HARBOUR BOARDS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15715, 7 September 1911, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARDS.

LYTTELTON. The Lyttelton Harbour Board met yesterday ; present—Messrs H. Fricdlandor (chairman), J. Lambio, F. Or. Horrell, J. Storry, T. D. Boag, W. R. Smith, 0. Cook, C. Allison, J. J. Dougall, R. Moore, M. J. Miller, A. Kayo and G. Laurenson, M.P., and Dr H. T. J. Thacker. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT. The chairman, in his report, stated that since the previous meeting the following sums had been paid into tho harbour fund account: *— Wharfage £3649 17s Id, pilotage and port charges £1385 8s lid, towage, storage, etc. £1712 15s 9d, total £6748 Is 9d, as compared with £5390 12s 4d for the corresponding p-enoS of last year. The current account was in credit £5777 lEis 2d. A return had been prepared from information obtained from the various Harbour Boards of the dominion showing the cost of tho recent Harbour Board elections, under the Harbours Act, 1910. The return showed a total expenditure of approximately £5025 17s 8d for twenty-four Harbour Boards. They cost the Wellington Harbour Board £IO3B. Lyttelton Harbour Board. £B4l, Auckland £650, Otago £630, Now Plymouth Harbour Board £233. and other Boards lessor amounts. The Government bad now requested the Board to furnish a roturn of the cost of the recent election, and also the cost of the elections during the previous five years. Tho return was in course of preparation. The report was received. ENGINEER’S REPORT. Tha engineer reported that between July 29 and August 31 the dredge Manchester had been engaged dredging across tho western end of tho inner harbour, in a liua with and westward of No. 7 Jetty, and had worked in as fur as tho end of that jetty. On August 21 the diodgo was docked for examination by ona of the enginoors of the Sydney Harbour Trust. She was thoroughly examined inside and outside by that officer, and, after being painted outside, resumed work on August 25. The month's work amounted to 42,528 tons, the whole of which had been deposited in Little Port Cooper. Tho ciam-sTTeil dredge Tewliaka hud been engaged at No. 7 west, at the low level breastwork, and at tho inner end of No. 7 east. At tlio inner end of No. 7 west a load of material which had been disintegrated by blasting was lifted, deepening the water at that part by two l'ect six inches, so that the berth would bo available for vessels loading to 20ft 6in. Tho month’s work had bean 4420 tons, the whole of which had bson deposited in tho reclamation area. The drilling and blasting plant had now been at work for three weeks, and was working very well. The"holes woro got down without difficulty, but tho material was very obstinate, nob shattering very freely under the charges, although tho explosions wore so severe that the shocks could bo felt in the office l , half a nnle away. Tho work of removing tho hard clay was slow, but tho depths . were being gradually increased. The reclamation bank had been raised where it was exposed to the heavy seas, and v.as being rebuilt entirely with the best stone availably where injured by the heavy seas in July. About two-thirds of tho extent damaged had been mado good. No. 7 Jetty, west side, was practically Completed, ready for the tramway points, but a few men were still being employed on work on the east side, as much being done as was possible without disturbing .tiro rails. Tea wTiTTs and floor of the look-out house on the Cave Rock at Sumner Bad been mado good with concrete, and the hokse had been roofed with shingle-. The report was approved. FINANCE. Tho Finance Committee recommended the payment of accounts amounting to £9543 (is 7d. As tho fourth payment on account of Messrs Simons and Co.’s contract for tha dredge Canterbury came due at the end of October, tho committee had authorised tho remission of the sum of £4750 by a sixty days draft at i per cent discount (£ll 17s (id). On July 5 the Board lia-ci authorised the purchase of £2400 Christchurch tram debentures at £2 10s premium. The committee reported that the debentures were handed over by tho Tramway Board on August 31, and wore lodged to tho credit of tho Lyttelton Harbour Board sinking fund commissioners with tho Bank of New Zealand, Christchurch, on that day. A £2300 general account fund deposit (two years at 4 per cent) matured on August 26, and was transferred to tho Board’s current account, together with the accrued interest thereon, amounting to £IOO. An accident insurance fixed deposit of £649 7s 7d also matured on August 20, and was re-deposit-ed, together with the. accrued interest, and the Beard’s yearly contribution of £SO, for a period of two years at 3J per cent per annum. Another accident insurance fixed deposit would mature on November 3, amounting to £1203 8s lid, and it was suggested that that sum, together with accrued interest, should be ro-depcsitcd for two years at 8i per cent nor annum. The total amount at credit of the accident insurance fund would bo £1990 16s lid. Tho chairman said that he thought that the placing of the money on fixed deposit would lock it up. Ho favoured the investment of money in debentures. The Finance Committee withdrew tho reference to deposit maturing on November 3, and the amended report was adopted. HARBOUR IMPROVEMENTS. The Harbour Improvement Committee reported that it had considered Mr Joshua Little’s letter regarding tho disposal of silt, together with tho engineer’s report, and recommended that no action should be taken in the matter. The chairman’s action in authorising the purchase of two hand cranes at £56 Is 3d each, as recommended by tho Board’s engineer, should be confirmed. Tho committee had doferred considciaiion respecting half-pay to casual labourers incapacitated by accident, in order to enable tho chairman to ascertain what the practice was with other Harbour Boards. Having carefully considered the engineer’s report on tho question of establishing a bell buoy at Adderley Head, the committee recommended that prior to coming to any decision in reference to tho installation of a bell buoy at tho head, tho Board should ascertain whether (no Government would ho prepared to subsidise the installation of such a buoy, and that a similar question snouid ho addressed to the steamship companies trading to Lyttelton.. The committee had no recommendation to make legarding the delay in departure ci Sunday trains connecting wi-li terry Steamers from Wellington. H> recommended that tho tender of Mr G. A. Maze.v of £57 15* for painting tho Coronation Hull and buildings at Lyttelton should lie accepted, and that toe wages of the blacksmith's helper on the dredge Manchester should bo fixed at tho rate of £125.4s per annum since tho single shift payment was cstab.islied last year. Tho committee recommended that the accident insurance policy with tho South British Insurance Company, which expired on September 1. should ho renewed for one year, at the following rates i-Clencal, 3s 6d per cent; general labour, 27s 6d per cent; qnarrvmon. 60s per cent. The report was adopted. grr-niuT? annuation FOR EMpboyees. The Special Committee to consider the question of the establishment of a superannuation scheme reported that it was desirable, that a sunerannna.

