HARBOUR BOARD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10310, 31 March 1894, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD.

LYTTELTON. The usual monthly meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board was held at Lyttelton yesterday afternoon; present— Messrs P. Way mouth (chairman), P. Cunningham, H. W. Peryman, E. G. Wright, P. Graham, the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr J, Thompson) and Captain Parsons. Leave of absence was granted to the Eon J. T. Peacock and Messrs I. Gibbs, E. Westenra and J. Joyce. chairman’s report. The Chairman reported that since the last meeting the following sums had been paid in to the Board’s credit:—Wharfage, .£905 4s lid; pilotage and port charges, £4lB 5s lOd; towage, storage, &c., £l4O Os lOd; total, £1463 17a 7d. The bank book showed the current account to be in credit £386 4s lOd. The committee appointed to order a lifeboat for Sumner, after calling for tenders, accepted Mr E, Logan’s tender of £B6, for a twenty-sight foot lifeboat; and Captain Worsp, of. Auckland, had undertaken to inspect the boat from time to time-during its construction. ■ harbour improvement committee. The Harbour Improvement Committee reported that it cou.d not recommend any action in the matter of providing a harbour-master’s house at Lyttelton, and was unable to make any recommendation as to widening the jetty at Sumner. The present occupier of what were known as Bell’s baths, at Sumner, had been furnished with a copy of a plan showing the site actually occupied by the baths, and of the encroachments in connection therewith. The plan showed that the baths did not occupy the site as approved hy the Harbour Board, and set forth in the plan signed by the Governor-m-Council, under date May 5, 1885, a copy of which was furnished to the late Mr Ball at that date. The Committee recommended that fresh negotiations should be entered into with the Otago Harbour Board with a view to arranging the charter of their dredge for a term of six months or longer; and, further, the Committee was of opinion that no works, tinless absolutely necessary in the immediate interests of the port, should be proceeded with at present, the only exception in its opinion being the question of dredging, which should be undertaken at the earliest date possible. The Committee could not, recommend any action being undertaken in the matter of accident insurance for employes of the Board. The report was adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. ' - Correspondence was read:— From Mr W. H. Montgomery, having reference to providing a rocket apparatus. It was intended to form a rocket brigade on Banka Peninsula, to be of service should shipwrecks occur on the coast, and the promoters wished to know if the Board would be willing to provide the apparatus or any portion of it. The Chairman stated that the matter was outside the jurisdiction of the Board, and it was decided to inform Mr Montgomery to that effect. Prom Admiral Bowden-Smith, of H.M.S. Orlando, pointing out that on the recent visit to the port of the flagship, it was found that the actual depth of water was less than that shown on the chart supplied by the Board. The Chairman stated that the soundings had been taken only a few months before the visit of the Orlando, and it was evident that the mud was silting up pretty rapidly. Mr Graham expressed the opinion that a good deal of the silting np came from the unfinished reclaimed works at Sticking Point. The Chairman said that he had already sent a letter to the Government, pointing out that the contract entered into between the Board and the Government, and dated May, 1881, had not been carried out, as the works had not been faced in the manner provided for. Hence the material was washed away and was carried into the harbour by the easterly sea. Mr Cunningham hoped that the Admiral’s letter would be forwarded to the Government sa an endorsement of the opinion already expressed in the Board’ll letter. Mr Wright was of opinion that the Board should go farther and consult its solicitor as to what claim it had on the Government for damage to the dredging works. This would, undoubtedly, be done if a private person had failed to carry out a contract, as the Government appeared to have done. Eventually it was resolved to forward the Admiral’s letter to the Government, with an intimation that the Board held it responsible for the damage. THE SAILORS’ HOME. The Sailors’ Home Committee recommended that the Government should be requested to appoint the Superintendent of the Home a shipping master for the port. The recommendation was agreed to, and will be forwarded to the Government for consideration. TELEPHONE. The question of connecting the dock and No. I score by telephone with the Lyttelton office, as recommended by the Harbourmaster and Mr M’lntyre, was discussed and approved cf. DREDGING. Mr Wright moved—" That the Harbour Improvement Committee be requested to consider and report upon the extent of dredging which they may consider necessary, both in the inner and outer harbour, and furnish an estimate of the cost of same.” The motion was seconded by Mr Perymau and carried. The next meeting of the Board was fixed for Thursday, April 26, at 2.15 p.m. at the Christchurch office.