WELLINGTON HARBOR BOARD.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7342, 5 December 1884, Page 7

WELLINGTON HARBOR BOARD.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Wellington Harbor Board was held yesterday week, Uievo b.ing presort Messrs W. liooUl (in the chair),* J. H. Htaton, J. Hnthie, W. H. Wheeler, Captain Rose, CUpta-'n Williams, and His Worship the Mayor. finance. The Chairman intimated that the credit balance at the bank Was £2693 2s 6.1,' and the accounts for payment were £B3O. ‘ *’ LEAVE OP AP3ENOB, Leave of absence was granted to Mr Joseph E. Nathan for one m-intb, and to Mr Lancaster for two months. ' The Chairman stated that tij'p [atjpr-hagjed gentleifiaq was on his way oi)t from Europe. PROPOSED RECLAMATION WORKS. Tire Engineer laid upon tho table plana of the proposed new reclamation works between the two wharves, A letter was rppeived irons Captain Ho'lidiy, Harbor-rnaotor, giving it as his opinion that it would be d 'nserous to alter tho proposed oew works. Another letter to tho same effect was received from Capt. Konaat, of the ship Plelone. The f blowing is a c >py of tho harbormaster’s report “As it has boon decided to proceed with the reel imatina between the Queen’s and Kailway Wharves, and to provide acoommo. 'datum thereat for largo ships, I think it my duty to state for your information that my exparionoa dating tho twenty-four years I have had the management of the shipping in this port has convinced me that it is impossible to bold large vessels broaddde on to our fierce N.N.W. and 5.5.8.. gales, this being practically the position, they will occupy at the proposed i quay .■ us at present designed, a position which is sure to l cnuse damage being done both to' wnirf and ship. Hitherto all vCsaels moored end on to the prevailing gales have piddt'h them out in safety, hut the smaller class of Clusters berthed at Waterlooquay, where they lie nearly broadside to the prevailing gales have frequently reodved damage, and have been obliged to let go their sterp moorings during a N.W. gpie and swing head lo wind, a proceeding which if resorted tq wjjl cpptqinly cagse damage in thg case of (arge (jhips. One sma]l yes e| |iid her storp frame pplled out while rpoofod at the quay, She was an old craft Crftaiuly, hut if php ha-i bpep mqorod end qn to the wind she could pot have taken any harm. The B.s. Star of the South was the last vessel damaged at the quay, pulling out* her after moorings, bitts and ohook daring the N.W, galo on the morning of the sth instant. Again a S.S.E. gale sets dead in on the quay, Ofld vessels have frequently ha] to beijvh off jjo tl oir anphors, am] one aotpally sank alflogpjdo. Had this vesspl beep lyjug end on to the wind she would have been perfectly safe. It is aim well known that all tho damage sustained by vessels at the Queen’s Wharf has beer, at bertha 8 and 9, whore they lie broadjjf ,i,Io to Iho wind. With those exceptions oar wharf ncoiimmodation has proved to be by far the safest and most easy of access in the colony, and I therefore trait that the wharf accommodation about to be provided will be an arranged that vessels will lia end on to our N-N.vvraod S.S.E. gales, and cqnsequer.tly jp' p'orfcqt safety j and also that sufficient room will be given to affow steamers to enter and leave any berth at any time and in any weather, without loss of time and in safety, as at present. I therefore respectfully _ submit that to deviate from .the plan, which has proved poifectly safe nod efficient for twenty, one years, would bo a mistake which would cause the post to lose its i restiga. I have, &o , John Holliday, Harbormaster. The Mayor: thought that the difficulty might bo overcome by offering other £SOO tor new plans for harbor works. Mr G. I'nthie moved, “ That the plans and harbormaster's report be referred to a committee consisting of Captains Kose and Williams, Messrs Wheeler and Heaton, to report to the board'l’d tin's day month.’’ • ,H e t'S>k this notion, although he did not-for a moment anticipate that large ships, at any rate far a long time to come, would be oblige ! to He along side ths quay. His motive was that the board mi-ht be secured botorp they commenced tho proposed new works. The t rqsont Govern, pient had altogether ignored the board, aed they had as ye l failed to ii,3ae an Order-in-Council so that the board might prosecute the proposed works. The Government had sold tho old Provincial Buildings and other endowmerits had been taken away from tho board, and therefore b Sieving ns hr did, that a breach of faith bad beeu committed on the part of the Government, it would be well for the board, before proceeding further in the proposed reclamation, to get a secure title to their sections. The board had £30,000 lying idle, but as they were blocked holh by the Government and the City Council, it would bo as well to bo sure of their thl« before t\isj fbr he felt convinced that if" this were not ijooe thdy \vohld be deprived of any land they flight reclaim; Captain Willhms seconded the motion. Thp Mayor pointed out that tho late Go* yeroiuent, and not tho ]>rp*enfc Government had behaved .-curvily to the board, The prosent Government had offered them throe sec- , tions in advance of anything which tho late Government had offered them. In accordance with the old scriptural dictum, the late Go*

vernment had taken from the board even the little whieli they had possessed. He would propose as an amendment the following; “That ns the designs of Mr Jones, Captain Holliday, Mr Napier BJI, and Mr Furgneson have each proved in some respect defective, a further sum of £SOJ be offered for a harbor d-.sigo which will meet tho ever varying ideas of tho Harbor Board,” He thought that if this resolution was passed the beard would be able to out any plans which might be eubmitted to them, and if nothing else was accomplished they would be at any rate enabled to paper their walls with the plana submitted. The amendment wai not seconded.

Captain Williams contended that he bad never altered bis opinion as to the proposed reclamation. His opinion was, and he be lieved that it was also the opinion of the board, that the work should bo proceeded with without delay. With regard to (he Mayor’s observations, ho (Captain Williams) thought that the City Council had bungled infinitely more than the Harbor Board had. The Chairman said that be thought that the board should not consider the political leanings of any particular body or men. Whether this was so or not, he hoped that the board would stick itogelbor end press tho claims of the board tjll they obtained from the Government what was their dud. Ho certainly thought with Mr Duthio' Unit the board should obtain a good title to the laud to be reclaimed before they commence! work. He urged that the motion should be passed. With regard to the late Atkinson Government, he might say that tho board had been very badly treated by that Administration taking away from the Harbor Board the section for tho now Government Brinllug Office. Mr Duthio denied that he had 'imported any political matter into his rtmail.s. His Worship had invariably beer) bitter towards the hoard, and it might suit hia malevolent feelings to twit the board with alt;ring their designs. Ho would remark that there would he little alteration iu Mr Bell’s plans if the engineer’s design was adopted, which was merely an alteration in detail. The breaking faith on the part of tho Gjverrmunt was nut a matter so much on the part of the late Go vernmeqt perhQps as it tyas'a subject for departmental consideration, ft was quite certain that whereas Port Chalmers cogld obtain an endowment of thirty auras, Wellington could obtain nothing at all, The motion was then put and carried. The proceeding) then terminated,