AUCKLAND HARBOUR BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7773, 20 October 1886, Page 3

AUCKLAND HARBOUR BOARD.

The fortnightly meeting of the Harbour Board was held yesterday. Present :— Messrs. D. Goldie, J. Lamb, J. Winks, T, Hendereoo, M. Niccol, G. W. Owen, J* M. Clark, 0. Mays. In the absence of the chairman, Mr. Goldio was voted to the chair. Correspondence.—Letters received since the previous meeting were read and dealt with as follows :—The Marine Board, South Adelaide, forwarded copies of tidal observetions for Anguet, ISS6, and also report of the stranding of the schooner Jane Anderson, of Dunedin, at Mermaid Reef, Cape Van Diemen. Copy of notioe to mariners re the existence of a sandbank in Van Diemen Gulf, North Australia. Received, and usual pub* lioity ordered to be given to the notices. The Secretary of the Marine Department, Wellington, wrote asking for particulars of the two red lights on the Railway Wharf, and also of the lights on Queen-streot Wharf, and other harbour lights, giving their height and date of fixing. The Chief Harbourmaster forwarded a report giving the necessary information. Received and ordered that information submitted be for* warded to the Marine Department. Mr. W. Seed, Secretary of the Marine Department, forwarded reply of Captain Fairchild re the berthing of the s.s. Hinemoa at the Railway Wharf to load sleepers. He said that the berth cleared for him by Captain Burgess, as that officer was well aware, nearly dried at low water, and entailed risk to a vessel with a heavy cargo on board. He had reported the matter to the Depnty Harbourmaster on a previous occasion, and he quite agreed with him. The statement that the tug Awhina towed the vessels away on the day in question was incorrect, as it was not till four p.m. next day that they were re-. moved. The letter went on to say that the deputy harboor-master's statement that he (Captain Fairchild) had insulted him before, was false. He maintained that all his state* meats that the Hinemoa did not receive fair pl»y were perfectly correot, and could be proved by the officers of the Hinemoa and the railway officials. Copy of reply from the chief mate of the Hinemoa was also forwarded. Received, and ordered to be acknowledged. Mr. W. Gray, secretary to the Poet and Telegraph Department, Wellington, wrote stating that the site on the reef at Point Resolution offered for fumigating house, etc., for mails, wae unsuitable. A. wharf, etc, would cost £1000, while the transport of mails, etc., would be difficult. Another more suitable site was asked for, and it was stated that the hulk which had done duty since ISS2 had been sold to the Prisons Department. Referred to the Works and Tariff Committee to report upon. Mr. John Darling, superintending engineer for the Board, Glasgow, wrote re the oonstruction of the maohinery and boilers for the Calliope Dook, and the arrangement as to freight to New Zealand. The three boilers, with all fittings and drainage engine, pump and pipes, would be shipped by the Hermione about October 10. The caisson gear would have been despatched six weeks previously, but the chains were out of pitch with the wheels, and all had been condemned. He was anxious to hear of the dredger's performances. Referred to the Works and Tariffs Committee, with power to aot in regard to employing men from Sydney of Messrs. Watt and Co. to put the caisson, &c, together. The employes on the dredger, numbering seven, wrote again asking for an increase of wages. Agreed to give a bonus of £5 per month to the deck hands when 40 loads are carried in a month.—Messrs. S. Jickell and Co., Customs-street West, wrote drawing attention to the injustice done them by being contractors for ironwork to the Board, yet goods were ordered from other firms. The engineer in reply stated that the value of work done during the past month by Messrs. Jickell outside of their contract was £44 and the amount within £14 He could see no reason for complaint. Referred to the Works and Tariff Committee to report upon. Mr. J. B. Blaikie, Victoria street, applied for permission to ereot a small shed on the reclamation for two months to make some j public tests of a new invention by which wooden houses' ceilings, partitions, etc., are rendered fire-proof. Received, and concession granted.—The secretary of the Kamo colliery, Bay of Islands Coal Co., and Whangarei Coal Mining Co., applied for a reduotion of the wharfage upon coal from the Bay of Islands and Whangarei. Attention wa« drawn to the cheapness of Newcastle coal and the low freights ruling. Referred to the Works and Tariff Committee to report upon.—Mr. E. T. Cox, managing owner of the b.s. Huia. applied for * permit for towing barges, &c, in the harbour. Permission granted, subject to the approval of the Harbourmaster. Mr. R. R. Hunt, manager of the Kamo Colliery Company, offered the Board two barges for silt purposes, capable of holding 150 tons each, for £250 eaoh. Referred to the Works and Tariff Committee to report, and the Engineer and flarbonrmaster to report to the committee on the matter* Mr. J. Wilson wrote again applying for light employment. Agreed to reply that there is no suitable employment. Calliope Dock.