CAPTAIN LOGAN AND THE HARBOUR BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5636, 9 December 1879, Page 6

CAPTAIN LOGAN AND THE HARBOUR BOARD.

TO THE EDITORPir,— While we trink Capt.in McKenzie, in lis capacity as chairman of ihe Harbonr Board, has actedjvery honourably in trying to defend the course Captain Burgess pursued, [feeling, as he must have done, that both he and the board were respjusH'le for their fetvan.'s act!,) we think it light, in Captain Logan's absenc* 1 , to reply to one or two points iu the letter of to-d3y. Captain Logan was charged by Captain Buigess under the harbour regulati ns with landing cattle on the Queen street Wharf, without first getting the written permission of the harbour master or pier-master. To this the defence is that he had been in the habit of so landing cattle ; that he was not aware of the existence of such a law; and that on the particular o:cati n in question, he actually met and spoke to the pie--inaster on the wharf just after the cattle had been landed, and as usual he r lised no objection. In fact, it is iuf-rred, from the chairman's own letter, that had the cattle not " bten of a lively turn of nvn 1," the harbourmaster would not have moved in the matter. Under all these circumstances, Captain naturally enough expected he might have been warned that the practically obsolete law of IS6S was in future to be enforced. Captain M-Kenzie alleges that "those engagtd in landing and shipping cattle must ob'.ain permission to do S"," and that "the harbour regulations are strictly pat in force as f .r as local steamboats are concerned.'' How far this accords with the sentiment- contained in tlieaccompinyingle'.ter, we leave the public to julge. Captain McKenzie would appear to be jealous of the privileges granted the Hero, privileges for which, we may add, the steamer has dear'y to pay. We are aware tha*-. the Harbour Board have in their time been guilty of some extraordiuary follies, but we Mucerely hope that the feeling of jealousy is not thared in by the other memhers, but that, instead of envying such facilities as have lately been granted eteamtra in the discharging and taking in of c»rgo, everything will be done to raise Auck'and in this r-spect to the first position among New Zealand ports. —We are, &c, Ckcicksha.sk and Co., Agents s.s. Hero. 10, Queen-Etreet, Auckland, Dec. 8, 1579. Auckland, December Sth, 1579. i'essrs. Cruickshank and Co. Gentlemen, — We, the undersigned shipping ag nts, hereby state that until Captain Logan was sued last week, we were not awaie that there was a harbour regulation prohibiting stock from beiug landed on the wharf without the written permission of the harbour master or pier master, and that onr captains are in the Labit of doing so without such permission being obtained either in writing or orally. William Lodder, A.t?.S. Co., and K.S S Co. Union Steamship Co. ofX.Z., per Thomas Henderson, jun. The >".Z. Shipping Co. (Limited), per John Batger, L. D. Nathan and Co. Owen and Gp.aham.