HARBOUR BOARD

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10964, 28 July 1921, Page 8

HARBOUR BOARD

LAST NIGHTS MEETING USE OF GRABS FOR; UNLOADING COAL. * “FULLY JUSTIFIED." The monthly meeting of the Wellingtoil Harbour-Board was held last night, the chairman (Mr J. O. Harkness) pro* sidJng. The other members present were ■ Messrs M. Cohen, J. G. Cobbe. J. IV. jilcEwan, M.. W. Welch. H. D. Bennett, J. Leuchars, G. Mitchell, C. M. Tmrell, C. J. B. Norwood. Leave of absence' was granted to Messrs C. 11. DanieU and J- B. McEwan. The chairman reported that the balance to the credit of the current account was <£66,405 Us Id, and that to the credit of the imprest account was -.£4372 15s 2d: while the amount on fixed deposit was <£130,000. The following payments were authorised : —For interest, sinking fund accounts, claims, and wages. .£59,061 8s lid; for progress payment on contracts, £34*75 17s Sd; for salaries for July, £1629 4s; total, £63,lofi 10s Bd. - DRAWING OF DEBENTURES. , On the recommendation of the wharves and accounts committee, it was decided to fix 12 noon on Friday. September 2nd, 192i_, as the time and date fox the public drawing at the office of the board of 6o debentures of the board's £850,000 consolidated loan; and td appoint Mr Thomas Shallcr Weston to act as notary public at the drawing of the same.

THORNDQN RECLAMATION. In answer to a question by Mr Cobbe, fc.be chairman said that the board had as yet received no reply from the Railway Department in regard to the position as to the Thorndon reclamation Early next week, however, he expected a communication from Mr McVilly (General Manager of Railways). CRANES, GRABS, AND GEAR. REPORT OF BOARD’S ENGINEER. The chairman stated that the engineer’s (and that of the chief mechanic) report as to the board’s ertunes, grabs, and gear was now to hand. The reports fully! exonerated the board from any blame in regard to these matters, and showed j that, every precaution woe taken to make; Uiern safe in operation. Though the use : of wire-ropes for the grabs had been; criticised by the secretary to the Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr J. G. Bruce) and others, the wire rope© had, as a matter of fact, been substituted for chains at the request of the men themselves. “The -whole of the equipment (reported Mr J. Maichbanks, the board’s engineer) is under the constant supervision of a highly skilled mechanical engineer, who- hhs competent assistants. A record of the condition of all running goal and wearing parts is kept so that theif life can be readily ascertained. The be»t quality of chains and ropes only are used; owing to war conditions .there wa» for some time a difficulty experienced ib obtaining suitable supplies; this has now been eliminated. Since 1917 all the lifting chains have been replaced with wire ropes of a breaking strength of lb tons, those being more readily examined than chains, but they • are'• more easily damaged by projections about the hatch*** or improper usage.” Since Juno, 192?, he added, several hundred thousand ton© of coal had been handled without injury to anyone having been reported. Of the rope failures five were due to the rope being cut by fouling. The chain failures occurred either on the connecting chain between the lifting rope and the grab or on the chain operating the opening gear of the grabs, and. were mostly due to fouling of the combings or hatch beam cleats. Many of these failures would be obviated by more care cn the petrt of the hatehmen and drivers. He was of opinion that the use of grabs for coal unloading on the Railway wharf was fullv justified by the results obtained. The report, by the chief mechanic (Mr T. W. Martin) corroborated the above.