—The dock Engineer (Mr. W. Errington) forwarded copies of the reports of the inspectors of works at the dock, reporting the progress. The excavation of the caisson ohamber having been completed, a start had been made with the conorete floor, a great portion of which had been put in, and the excavation for the apron and wing walls was at present proceeding. The valve ehaft to the pumping culvert had been built up to within twelve feet of the surface. Received. Discharging! Facilities. — Mr. Lamb made an explanation in regard to the complaint made by the Colonial Seoretary in regard to the delay in discharging vessels at Auckland. Mr. Lamb pointed out that the complaint alleged that the cause was the starting of work at nine a.m. in the winter instead of working from eight a.m. all the year round, and that the receivers were to blame in the matter. He was certain that the Colonial Secretary was entirely at fault in the matter, as on submitting the question to the agents, etc., on the wharf, they said all was working satisfactorily. He had ascertained that during the past month the Waihora had been discharged in seven hours, and the Australia, with 320 tone of tea, in three and a half hours. Those facts he considered, a perfect refutation to the statement that there was any want of despatch in the discharge of vessels. The real cause of delay was the merchants, who would not take delivery of goods on the wharf. That alone was the cause of the frequent complaints made that Auckland was behindhand with other porta of the colony in the facilities for discharging vessels. Mr. Lamb went on to state the manner in which receivers would telephone up to the merchants .that goods were on the wharf awaiting delivery being taken, and then the merohante would reply to their agents not to take delivery till convenient. The Chairman asked what remedy was there for the Board to take. Mr. Lamb: For the Board to take the discharging and receiving into their own hands. Mr. Clark said he was glad to hear Mr. Lamb's views on the matter, as he had visited other ports, and it was his (Mr. Clark's) opinion that, without flattering Auckland, they were behind their neighbours. The real secret of the delay was that the receivers were too much under the influence, and in the pay of the merchants. If the Board became their own receivers, then the difficulty would be overcome, and there would be but few complaints. Mr. Nioool considered that the question had been brought before the wrong body; being a subject in which the merchants were most concerned it should have been brought under the notice of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Winks thought the receivers had not enough shed accommodation on the wharf, and thus goods were thrown into them and it was then that the delay and expense was incurred, and the charges for handling the goods were complained of. The matter then dropped. Works and Tariff Committee.—The report of the Works and Tariff Committee stated : (1) Re tenders for repairs to the caisson, Auckland Dock, that Messrs. G. Fraser and Sons' tender of £705 Iβ for repairs to the caisson be accepted. (2) Re approach to Victoria Wharf, that the work be done when the deepening of the inner berth at the Queen-street Wharf is completed. (3) Re ttie petition for a wharf at the Birkenhead district, the committee recommended that whilst they were favourable to the providing of wharf accommodation to a limited extent, yet the report of the harbourmaster as to the probable cost of a wharf where indicated was prohibitive. The committee requested the petitioners to submit other proposals. (4) Re wages dredger employee, that the Engineer be

requested to report on the matter at the next meeting of the Board. (5) Re pilot ■ohooner, boats, &c, that the schooner, sails, ballast, gear, bo., be told by public auction, and that the boats and davits in th« schooner, and the boats and gear in the shed be sold separately by auction, and also that the shed be sold by auction, for removal. (6) Re houses on the Pilot Station, that th« rentals suggested by Messrs. R. and R. Duder be adopted till the end of the year, and that the property be then leased. (7) That the Engineer be requested to confer with the Secretary, and aooept suoh offers for totara piles at may be required. (8) Re Quay-street Jetty, No. 2, that further consideration of the matter be deferred till the piles required for the work are , to hand. Clause 5 was amended by authorising tbo lease of the pilot shed instead of soiling it by auction. The report, m amended, was then adopted. FINANCE AND LEGAL COMMITOEE.— Finance and Legal Committee reported :—(I) Re pilot s«rvioe,|that, having considered the letters of Messrs. Cooper and Sainty and Compton re contract for pilot service to the port, that a legal opinion be obtained as to the power of the Board to cancel or compel the return of pilot lioenses granted to Messrs. Sainty and Cooper. (2) Re occupation of pilot bouse, it was recommended that one month's rent for occupation be allowed Capt. Cooper. (3) Re riparian rights. Freeman's Bay, and the letter from Bishop Luck on the subject, it was recommended that consideration of the letter be deferred pending further information being obtained. The report was adopted. In regard to the pilot service the legal opinion of Messrs. Russell and Campbell, was read. It stated that considerable difficulty was experienced in giving an opinion; however, they would recommend that the return of the lioenses be requested. Mr. Clark moved, "That Messrs. Cooper and Sainty be requested to return the licenses." Mr. Nicool suggested that some certificate should be given, and not to summarily request the return of the lioenses. He thought the Board had never acted according to the defined rules laid down by the section