tion scheme should be established, provided it could be done upon a satisfactory financial basis. Tho Board should bring tho matter of superannuation before the annual conference of tho Harbour Boards of tho dominion, and its representatives at the conference should bo instructed to ascertain whether or not united action was likely to he taken on the subject. In tho meantime, it should be ascertained what it would cost to get a "separate report from tho Government actuary on tho subject as far as the Board was concerned, and Mr Laurenson should be authorised to get the information. Tile report was adopted. Mr Horrell said that ho was opposed to the proposal. Ho thought that if tho Board paid its employees good wages they should bo able to provido for the future just as farm labourers had to do. It was stated that the cost of obtaining tho Government aotuary’3 report would bo £ls. 'The Board agreed to the expenditure. RECLAMATION WORKS. Sir Allison moved—“ That tho resolution of the Board adopted at its meeting op August 4,1909, authorising tho construction of a reclamation wall or bank from tho eastern end of tho western molo to Erskine Point be rescinded.” He said that ho had looked into the reports of engineers to tho Board on the question of reclamation and there had been a remarkable unanimity of opinion that the method was i not a profitable way of dealing with j spoil. '.(lie change of front had taken j place when the new Fruhlingdredge'wf.s j mentioned. It was hoped that tho new | dredge would reduce tho ccst cf the I work by 2.23 per cent por toil. Tho land reclaimed had not been taken up j and one lessee had had to abandon his leaso. Tho cost of the mole or retabling wall was a big item. Tho estimate of the mole was £29,000, but he | had no hesitation in saying that the engineer had under-estimated tho cost, j The wall was 800 ft long and had cost j £IO,OOO, but the remainder would lie j in deeper water and would cost more.*; The total cost would not bo less than ; £45,000. The area reclaimed would contain 4,538,200 tons of spoil, but it would ho cheaper to take the spoil to sea. The engineer had proposed to carry out tho work in eight years, blit he proposed to carry 1000 tons per trip in the dredge and to make five trips per day, and that would mean the com- , pletion of tho work in three years. The total cost would ho £48,000. There would he 70 acres of land, of which 10 acres would be reouired for roads, which would cost £2BOO. The land would not bo worth much to tho Board. Tt would cost £BOO an acre and would not he taken up if tho past experience with reclaimed land in Lyttelton was

borne out. The reclaimed land would probably bo used for a park. Dr Thacker: For a casualty ward, too* Mr Moore seconded tho motion pro forma, but spoke against it, urging that the Board had decided upon a line of action, and should stick to it. Dr Thacker said that tho reclamation would mean tho cessation of tho re-dredging of spoil. Mr Cook quoted from a report by tho engineer, and urged that there would bo a saving of £SOOO per year on tho dredging operations. To send the dredgo to sea would mean danger to tho plant. Mr Laurenson said that at present two firms in Lyttelton were paying £250 rent per annum for a quarter of an acre of reclaimed land. Tho reclamation work meant a saving to the Board. * Mr Allison said that the reports of tho engineers in _ the past had stated that tho dredging had not moved. The Board’s engineer and the engineer to Messrs Coodo, Son and Matthews had been opposed to reclamation in Lyttelton. MISCELLANEOUS. Tho chairman stated that an application was made for life-buoys at the New Brighten pier, and lie had replied that _ the pier was outside the Lyttelton limits, and tho Board could not grant the application. All application was received for a donation towards tho Christchurch Creche and Kindergarten Fund. It was derided to reply that the Board regretted that it could not seo its way to contribute. It was resolved, on the recommendation of tho engineer, that tho Board should offer no objection to the deposit of spoil on the mudflats, near the quarries, when the level of tho Mount Pleasant Road was reduced. Tlie next meeting will take place at Christchurch on Octobor 9, at 11 a.m.