HARBOUR BOARD.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5598, 26 May 1905, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board was held yesterday uftornoom There were present—Mr W. 'Cable (chairman), Hons F. H. Fraser, T. K. Maodomald, and T. W. Hislop, Messrs H. Beauchamp, W. T. Wood, M.11R., C. E. Daniell, and F. Townsend. Leave of absence for the meeting was granted to Messrs MoLellan and T. M. Wilford, M.H.B. FINANCE. Tho financial statement showed that there was a credit balance on tho current account of £13,274, on the imprest account of £925, and on deposit of £14,000. The following accounts wore passed for payment;—Accounts and wages, £5862; progress on contracts, £4889: salaries for May, £740: total, £11,492.

WHARVES AND ACCOUNTS. On the recommendation of the Wharves and Accounts Committee, it was resolved—“ That, in addition to the cover obtained by fire insurance, the .Board set aside the sum of £250 per annum to form an insurance fund, such •sum to form a special fund, as provided for in section 4 of the Harbours Act, 1894”: “that a copy of the judgment of the Chief Justice in the case Sargood, Bon, and Ewen v. the Board, relative to the Hunter street leases, be forwarded to the City Council, with a request that they will notify what alterations in the present form of lease they would approve of”; “that tenders bo called for an extension of the concrete face wall of the Waterloo quay reclamation for a distance of about 400 ft to •Iho eastern corner of the proposed reclamation” ; “that tenders be called for an extension of Jervois quay staging to ';he southwards, so as to afford an additional access for cart traffic to the wharf and an additional length of berthage of 140 ft”; “that the seal of the Board be affixed to a transfer of foreishore license No. 76 for boat-skids at Balena Bay from R. 0. Kenner to E. Bucholz.” Mr James Trevor’s request, for consent to transfer section 27, Grainger street block, and loft frontage of section 26 adjoining, from A. Atkins, was agreed to. THE DOCK QUESTION. The Wharves and Accounts Committee recommended—“ That arrangements bo made to work the dredge Whakariro on double shifts.” , The chairman said the object was to ! got on with the work for the dock. The olredge had still a little work to do at the north end of the wharfage. She was expected to be along at the dock site somewhere about November. Mr Wood asked if the work that was about to be done was of such a nature that it had to be done at once. Mr Ferguson said the dredge was working now something like sixty to sixty-four hours a week, and in sum- , mer would be working about seventy. The suggestion of facilitating the work fey obtaining an extra hopper ho found to bo quite out of the question for many reasons, and the committee seemed to think it desirable to work a xouplo of shifts. Air Beauchamp considered it very important that they should at an early date remove the blot at the entrance «f the port, the Falcon shoal, but they •wore pledged in the meantime to get the dock done. In reply to Mr Townsend, the engineer stated that the navigating officer of the dredge was very strongly against working any more than they could help in the dark hours. It was decided that the arrangements to work double shifts should com© in on September Ist. The Board discussed a number of matters in committee. The seal of tho Board was affixed to an agreement with ono of its employees, who has reached the age of sixty, on ■tho subject of retiring allowance.