of the Act. He thought a monopoly would be given to Mr. Compton, and that, later on, complaints would be reoeived of the non-fulfilment of the service by the tug Awhina, and that when vessels had oome to grief, the pilots would appear on the scene. He suggested that the motion should be amended by adding, ''and that time-service certificates should be given to them." Mr. Clark consented to the addition, and in that form the motion was oarried. Looking Sheds. storekeeper drew attention to the looking and unlooking of H.M. Customs locks on the sheds. A and B sheds were always opened and dosed at their hourseight a.m. and four p.m. (unless there was overtime notioe). In D and £ sheds there was often a loss of time and annoyance to the public owing to there being { no particular officer appointed to look or unlock the sheds. If the sheds had not a package of dutiable goods in them they still require to have the look on by four p.m. Mr. Lamb said it was after four or five o'clock that the sheds were really required. Referred to the Works and Tariff Committee to report upon. Dredging. report of the Engineer re the work performed by the large dredger was read. It stated that during the month 14,074 cubic yards of silt bad been oarried to sea at a cost per yard of fa*Jd. Crew's wages had cost £136 ; stores and coal, £139 7s 3d ; repairs, &c, £5 18a 8d; interest on capital value of dredge, £100; total cost of dredging, £381 5s lid. Number of trips performed, 3S- The report stated that recently the bursting of copper steam pipes from main boilers to hoisting engine and winches had been the cause of several stoppages. To overcome jarring caused by steam and condensed water coming together, he had pro- ! posed to fix antomatio steam traps ; those details should have been provided and fixed before the dredger left the builders' hands, Be suggested, in regard to the increase of wages that a bonus of £5 be givtn for every month that 40, loads lifted and carried to sea. The bonus at above rate would give each member of the crew 10s each. The utmost carrying capacity of the dredge was 44 loads per month of 24 working days. The cost for September had been 4Jd per cubic yard, and with interest on capital added, had been 6£d. He knew of no dredging in New Zealand performed at that rate, and the spoil carried nine miles to sea. The nearest approach was at Lyttelton, where it was 5Jd, and the mud removed 3J miles, and with interest added was 6&d. It was resolved to give effect to the suggestion re bonus to deck hands of the dredger, and the report was adopted. Qcay-strekt Rubble Apron,—-A report from the engineer stated that 1500 cubic yards of stone had been deposited in front of Quay-street stone wall, between Queen-street Wharf and No. 2 buttress. A considerable reduction would be effected on the estimated j cost on account of the risk involved by j removing all the mud close into the wall, and therefore the original quantity of stone calculated cannot be put in the apron. The toe, however, is down to the full depth of 18 feet, and future dredging in front oan be carried on to that depth when required. Received. Graving Dock Caisson Repairs.—-A report was read from the engineer upon the works performed in connection with repairs to the caisson. Temporary booms had been fixed across the dock entranoe and the water pumped out, and the oaisson laid on the keel blocks and the repairs commenced. The stripping of old plates revealed the face that the ironwork below low water line inside and outside had suffered severely from corrosion, and the original plating was very thin. Hobson-street Wharf.— The following tenders were opened for the Hobson-street Wharf contract:—W. Hogg and M. Edgar, £7627 6s 2d; Alex. Sutherland, £5979 10a 3d; Lovett and White. £5999 16s 3d; J. McLean and Sons, £6489 19s 7d; J. Gardiner, £6245; W. and G. Winstone, £6194 W. Foughey, £6813 15s Bd. The Engineer's estimate was £7022. Mr. A. Sutherland's tender was accepted, and the next lowest was ordered to be retained. Funds.—The statement of funds was as follows :—Payment of accounts — General account, £1617 16s 9d ; loan account, £3278 15s 5d ; total, £4896 12s 2d. Statement of funds: General account—Balance to debit, £7540 Is lOd ; cash on hand, £214 5s sd; total, £7325s 16s 5d ; accounts to be paid as above, £1617 16a 9d ; total. £8943 13s 2d; advanced from loan account, £6000 ; balance debit, £13,943 13s 2d. Loan aooount— Balance to debit, £8292 Is ; accounts for payment as above, £3278 15s sd; balance to debit, £11,570 16a sd. Balance oredit—Advance to general account, £5000; on fixed deposit Bank New Zealand, £48,000; total, £53,000. Drudging Shoal Bay.—ln the absence of Mr. Mays, Mr. Nicool moved, seconded by Mr. Clark, " That the engineer be instructed to report at next meeting of the Board on the practicability and cost of dredging a channel in Shoal Bay to enable steamers of light draught to ply between Auckland and Barry's wharf." Carried. Ferry Waiting Room. — Mr. Nicool moved, seconded by Mr. Lamb, "That the ferry waiting room be placed under the charge of the nightwatchman, and that he be instructed to keep it open and lighted up till midnight, the Devonport Ferry Company paying the cost of such lighting." Carried.' Works and Tariff Committee.—On the motion of Mr. Lamb, seconded by Mr. Henderson, it was resolved, "That the Works and Tariff Committee should meet on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays." This being all the business, the meeting terminated.