OAMARU HARBOR BOARD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10516, 26 July 1910, Page 4

OAMARU HARBOR BOARD.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the )amaru Harbor Board was held this | ; norniii"-: Present —The Chairman (Mr { MiUVan). Messrs Paterson, Brown, L'orri"aL Mackav. Sutherland, Wyhe. Vpolo'"v for absence was received from \lr V.'J. White. Messrs Lane, Gardiier. and M'Culloch also sent verbal apologies for absence. The Chairman, reporting on matters ■hat had been attended to since the ircvious meeting, said that the repairs :o the dredge Progress were m the lands of Messrs Stevenscm ■ and Cook, • if Port Chalmers, at a cost ot *<L« 8 > exclusive of the following items: Iraveller and side shoot, which would be done at clay-labor price as being more economical for the Board; a _ 16-mch centrifugal sand pump, engine and boiler, piping for suction with agitator "car, etc. These latter items would not exceed £IBSO, but Mr Morrison and the Committee were considering the use or suction gas instead of steam, and while the intial cost of the former would be nxeater there would be a considerable annual saving by using the latter power. What was ultimately the most economical and effective would be adopted. The punts were being built locally bv the Board's staff, and the whole work would take at least three months to complete. Members would notice from the correspondence what steps had been- taken m regard to the Timaru dredge, and that the T.marn Board was considering an application from this Board for a reduction of charges in respect to the days on which the dredge could not work owing to the bad weather experienced. Having noticed that the Minister for Marine had informed'a deputation from New iljmoutk that he would consider exempt.powers from the operation of the new Harbor Bill now before. Parliament he (the Chairman) had wired Mr. Millar that the Oamaru Harbor Board was in favor of boards being made elective as proposed and hoped that no exception would be made in the case of Oamaru. This was in harmony with resolutions passed try this Board. Members would be asked to sanction the erection of two rooms to the lighthouse residence At present there was only one bedroom for the lighthouse-keeper, his wife, and tour children, and the matter should really have been attended to long ago. An offer had been received from the present tenant of the lighthouse reserve to erect at her own fencinc at a cost of from £lB to inland a guarantee to keep down the noxious weeds, provided a seven years tenancy was given by the Board at =t per annum. The Chairman - though! the offer should be accepted The gene ral account stood at a credit ot hiiU With regard to the Bill which was nOT before Parliament in connection witl the settlement of the 1579 loan and th, consolidation of all the Board's loans some delay was taking place m e linrdon, but he had been advised to hj, in readiness to proceed to Wellington ti <rive evidence before the Committee 01 Private Bills in connection with tin whole matter. The Standing Orders re quired that all statements contained v. the Bill should be proved by evidenc

tendered before the Committee. A. copv of the Harbors Amendment Bill was' laid on the table. The Secretary of the Auckland Harbor Board wired that the co-operation of the Oamaru Board was desired to remove from the Harbors Act Amendment Bill some most objectionable clauses destroying existing powers ot Harbor Boards, particularly clause 04, which removes from control o! nartmi boards the ferry services: a;■■-'> secion 39, which gives an overriding power to'the Governor to lease the v.rcshore of harbors without the consc;'-. <;t Harbor boards. , ~ - The Chairman remarked tn:-.; tus was an Auckland grievance-._»::■( ue c.icl not think it concerned tr.e Oamaiu Board. . , The communication was received. The Receiver wrote that the latest cable advice from Home was that assent to the 1879 loan compromise had been obtained to the value of £i 2,000. The Chairman intimated that to this had to be added assents from bond'■lolders in the Dominion to the value --u -'•{}.*:■!>. being 8 per cent, over what was required by the agreement. V-r "ecretarv of the Timaru Harbor Bo>rd wrote that the Oamaru Board s application for an allowance in connection with the- hire of the Timaru dredge for tli" liOth and 30th June had been considered, and it was decided to leave t'ie matte'- over -until next meeting. With'i'eie-'er.ce to a further inquiry by the local Board relative to the charge lor lavin- moorings, the letter stated thrt in making up the charge a lowance had been made for coal, special repairs and rei'"w:d« and board allowance to officers and men. All the charges were incident to the ordinary working ot th- dred"e. It was suggested that the -'ccount "be paid in full in the mcau-

