NAPIER HARBOR BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5423, 2 July 1879, Page 2

NAPIER HARBOR BOARD.

Tuesday^ July l. L " ~ u THEboard.metat2.3o p;m. . : ; : ; ; '■ Present — Lieut. -Colonel Lambert,! the Hon. J. N. Wilson,- Messrs. Ormond, Smith, Lyndon j Yautier, Kinross, Miller, and Williams. ' ' : ' nr,< r . z -i

In the absence of the-' chairman Ormond was voted to the chair.

AUCTIONEER TO THE BOARS.

Mr Coward's tender as auctioneer to the board ■ was accepted, : arid'ljtjjwal resolved that a fee of £1 be paid to him for his Bervioeß on Monday at the endeavor to sell the leases of: the Whare-o-maranui block and the lighthonse reserve. ■'" '--"-'/ i **?■ »\-: i WORKING DEPTH. OF WA^}BB^ili^,^racp J '•■:'■ ' .'• \ '.CHANEL. Y*^^;«-^ . A letter/ was read from" MiT "'F^E. Sauhders, clerk of works, in reference to a resolution of the board passed- "at a ita last ) meeting, requiring him , and the harbor m&ster to report bonjbi'ntly'on Che working depth of water/in , the^ channel. Mr Saundera stated in his letter that the .weather during the past few days had been such as to preclude the necessary soundings being taken upon whjcfy" to frame the joint report. When the'sea moderates sufficiently to allow of accurate . soundings being taken the report will be .proceeded with. '• ■' I ■ .V i .\;-s .-..' SHEET-PILING SECIIQN-BiP; -*-H A report, wa^ read from jtKesol^rk of works, giving the. estimated \, .cost pol sheetpiling section B, and forming and metalling the road alongside: the section.; The cost of labor and. iron Mr Sauridera estimated at £2351, in addition to whioh there would be a further expenditure of £2000 for • extra timber, removing stone apron ■ by the diver, and forming and metalling the road alongside section, B, making a^ i total expenditure for the work of jd&Sl. x?x>Mr Vautier thought the report needed explanation. He belieeed that the whole , cost l of the. work ought not to exceed £1200. It seemed to him that the estimate was cooked up so that the work should not be done. . :

- Mr Smith considered it would be better that the report should stand over until the board's financial position was ascertained. The estimate of the cast of the work seemed large! - ;i -; Mr Wilson feared that expenses r were going on over which the board had' no control. He would suggest that a committee of three members should be appointed, who should meet weekly . and exercise control over the The Chairman said that there was no expenditure being incurred in the matter before the board, which, was simply} an estimate of contemplated expenditure for certain work. • , -„';•,. ;,." Mr Wilson was sorry to say that he was nob very regular- in- his attendance at the meetings of the board, but from what he had noticed, when he di 4 attdid it seeme^

