NAPIER HARBOR BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5447, 30 July 1879, Page 3

NAPIER HARBOR BOARD.

Tuesday, July 29. The board met at 2.30 p.m. Present : — The Chairman (Mr John Buchanan), Messrs Smith, Lyndon, Miller, Kinross, Vautier, and Common. CORKESPONDENCE. The following letters were read : From Mr Beatson, stating that he would pay £20 for occupation of the Ware-o-maraenui block to the Ist of Ootober.

On the motion of Mr Kinross, seconded by Mr Vautier, the offer was accepted. From Mr Watts, applying for a pilotage eierhp'tidn certificate for Gaptain Toaei\ — Granted.

From Mr Saunders, the Olerk of Works, reporting that the effect of his experiment with 21bs weight of dynamite \ipon the bank at the entrance of the harbor was to thoroughly lo'o'ge'n the bottom so that the scour of the, tides coiilct act ttpon it-j and ripo'n , sounding the following day there was ioririd from 1 ft. to 1 ft. 5 in. rfloro water thon previously, The cost of the experiment was £iB. Mr SaimderS added that although there was now a good depth of water at the entrance to the harbor, advantage esotfld not be taken of it as ,the greatest available witter at the breastwork waa oWy 12' feet, and there was only accommodation for one vessel drawing that quantity of water, Mr Kinross thought something should" be ddrie to,.riffor'd trie-re aceommo'daltion to vessels. The water" ftldngside the breastwork had been shallowing a good deal for some time. He moved that a committee, consisting of Messrs Vautier, Common, Smith, and the mover, be appointed to report on the beat means of affording additional accommodation for shipping at the breastwork. The motion waa seconded by Mr Common and carried, From Mr Saunders, reporting that Mr M'Kaye had finished the pile-driving at the pier head, that the contract for pitching a portion of the wall in cement was completed, and that the driving of mooring piles at the breastwork waa coninlenCsd. Prom the Marine Department, stating, with respect to the light at the pier head, that in order to make a good "cutoff" between the differont colors it would be necessary to have an apparatus fixed in a proper lantern, which would cost, exclusively of the necessary building, £300. The port light that had been ordered from England could either be shown as a red, green, or white light, and would require no lantern — the cost would be £75. In connection with the above a letter was read from Mr Saundei's, stating that he had proposed merely to have a white light, and to show different colors by fixing shades of the hues required. Mr Smith moved and Mr Lyndon seconded that the matter be left in the hands of Mr Johnson, the secretary to the Marine Department. Mr Kinross considered that the question of cost should bo looked at. There waa a soi ierable difference between £300 and 75, and if a white light would do as well as a colored it waa unnecessary to go to the larger expense. He thought that a lantern costing £75 would be sufficient with the present apparatus showing the Parrier rock. Mr Smith believed that would cause endless confusion ; if they were to have a light, let it be a good one. Mr Miller moved that the cost bo limited to £100. Mr Kinross seconded the amendment. The board divided. Ayes : — Messrs Miller, Kinross, and Common. Noes : — Messrs Smith, Lyndon, and Vautier. The chairman gave his vote with the ayes, and the motion, that the matter be left in the hands of Mr Johnson with a limit in cost of £100, was then carried without dissent. LANDING AND SHIPPING THE MAILS. Mr Smith read a letter from the Postmaster at the Spit to the Chief Postmaster, complaining of annoyance and delay in landing mails caused by the action of the wharfinger in preventing the contractor from going with his vehicle on the wharf. Mr Vautier believed that the wharfinger was only acting in accordance with the instructions of the board. At the Bmall wharf there was so little room that if vehicles were allowed to drive there it would be unsafe to people landing from the steamers. There was some further discussion on the matter, in the course of which it was stated that the danger to passengers that Mr Vautier had referred to had occurred that morning on the arrival of the Hawea, There were a lot of passengers and other people on the small wharf, when Mr Cotton went driving down amongst them endangering their lives. Mr Cotton when remonstrated with got abusive, and then the wharfinger interposed his authority. Mr Smith moved, " That the wharfinger be instructed to afford every facility to the landing and shipping of mails." Mr Lyndon seconded the motion. Mr Common moved the following addition, " But that the allowance of mail carts on the wharf be at the discretion of the wharfinger." Mr Vautier seconded the amendment, which was carried without dissent, and Mr Smith's motion as thus amended was then carried. THE SUNKEN MOORINGS. Mr Kinross regretted that he was not present during the early part of the last sitting of the board when, as he saw afterwards in the papers, it was decided to abandon the sunken moorings. A motion was made to incur a small expenditure and recover the moorings, but that motion was lost. He could not but think that it was a mistake, and he would now move that the services of the diver be engaged for the purpose of recovering the moorings. They cost between £700 and £800, and the board could not afford to abandon them. Besides, it was the duty of the , board to keep up those moorings. The cost of maintaining them had been very much exaggerated. He believed they had only cost £130 n-year, and the revenue the board derived from English ships using them was very considerable. He found by his own books that Messrs Shaw, Saville and Co. had paid £150 last year, and no doubt the New Zealand Shipping Company had paid as much. The board had bought a diver's dress for purposes of this kind, and he really could not see what objection there could be to using it. Members must have overlooked it. Mr Smith : Is this a notice of motion ? Mr Kinross did not think that the motion required notice, seeing that it was a matter of urgency. The pilot was of opinion that if it was delayed it might not be possible to recover the moorings. The Chairman reminded Mr Kinross that if he had given notice three days before the meeting of the board it would have been sufficient. Mr Kinross then moved that the standing orders be suspended to allow him to move for the employment of the diver without notice. The board divided. Ayes — Messrs Lyndon, Kinross, and Common. Noes — Messrs Smith and Vautier. Mr Kinross then moved that the diver be employed in recovering the moorings. Mr Common seconded the motion, remarking that he had voted the other way at the last meeting of the board, but on reflection he had become convinced that the board ought not to allow property of such value to remain in the sea, if it could be recovered at a moderate expense. Mr Vautier said it would be throwing money away. All that was proposed by the pilot to be recovered was the chain, and that was partly eaten away. It was quite true that the moorings had only cost £130 to maintain, but that was for blacksmith's work alone ; there was painting and repairing the buoy besides, which was a large expense. As to the board's duty in the matter, vessels rode better at their own anchors than when connected with. the moorings. The board divided. Ayes — Messrs Kinross and Common. Noes— Messrs Smith, Jjyxxdon, and Vautier. The motion was accordingly negatived. ACCOUNTS. A number of accounts werej passed for payment. $ The board then adjoiu'ned.f "*******