GREY HARBOUR BOARD

Grey River Argus, 13 May 1943, Page 3

GREY HARBOUR BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Greymouth Harbour Board was held last evening, Mr J. A. Murdoch (chairman) presiding. Also present were: Messrs J. Smeaton, E. W. Heenan, J. B. Kent, W. Clayton, J. Mulcare, W. E. Bring, J. Ryall, F. Williams, the secretary (Mr W. B. Gilbert) and the engineer (Mr D. S. Kennedy). It was decided to hold the annual meeting on the-next ordinary meeting night of the board. The Treasury Department wrote remitting the following:. Wharfages £853 lls~ 4d, royalties £877 6s, Railway Department sale of stone £7 Os sd, rent 10s, weather reports £9 7s 6di

Some reference was made to payment of royalties by the State mines, the chairman remarking that the State was not bound by Statutes unless specially provided for. It was decided that the question be gone into by the chairman, the secretary and Hon. J. Ryall. An invitation 'was received from the Greymouth Patriotic Committee for the board’s support in plans to conduct a United Nations Fair. The United Brunner Coal Mines Ltd. wrote for A. A. Fry, applying for extension of time in which to pay rent on a coal lease. It was decided to grant an extension for six months.

Claude Neon Lights of N.Z., Ltd., wrote advising that as the damage to the Neon beacon was the result of a gale the account of £27.. 6s lid for repairs had been cancelleffiD_Received. rwHwfe The District ManpoweJWfficer wrote forwarding permissibi^gf/'"the board to terminate the empMyiirent of M. J. Wilson. —Received. The Controller of Manpower wrote forwarding a certificate of an essential undertaking to include employees coming within the scope of the" Northern, Wellington and Otago and Southland Industrial Districts Eoatbuilders’ and Shipwrights’ Award.

Consent was granted for the transfer of Section 48, Dobson, from the estate of Margaret McMinn to John McMinn and approval for its assignment from John McMinn to Thomas Peter Quinn. The Mining Registrar wrote forwarding the following applications for licenses for beach claims for the board’s consent: F. J l . Bansgrove, 2 acres, 12 Mile Beach, Coast Road; and L. A. Bansgrove, 2 acres, 12* Mile Beach, Coast Road—lt was decided to raise no objection.

Consent was given for the transfer of Lot 2, Section 8, Reserve 1485, Blaketown. from J. H. T. and T. A. Griggs to W. C. and E. Fisher. The chairman of the Finance Committee reported that receipts since the last meeting totalled' £2265 7s 9d, made up as follows: Shipping dues £444 7s Bd, rents £6B 4s lOd, hire and sale of plant 10s, sale of quarry stone £7 Os sd. removal soil, Cobden Island £5. wharfages £853 Ils 4d, royalties £877 6s, weather reports £9 7s 6d. The Harbour Fund had a debit balance of £6OO Us. Accounts amounting to £4322 19s were passed for payment. Mr Smeaton moved a resolution of which he had previously given notice: “That all the business of the board, with the exception of that dealing with shipping movements, be dealt, with in open board.” The chairman remarked that the motion was rather wide and asked what would happen if something else should arise which the board did not want the enemy to know about. Mr Smeaton therefore amended his resolution to include any information that might be considered of use to the enemy. His reason for moving it, he said, was that he thought it would expedite the business of the board. His experience of other boards was that they got through business much quicker. Even when business was taken in open board there were still things which they would have to ask the press to use its discretion about. He believed that' they would know how to act in such cases. The resolution was carried.

The Board had before it an account from the Oranui Private Hospital for £37 19s 6d for medical attention which the Engineer (Mr, Kennedy) had had following- an injury received while engaged on Harbour > Board business. The chairman said that in the absence of a contract between the Board and the Engineer the Board had no liability to pay the account and his interpretation of the recent stabilisation regulations was that n the account were paid it .would be regarded as a bonus which would have to be: paid annually. Mr. Kent moved that the account be paid without prejudice. Most Board’s had their officers insured, as the Greymouth Board had now, and, the position would not occur again.' The Board was morally if not legally obliged to meet the account, and thev would be remiss if they did not do so. He thought the Engineer had the sympathy of the Board. Mr Mulcare seconded the motion and said that the Engineer must have saved the Board thousands of pounds in many ways. Mr. Smeaton opposed the motion and said he had done so for six months. Ho hnd the greatest Jegoid for Mr. Kennedy as an engineer and for the work he had done, but he considered that the Board had been

generous to him. He remarked that some people were generous with other peoples’ money He did not think the Engineer had been done an injustice. He had been paid his full salary while in hospital and that should have been sufficient. Mr. Williams said that Mr. Kennedy was as good an engineer as the Board had had. and had carried on 'his work while incapacitated. A large part of his harbour scheme had been done while he was in hospital Mr. Smeaton said that if the Engineer had not been paid his full salary he would be in favour of paying the account. The chairman said he would not support paying the account if, under the regulations it became an increase in salary by way of a bonus, which would have to be paid annually. Mr. Clayton supported this view. All shared the regard for the Engineer’s ability he said. Mr. Heenan said he would not mind if it had to be paid annually as the Engineer was worth every penny of it. He thought it was recognised by the Board’s now having taken out an insurance cover that what was now proposed was in some way due to Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Bring said that the Engineer had contracted the account and the onus was on him to have taken out a personal insurance cover as he was not covered by the Compensation Mr. Ryall said that as a payment of £l3 had already been made he did not see why they should quibble about the rest while they had a good engineer. Mr Kent said he was there, to do justice to all employees. Mr. Kennedy had not had to be replaced while in hospital. Other employees were off sick and were paid while doing nothing. He had seen Mr. Smeaton in committee vote money that he had not asked for. He thought people had to go a long way when they found an excuse in the regulations. . Mr. Smeaton, referring to his being charged with voting a higher salary to another local body officer, said he had not been ashamed of that and had beert asked to do so b’y most of the members of that body. He challenged Mr. Kent to produce evidence that he had voted money recklessly. The resolution was carried, the payment td be made as an ex gratia grant, Messrs Kent, Mulcare, Williams, Ryall, and Hennan voting tor it. and Messrs Smeaton, Clayton, Bring, and the Chairman voting against it. , Mr. Kent referred to the Cobden harbour proposal and stressed the necessity for bringing the matter before the Marine Department as soon as possible. There was no West Coast harbour at present, he said, and there could not be half a dozen harbours on the Coast. The Chairman said that it was merely a rehabilitation proposal and thev could not say when the Government would fully consider it. Mr. Smeaton said he thought it would be an extraordinary thing to approach the Marine Department it they did not have such details as depths. He thought it would be better" to have a railway to Westport Greymouth would never have a good harbour. . The discussion then lapsed.