MOTUEKA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 29 March 1938, Page 6

MOTUEKA

HARBOUR BOARD FURTHER. DISCUSSION ON FINANCES MOTION FOR INCREASED WHARFAGE DEFEATED [From Cur Own Correspondent] The monthly meeting of the Motueka Harbour Board was he!d on Friday al'ter- ' noon, when the following members were : pi^sent: Messrs C. L. Harvey (chairman), | A Rowling, I*. B. Calder, D. Haining, D. ’ j L. Drummond and Horatio Everett. Arising from the minutes of the previous meeting the chairman reported that he had interviewed tlie Minister of Labour and Employment regarding the re- | instatement of the understructure at the ! wharf and had received a promise of a 1 subsidy on labour of £4 per man-week, i provided plans were submitted to the District Engineer of the Public Works’ De- ! partinent. On the motion of Messrs Everett and , Drummond the action of the chairman was ; endorsed. The opinion was expressed by the chairman that it was a splendid offer and that I they should take advantage of it at an j early dale. j Mr Calder said the plans were in the j office and all that was needed was to j submit them to the engineer. It was resolved on the motion of Messrs I Everett and Calder that the Minister be i thanked for his offer and notified that, as soon as the work in hand —the training | wall—is completed, the board will avail itself of the assistance proffered towards 1 the cost of reinstating the understructure ' at the wharf. ; Replying to a question the chairman ' said the board would be lucky if the train- | ing wall was finished in four months’ ' time. | It was decided (Messrs Everett and j Drummond) that the Consulting Engineer ! lie asked to prepare the necessary plans j for submission to the Public Works De- | pal tment. , Accounts amounting to £426 9s lid i were passed for payment leaving a debit 1 balance of £ll6O 12s Bd. COR RES POX DEN CE i Mr Rod Goodman (secretary of the Moj t i'eka Watcrsider Workers’ Union] wrote j slating that he had been instructed by'his ! Federation to advise the board that it ; was not paying the correct wages to the | men stacking fruit on the wharf. The J men were casual waterside workers and | had to be paid the award rates that were | in operation on the wharf. | Hie chairman that some two years j ago it had been mutually agreed to pay the extra shed hands at the same rate us the board’s permanent employees. The secretary, in reply to a question, stated that the men referred to were not employed as “casual workers ” U was decided that the secretary ot the Waterside Workers’ Union be informed that the matter was being investigated. The secretary of the New Zealand Harbour Boards’ Industrial Union of Employers. wrote slating that.au emergency meeting of the union will be held in Wellington on 6th April, to discuss matters in connection with the National Disputes Committee’s meeting and general. The board was asked if it would be represented at tile meeting and if so the names of its representatives. 'The letter was received, the writer to be informed that the board does not wish to be represented at the meeting. The secretary of the Tasman Harbour; Board wrote stating that at a meeting of the Local Disputes Committee, held recently, he was instructed to write asking what the Motueka Board did in respect of sick pay to members of its staff, both permanent and casual laid aside by sickness. The writer added that, since the award came into operation, liis board bad ceased the payment of half-pay to those members belonging to the union. It was left to the secretary to reply to the letter. The secretary of the New Zealand Harbour Boards’ Industrial Union of Employers, replying to the letter of 10th March forwarded by the board's secretary, advised that the information communicated by the board's chairman regarding the alteration of the months from January to April inclusive to FeblUary to May inclusive (respecting {Saturday morning work during, the fruit season) was probably correct. The Nelson Harbour Board on behalf of Mapua and Motueka, had intimated that the Local Disputes Committee at Nison had approved the alteration and asked for the consent of this union thereto, which consent, stated the writer, was duly granted. At the same time the Nelson Harbour Board said that it was seeking the consent of the New Zealand Harbour Boards Employees’ Union to the change. Whether this consent had been given or not, the writer had not heard but stated that, if the board got in touch with the Nelson Harbour Board’s secretary, he would give information as to the union’s decision, tiie union’s decision. The letter was received. SWIMMING BATH The secretary of the Motueka Safe j Bathing Society wrote informing the board that the society proposed, subject to the) I board’s permission, to erect a concrete ; swimming bath on the site at present oc- ' copied by the bathing enclosure- As it would be necessary, in order to obtain the I benefit of subsidies, to complete arrauge- ; n.ents at an early date, the society asked the Board to appoint a member to act I ou the Society’s Baths Committee and also i to set up a committee to consider plans, | which would be submitted to the board i shortly. | Mr Calder was appointed the board’s re- ; presentative on the Society’s Baths Uomj mittee. 'Permanent bathing facilities a., the beach Mr Calder said, would fill a long-felt, want and the proposal should re- | reive every encouragement. The soci- ' ety now had the members to push things The secretary, Department of Labour, i Wellington, wrote stating, with reference | Lj the board’s account for £33 7s 3d to\ering storage on 188 packages, comprising pans of a tobacco machine that, under section 78 of the Harbours’ Act 1923. | Government property was exempt from ' storage charges, wharfage etc., as the 1 machine concerned was owned by the deI pai'traeut it was clear that there was no ( legal authority for the claim to be paid, j Under the circumstances the board's acccnut had been cancelled, j It was decided that further consideration be deferred until the next meeting of the board. secretary of the Dunedin Harbour t Board, referring to the question of travelling expenses of members, wrote stating j that his boa I’d had adopted a resolution I (a) asking the Minister of Marine to have

