OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15183, 30 June 1911, Page 2

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Qtago Harbour Board was hold yesterday, when there wero present, Mesjrs W. Bolcher (chairman), J. Loudon, C. E. Kcast, H. C. Campbell, W. Barclay, E. C. ilaalott, F. W. . i-!aMs, 11. K. Mollcr, J. E. Kcenan, J. Dickson, and J. H. F. Hainol. Apologies for abionco wero received from Messrs J, H. Walker and W. Wilkinson. hahboubmaster's report. Tlta harbourmaster submitted the following monthly report: —'Tho minimum low water depth at the entrance of the'harbour is: North channel, 25ft; new out or bend, 25ft; A : ictoria channel (centre) 18ft, (sides) 17ft. During May 60 vessels (90,405 tons) arrived and 53 vessels (92,211 tons) departed. Mr Hazlett moved that tho report bo received, JIo .hoped that, for the future they would always hnve tho harbourmaster present at tho ordinary meetings. The harbourmaster was responsible for the navigation of the harbour and also for his department, and it was right that ho should bo present so that members might put questions to him if necessary. Mr Campbell seconded tho motion, which was carried. Tho Chairman mentioned that a slight accident had occurred at Port Chalmers in connection with one of the tugs in operating tho Rio. It was an oversight that tho matter was not, mentioned in tho harbourmaster's report. It had cost a littio money to repair the vessel. BANK PASSBOOK. Mr Loudon, chairman of tho Finance Committee, reported that the board's ordinary account was in credit £7994 ss, the, special fund acoount in credit £1297 18s, and tho Dock account in credit £4489 19s Bd. CORRESPONDENCE. Mrs W. Parltes, widow of an old employee, of tho board, was voted ft compassionate . allowance of £25 by tho board. It was Btatod that tho husband had died this month, after ,i long illness. Tho Glonaven Ladies' Hockey Club applied for portion of tho board's reserve lately used by tho North-Easfc Valley Club. Iho application was referred to tho Koserves Committee, with power to act.. _ Captain Finnis wrote asking for a reduction in tho charges for pilotage, removals, and dock dues on tho Knight of tho Garter. —Tho application was referred to thu Finance Committee for report. A. B. Wallis wrote applying for tho leaso of a sito for a woodwaro factory and timber ,„yard.—Referred to Reserves Committee for a report. The Secretary, Marino Department, Wellington, wrote stating that it was proposed to amend tho Harbours Amendment Act and asking fcho board what alterations the board considored necessary.—The Chairman referred to the necessity for tho •amendment of tho Harbours Act, especially in. coMoction with tho representation of certain boroughs on tho board.—The letter was referred to a special committee, consisting of Messrs Loudon. Barclay, Mollcr, and iho chairman. The Otago Football Association wrote applying for tho use of portion of tho harbour rescrvo near l'elichct Bay for tho purpose of a football area. —The application was referred to tho Reserves Committee, with powc; to aci; ' ' Messrs J. Rattray and Son wrote in reference to tho board's charge of £4 ts 9d upon 10 empty 400-gallon tanks from Wellington. They considerd the dues the board was charging wero far in excess of £ho total freight they paid on this lino, and cut of all proportion to the value of tho gocds.—Mr Campbell- said it was very seldom empty iron tanks were brought in. They wero generally, full of goods, and the contents had to pay duty. To have tn pay 5s each on empty .tanks appeared to him to bo ridiculous.—Tho Secretary seated that it also appeared to him as an absurd charge. According to tho by-laws, however, tho chargo had to bo enforced.—Tho Chairman said they had a by-law covering returned eninlies. They, had to enforce that by-law, and if it was found to be harsh, then, of course, it was a matter for tho • board to revise that by-law if found necessary. Thu matter was then referred to tho Finance Committee to report. The Town Clerk of Roslyn wrote asking when tho board would pay tho costs oi the election of a member for the combined district, amounting t 0 £36 13s 6d.-Re-ferrcd to tho Finance Committee. The Secretary of the Harbours Association of Zealand wroto asking the board whether. in its opinion it was neceshold a Harbours Conference in Wellington this year, during the session of 1 arhament.