WELLINGTON HARBOUR BOARD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1648, 30 September 1903, Page 81 (Supplement)

WELLINGTON HARBOUR BOARD.

The Harbour Board met on Thursday In the absence of Mr. Nicholas Reid, the Mayors of Wellington pfesidjgy ami: .there were also present—Ubn. f .Fraser, M.L.G., and hMessrs D. J. /Nathan/ W: CJsd)le, R, Mothes. . T. > I The statement of finance showed:Bank pass books: current account credit balance, £13,952 7s 2d; imprest accounts credit balance, .-£422.. Ips.; en . fined deposit, £14,000; payment for accounts and wages, U5:;2,5 Is Xd, „J? _ progress on contracts, £3.389 19s sd, for salaries for September, £576 4s 10d; total, £8491 5s 4dThe Wharves and Accounts Committee recommended the Board!:-—1- to grant foreshore licenses for boat skids at Balaena Bay, in Evans Bay, to Messrs John Sy Swan and R. 5 ner on the approval of the plans by the; /GWernor-i2i43ouncil; 2. To foprarj to j the City. Council plans and sections giving particulars of an area that can bo reclaimed adjacent to the Kilblmie Publie Reserve with a, road on the sea face which would give a total area

of recreation ground of about twenty, acres. The recommendations were agreed to. The. lowest tender was accepted in each case for the extension of the railway wharf and the construction of the' sea wall at the east side of the . boat harbour at Clyde quay. I Subject to the approval of the j Board’s solicitor, the request of the , Karori Borough Council for a reduction - I/ of the /minimum ’ amount set;; aside to repay the bonds in the liands of the Board’s Sinking Funds Commissioners was agreed to. \ / ■When the chairman reported, the progress' of the Reclamation and Empower- ‘ ing Bill bef ore Parliament, Mr Nathan inquired whether, now that a fresh Bill was before Parliament, he would be in order in moving that the question of site should be considered- The Board .might consider, whether it would/be ad-; : .visalWe to' appoint' a' committee' of .{experts to investigate this matter/ .and

consider whether the site 'selected was a good one. The whole question had; now been re-opened.—The Mayor ruled that the question had ‘ not been/'reopened. have to proceed in the usual way by notice of motion. Mi- Nathan: It is a fresh Bill, with .entirely new matter. , ■' ;/ : / The'Mayor.: /No; it is not a fr^h; Bilk; There has been merely an alteration in one or two clauses. Mr Nathan; It must submit to your /ruling -;/;/ ! jb'ut : ’vthe Bill before the House is not the Bill which was before the Board. , * The Mayor rujed Mr Nathan out of order in discussing the matter at this stage. V Mr i Nathan . made another effort / to r bring the question forward later on, when he stated that he thought there would be a report upon the Bill from the Legislation Committee. / , He bad thought, in. view of the strictures passed in the House on the management of the Harbour Board,; that the chairman would have made an official reply to the statements thus made, so: that a full and V complete statement of the policy of the Harbour Board ; could he , put before the public. At the request of Mr Nathan, the tee called to consider the . Dock /Bill were read, and the Mayor then explained that the Bill originally/was brought into: the/House to/ cancel v section 14 of the Act. of 1892, that section having been found to hamper the Board in its

> |BPBR&d^n/ hampered,' in a worse way. As the Bill was now altered, ajll ihe objections Had been- removed. The question of the dock had not been altered in any way by the passing of this measure. " Mr Daniell said that he had been an. interested onlooker in the country,: and he had been surprised to see how little a matter, could be made so, much fuss of. It was, marvellous how the ibig men of our colony—• The (Mayor: Coujld waste their time. 1 Mr Daniell said he thought it seemed to show how unnecessary was Mr John Duthie’s question to the Board. Apparently the friends of the Board had been the. cause; of the whole trouble. The Mayor: That is not so. You have misread the reports., Air Daniell gathered that there was how little doubt that the Bill would be /passed, and -would give effect to the • wishes of the Board.