against the shipping masters, who have heretofore obtained a fee for furnishing sailors for outward bound ships (says the San Francisco Chronicle of the 2nd tilt.) The shipping^ masters, according to the boarding-house men, who keep the sailors while they are ashore, have absorbed the profits of the business, and now there is an inclination on the part of the board-ing-house men to deal directly with the masters •of vessels in the matter of furnishing crews to the British vessels, three of which — the Langdale, Elginshire, and Invermark—have taken crews from them.