'* *<j him that work\ai? . $ ass / exp&nses incurred w$ ■-. iad-!ss sanction afterwards; " |Mr Kinross said "^SI for the protection of - piers* hid been parsed by » :^.,. \ Colonel Lambert jftftt had been authorised \^ -r.-: c .-V ' The Chairman saic v ~— = — in^*, resolution moved in^ . port the board would pre ' • : - ijeit business. **' • ;- • I THE STONE, EX ■' A report was reaid' ' ._ of works respecting the "~~ he." stone embankment at th the timber work of tl _ oiqle. 3jhe.repprt stated that the stone pitching had been Beaten down twice bf the heavy range of the sea, clearly showing that dry pitching wotild not stand- at that point. Mr Saiinders suggested that the pitching at that part should be; set in cement, the "total tiost ef which would be about £ 50. Mr Vautier considered that work of the kind should be done by tender. He irioved that tenders be invited for the flfcdrie gitehirig forthwith; ■. ■.- Mr Kinross wtfuld second the mdtion, but he considered that the Work should not be delayed until after the next meeting of the board. He would therefore move; in addition,* that a committee, consisting of Colonel Lambert, Mr Vautier, tad the mover, be appointed with p.. a'lithority to accept a tender for the work, th§ JteifclefS tofbe sent in within a week. Mr Vautier accepted the" amendment, . and the motidii ds thus amended was oarried, r- 'T ;? '.:'■ o») ■: '■•'■ ': ''■ :{ THB PORT LIGHT. V A letter was 'read 'from the Marine X Department at Wellington respecting. a light for-the f Pdrt- of Napier. The letter Stated that several, pott lights had been Ordered froni Englsiiid'fdnd otic erf them wits' likely to suit the Port of , Napier, biit it was nevertheless desirable' that the department should , be furnished With particulars of what' was' required, so that _^ If those aljeadyj ordered should not be J suitable ''there could be one ordered expressly ;for Napier. In connection witn the above letter a report was.: iread from the clerk of works furnishing the information required by the Marine Department. On the motion of .Colonel Lambert, seconded by Mr MiMf, it Waa resolved that Mr Saunders's report be. iat* warded- to.the Marine Department, with a request tb the board be informed of the descripvwa. of, light .proposed to be furnished "before 'the matter is finally determined upon. ., FEKRY REGULATIONS. Colonel Lambert brought up the report of the committee appointed to consider the draft -ferry .bye-Jaws submitted for adoption by the board's solicitor. The report recommended that the matter be held ofer until the expiration of " 1 preaent'lease r 6f the ferry. ' On the motion- of Mr Smithy »nded by.'.OoloneL Lambert, the' re, ji^was adopted. v-:i. :>..':-. • •»." In connection with the subject of ferry regulations a letter; was read from a settler ''stating 1 that- occasional disputes arose'beWeen- the settlers and the ferrymen owing to the' latter claiming discretionary power, irrespective of the harbor master, to charge double fares whenever they deemed it necessary to put two men in the boat;'; The settlers would be ; more satisfied t6*pay a unif ormj rate throughout the working hours of the day — whatever that rate might be — than be subject to a fluctuating charge according to the variations of wind and tide, and if there must be a sliding scale of charges it should be after hours. : It { was also, stated in the l^tt^r, that th'e^ferryman's frail boat carries cargo^ with' pasaengers very much to the inconvenience, of the latter. The writer suggested that the ferry should be thrown open to all qualified . licensed watermen, and thus save the public from having to put up .with the insults of anyone having »themohopply Of the ferry. The secretary" stated that there was also a letter from Mr Moore that had .been standing over for some time, in which Mr Moore claimed a refund for overcharge made by the ferryman. Colonel Lambert considered that something should be done. The board could not let the ferryman charge what he liked/: : Mr Wilson thought the board could very easily deal with the -ferryman under the conditions of his agreement. He should be written to that complaints had been made and if there were any recurrence of them his- lease would be cancelled. As to the double fares, the ferryman was not entitled to-lharge them except after hours. . 'The secretary said he had some time ago written to the ferryman to the effect - suggestedby Mr Wilson ; Mr Hoadley read a copy of the letter. "' - ; . •, . . • '4Mr; Wilson could- see that the ferryman set the board at defiance. He should be ■written to that if -any further complaint 'be received his bond would be put into force at once, , MrSmith : And his sureties too. 1 : .It. was then decicided that the ferryman - and his sureties be written to as suggested by Mr Wilson, and that the secretary write to Mr Moore, giving him the scale of charges for the' ferry, and offering him a perusal of the lease and any assistance he' ■' might require in taking legal proceedings against the ferrymani vu \ h . THE WHAEE-b-MABANUI BLOCK. ''■ .* Mr. ,' Smith' 'stated that some persons shboting. ducks, on the block had cut 'away the" wire fences., \ ..-_, ....,.,, .: . depfded that the attention of Inspector Scully be :drawn to the matter. .■■"*(:.: iS.I i-ii-. . ACCOUNTS. 1 ' ■ - On the vouchers being read over — amounting in the aggregate to £401 ;4s — there was a good, deal. of discussion on *^ the several items. One of them was a charge for a ballot box for the late election, and Colonel Lambert asked why i there was „ not one borrowed for the occasion.:; The. ; election, he saw, cost £5 4a ! 9d, he : supposed the late member bould scarcely be asked to pay the amount. (Laughter.) -• '■ ' .1 ' Mf Vautier said that if there had been ■a poll the ; expense would have been £9 or £10. Mr Kinross':' If there was no poll what ballot-box for 1 '. Mr Wilson said he had looked through the items of the returning officer's charge and there was nothing .that he could see to be objected to. , Mr Vautier said that the expenses of the board ' generally were too heavy. They were actually paying interest on the loan .out of capital, and if they went on .'that way they would soon come to the end.. . ... ; ,;. ; Mr Smith : Well, tax coals. -. ...Colonel Lambert said it seemed that ■the chief, of the board was to ; spend monpy; Mr Vautier : We do not only pay in- ■ terest out of capital, but there is no provision for a sinking fund. " "-/After some further discussion the vouchers were passed, with the understanding.that at the next meeting of the [ board a committee would be appointed to regulate the board's expenditure under a f . resolution of .which Mr Miller gave t notice., .... '- •■ SAIiE OF LEASES OF- RESERVES. The board decided with respect to the ; Whare-o-maranui block that the sale of the lease be deferred until the Ist of October, and that ( with regard to the lighthouse reserve tenders for the lease be i. invited, two months' notice of same being given in accordance with the Act. '■.p,ViiTi4. i"." -NOTICE OF MOTION. . HJMr Miller to move at next sitting, - /'That apommittee, consisting of Colonel .Lambert, .Mr J. G. Kinross, and the empowered to control accounts J gendrally 'of the, board, and under theiir ' sanction/a .inpnthly,. statement, of receipts and- disbursements be prepared by the secretary {md submitted to the hwid,

stating the past month's actual expenditure and estimate of the outlay reqinred for the ensuing month." •. :^t.-Thethpard .then adjourned. <<j