the regulations amended to provide for ai increase in the rate of living expense from £1 to £1 10s per day of 24 hour; and (bl that a copy of the resolution b< forwarded to other harbour boards ant other local bodies, asking for their co operation and support. Mr Rowling considered that 30s a da> Mr Haining sah\ it wa" only fair tha it local body representative should be le imbursed for out of pocket expenses. A person absent from a farm or orcharc would have to pay a man to take his plac< whilst away on public business. It was decided, ou the motion of Mi Everett and the chairman, to endorse the resolution. The Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) wrote stating that during bis absence in England be was given to understand that the board approached the Government legaiding the difficulty experienced by the board in obtaining its | provision of funds for the. purpose of as- ! si&ting local authorities in this direction had been under consideration by tlie Goveminent, and he was now pleased to advise that arrangements had been completed for the State Advances Corporation tc take up such loans, or portion thereof, been unable to obtain their immediate requirements in the ordinary way. Any moneys advanced by the Corporation would be for a term not exceding 10 years- it was further stated that the advancing of this loan by the Corporation would be conditional upon the board having exhausted all other possible sources and consequently it would be necessary for the board to satisfy the Corporation pi this respect. * On the motion of Messrs Everett and ('alder it. was derided that, in the event eial agency in Wellington, application be made lo the .Stale Advances Corporation for the board’s loan requirements. EROSION OF SHINGLE BANK The Consulting Engineer (Mr C. Traill) wrote stating that, following an inspection of the erosion of the shingle bank at Jackelt’s Island end of the training wall lie considered it essential that this erosion be stopped. He would advise th a t the training wall be extended on an angle into solid ground—a distance of about three and a half chains The estimated cost of this was £295 and he recommended that application be made to the Marine Department for permission to carry out tin's work It. was resolved (Messrs Everett and Rowling) that application be made tc the Marine Department in the direction indicated by the Consulting Engineer. On Mr Rowling’s suggestion it was de tided to ask Mr Traill to supply a written report on the progress of the channel re | storation work, together with his opiuior or. the efficacy of the training wall. Messrs E. and H. Smith, Motu e ka, wroti enclosing a letter from a Wellington firm regarding shipping from that port. The) stated that their reason for doing so win to draw the board's attention to the verj unsatisfactory position in the hope that it might be able to improve matters This, it was slated, was the third com I n unication they had received from Wei lington, and the position was that. unless an improvement could be effected it woiih be necessary to divert shipments througl Nelson, which would ensure quicker de liverv despite the extra cost.. The Wellington firm in question staled tl that they had tried to get the order shippe< h the Kaitoa, which left Wellington las Friday, but they would not receive tin cargo. The manager of the firm had beei i:i touch with the Anchor Company several times since and the only salisfactioi he could get was that they have beei held up owing to the tides and expectec lo have a boat lo sail at the end of this week. Mr Calder said it was costing local busi ness firms and others an additional 22: 6 ! per ton lo get their goods across frou Nelson bv road. The chairman said that the Commission er of Transport had been closely examin ‘ three day' visit to the district and had in formed him that he had no fault to fine j with waterside workers and wharf hand: I at the port- there was not a shirkei I li was resolved (Messrs Rowling ant | Calder] that a copy of (he correspondence

i he forwarded the the Minister of Transi Port. FOREMAN'S REPORT The foreman reported as follows for the period ending 25th March : , Twelve 30 inch concrete piles have been driven to a depth of 17 feet in the ground Seventeen concrete piles have been puntel, to wall site. Twenty-five temporary piles have been driven to carry pile drivj ing gear. Eighteen sets of temporary j piles have been capped and braced. Out ; o; the Harbour Board’s reserve a further 115 temporary piles have been cut and shod. The shingle has again washed a way Jackett's Island end of retaining wall. 1 reported the above to the Consulting Engineer and be has the matter in hand. The punt is now being dismnn- j tied of pile driving gear and being re- j placed with concrete gear. All temporary j piles capped and braced, 192 yards of con- j j driving of concrete piles to a distance of! 1165 feet, of wall. To complete the 1165, feet of wall, four 30 feet concrete piles will require to be driven, 5 temporary pile scapped and braced, 192 yards of concrete placed between piles and 228 feet of concrete top capping. Number of men j on ployed : one foreman, six men and one \ boy. ’ ’