Messrs Paterson and Brown advocates''" the paviliont of the account as suggested, ilr Brown said he was sorry to see there were some members or the Tiraaru Board who thought this Board had ''hustled" the dredge away from the harbor. He thought the account should be paid in the meantime, and then the Timaru Board would see that we were thoroughly honest in the mate The Chairman said there was vo doubt that our feelings towards the Timaru people were very friendly, and that we were still the most hospitable people in the world, but there was a limit to our hospitality, which did not extend to the rate of £OO per day. We had agreed to take the dredge tor four weeks, and had extended that time, but as it was evident that we could not. owing to the bad weather, continue to utilise her for the worK required at the entrance, the Timaru Board had been advised accordingly in terms of the charter. . It was agreed to pay the account in full in the meantime and to trust to the Timaru Board meeting the Oainaru Board under the circumstances. The Secretary of the Shipwreck lielief Society of New Zealand asked tor a donation towards the funds of the gocietv.—Received. The Society to be informed that the Receiver would not pass a donation given by the Board last J6 "lrs E. Crouch, whose tenancy of the lighthouse reserve terminates on November 30th next, made application tor a lease or tenancy of the reserve tor seven vears at £r" per annum, Mrs Crouch undertaking to fence and keep in repair at least 33 chains and to keep down noxious weeds, and-to generally improve the safety of the paddock. On the motion of Mr Brown, seconded bv Mr Paterson, it was agreed oo give 'Mrs Crouch a tenancy 111 terms ot her letter. .. • The Engineer reported as follows: '"lnstallation of hydrants, etc., on whi'i-ves—ln accordance with the resolution of the Board, I have gone carefull v into this matter and to provide an efficient water supply on the wharves for the suppression of fires on ships I\iiio- at the wharves it would be necessary to lav new mains from the borough supply to'the wharves, which would cost approximate £7OO. There is however, no reason why permission should not be given to the fire brigade to attend anv fires which may occur, and I would su"<rest that this course should he adopted-, but cannot recommend the new water supply. . . "Reclamation -with Dredge Material. —As the new dredging scheme will probably be started within three or four months from date, I would suggest that notice be given to the Borough Council to lav down a sewer .in place or the drain'ou the eastern si.de of the railway yard and provide an outlet for sape.at shingle bank by means of a wrought iron pipe. I would also like to point out that when the reclamation is completed the creek will probably back up considerable in time of flood, and the Board's liability in case of damage should be ascertained. .... "Lighthouse.—The building is in need of extension and repairs. At present is onlv one bedrcom. mid the root is i" a verv leakv condition. 1 would rommmoitd'tlip erection of a lean-to at tli." back of tlie main building, a new vallcv in the main. roof, the substitution' of lead-edged -ridging for the prcs-rt lid-ring, "hd repairs to, the corrugated iron where necessary. The cott of this work is estimated at £45. the li'dithonr--k»?n?r having expressed h ; c .„:":.,.,.-,., ■- -nrrv out the paintin <' nu'l :-.--iv>!»rh::- - iig in his own time." With regard to 'attendance at fires, it was a creed that the Board write to the Fire' Board pointing out what provision already existed, and requesting that in the event of fire the brigade

be asked to attend with the view to suppressing it. Regarding the laying ot a sewer m place of the drain on the eastern side of the railway goods yard-, the recommendation of the Engineer was adopt-

Ed It was resolved that the work recqm-. mended at the lighthouse be carried Accounts amounting to £1326 8s Id were passed for payment. «.-■• In answer to Mr Paterson, the Chairman said the cost Jo the Board in respect to the Timaru dredge was £2300, deluding the cost of the tug The material dredged amounted to 3«5,50U tons The dredge had done well while she was at work, "but it was unfortunate that the cost was increased by nonworking days.