Foxton Harbour

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 279, 25 November 1936, Page 13

Foxton Harbour

MEETING OF BOARD. The monthly meeting of the Foston Harbour Board was held on Monday morning and was presided over by Air. J. Linklater. Also present were: Messrs. W. E. Barber, W. E. Carthew, Jno. Boss, J. A. Nash and P. W. Goldsmith. Tho local committoo reported that it had gone into tho question of an artesian boro at Manawatu Heads, and recommended that a three-inch well bo sunk and that tho board contribute £oo towards the' cost by way of pledging the camp site fees to tho Beach Improvement Society for a further two years. Mr. Barber said that unless an adequate supply of water was obtained for tho summer it would bo a disaster as the attendance at the seaside this year would be much larger than ever before. Mr. Nash asked would there be no further liability ou the board than £SO.

Mr. Barber: Some soit of a container will be required in the future if a. good flow is obtained. The society will find tho balance over and above tho £SO. Mr. Nash said he did not favour the society receiving the camp license fees any longer. Ho thought tho board should collect tho fees. The board would want them next year. Ho agreed that it was necessary to have an adequate water supply at the seaside, but if the board allowed them tho camp site money any longer it would be creating a precedent. Mr. Nash moved the following resolution; That the Beach Improvement Committee be informed that, the agreement between tho board and the committee with regard to camp site foes having ceased, the board is prepared to guarantee the sum of £SO out of camp site fees this year, the money to be paid in advance. The motion was carried. The matter of obtaining tenders for the work was left in the hands of the local committee with power to act. The committee recommended that further manuka be procured from across the river to continue the arresting of sand-drift at the Point.—The recommendation was agreed to.

Accounts amounting to £IOO 32s 6d were passed for payment. The overdraft at October 1, 1936, was shown as £BOO and with annual additional expenditure the total reached £1039 2s sd. The working account for the port for October, with the figures for the same month last year in parentheses, was submitted as follows: Expenditure: Salaries, £2O 6s Sd (£2O 6s Sd); maintenance and repairs, £2 10s (£7 16s); office and general expenses, £S 16s lid (£8 7s 6d); handling, £5-1 7s 9d (£sl 12s Id); insurances, £5 37s 6d (£6 10s 6d); travelling expenses, £1 10s (£1 10s); sundries, £2 2s 6d (£3 15s 7d); loan, £69 03 7d (£7O). Income: Pilotage, £lO 12s (£9 4s); lighting, £3 (£1 10s); dues, £1 30s (£2 15s); wharfage, inward, £99 12s 4d (£B4 7s 6d); wharfage, outward, 17s 6d (nil); storage, £1 15s 6d (£1 ss); balance, £45 4s 4d (£67 17s 4d).

The pilot (Captain C. Yendore) reported that silting was experienced at Rush Flat during the month and the river bed was harrowed three times with the result that a depth of 7ft. 6in. was now obtainable at neap tides. During tho month there were six arrivals and six departures. During November the bar remained in good condition. The soundings to date showed 7ft. of water at neap tides and 9ft. at spring tides with the river fairway six inches better. The pilot recommended the board to erect speed limit notices on the beach and reported that he had endeavoured to stop passengers from riding on the mnning boards and hanging on the outsides of cars, but he had been told by the offenders that he had no authority to interfere.

The following leases were approved.. —To W. H. Boyce and to F. M. G. Watchorn. A transfer from P. Pedersen to T. Wiggins was also approved. The local committee recommended that the board purchase a punt for lightering purposes.—Agreed to. Messrs. Morison, Spratt, Morison and Taylor wrote warning the board against trespass on an area of land known as Papangaro J., at Manawatu Heads.— The secretary submitted a pLan of the seaside and explained that the land referred to was accretion land. The Manawatu river had gone south during the past few years and had eroded a considerable area of land. The area referred to had originally been on ;he other side of the river. It was decided to refer the letter to the board’s solicitors for consideration. The local committee recommended that tho board arrange with Mr. W. E. Woodham to place flax bands on the accesses to the ocean beach to make them safe for motor traffic. —Agreed to. Foxton Beach Eoad. The chairman reported on tho result of his interview with tho Manawatu County Council regarding tho scaling of tho Poxton-beack highway. The council had met his suggestions with favour and had decided to proceed with tho sealing of tho road. Tkore was only one hitch as far as tho board was concerned, however, and that was that ho had not noticed anything in the “Washing-up” Bill to indicate that the board's clause regarding tho flnancing of its share of the cost had been inserted. Mr. Carthow said he had made a careful examination of the list and had failed to see any mention of the board's clause. Mr. J. A. Nash: If tho clause has not been included it will bo necessary for the board to obtain somo guarantee that it will be included next session. It was decided to write to tho member for the district asking if he could offer any explanation as to why the clause had not been included, as all the particulars had been in the hands of the Minister for Public Works, and to point out that it would be necessary for the board to have the clause inserted without fail next session and made retrospective to enable it to pay its quota.