—lt was agreed that the latter lie on the table until the special committee set up in connection with the letter from the Marino Department has reported. . Johnstone, master of ,tho barquon-'tin-j Rio, wroto asking for' a reduction, of the charges on his ship.-Thc letter was received W. S. Short, Public Works Department, Wellington, wroto informing \he board that an inquiry was to be held respecting the bridge *jnd its approaches at Anderson's my 1 he secretary reported that the boards solicitor and himself had already beon appointed to represent tho board at tho inquiry.—Tho communication was received ar.d noted Messrs Miller Bros, and J. Goudie wroto asking for 14-ycar leases in respect of their giounris at Port Chalmers in lieu of yearly i leases.—'The matter was referred to tho Reserves Committee. The Portobollo Railway Ferrv Co. wroto , m regard to the proposal to ruii the license tee of ferry boats and launches from £12 ! I® s t° f®. They qtiito atrroed with the . secretary that more revenue must be raised 1 from the eastern jettis. etc., but they 1 thought that those who had asked for the ! expenditure, and who were deriving the i direct benefit therefrom, should be called , on to pay the duos. They suggested that a tax per head on the number of passengers , carried would be a moro equitable way of fixing the scale of lioense fees.—Referred to thu Works Committee to report. ' Messrs W. Barclay and Co. wrote asking for a section of land at Ravensboume in lieu of that taken by the Railway Department for station purposes—The application was referred to the Reserves Committee to report; DOCK CIIAKGKS. Th& Canterbury Steam Shipping Co. and , Messrs Stevenson and Cook wrote with rc- ( gard to tho charges for docking the s.s. x'etone, and asking the board if it could ' see its way to give a special rate for tho 1 use of the dock. J Mr Campbell movod that the application i be referred to the Dock Committee, with ; power to act, Mr Mollcr seconded the motion. , The Chairman said, in his opinion, they | were putting a serious responsibility on tho Dock Committee in this matter, Tho shipping company had come along and 1 asked the board to give them certain con* > cessions, and, personally, he did not think i even the board itself had a right to do so. I I-Ie was under the impression tiiat the Dock i Committee might possibly be making amis- > take if it did anything in the direction of , allowing the company to make use of the dock for any less charge than that already jaid down. The application was in a rather indefinite form, and bo mention was made ! of the amount which the company wanted ' the charges reduced by. He thought tho 1 full charges would have to be made, and ! then the question of remissions could be i taken into consideration. ; The motion was carried. j I'ILOT EXEMPTION' CKHTIFIfiATES. , _ The Chairman said that at the last meet- [ ing tho question as to the granting ' of pilot exemption certificates. There was a wrong impression in connection with it, and he had to regrot that he gave what was practically a wrong ruling in the matter. He explained how pilot exemption certii ficates were granted, read from the bv-laws i o,n tho matter, and quoted clauses 68 and i 69 of the Harbours Act (Consolidated • Statutes) of 1908. If a person made appli- | cation to bo exempted, and .'lis application came before the board and was granted, the secretary signed the certificate, and the ' board' hud nothing more to do with it. ' QUESTIONS BY THK CHAIRMAN. The Chairman said he wished to bring i publicly before the board the matter of the standing of Joseph Do La Mare and William Jacobs, .former employees of tho board. He stated' that he had received letters from both these men. Do La Mare had for a considerable timo been employed in the stores department of iho board, and Jacobs had occupied another position. The Chairman said he wished to know publicly why these two men were not now employed by the board, and he looked to their engineer for an answer, The Engineer, in reply, said that Do La Mare was now joing on for 80 years of age, and was unfit for further duty, and the same remarks applied to Jacobs! Mr Kcast snid he intended to bring the position of these two men before the Works Committee. HEFOIITS. Mr Mollcr moved, and Mr Kcast seconded, the adoption of the Works Committee's report. —Mr Barclay objected to the proposal to spend .< 1035 on the coal dump. Ho wished to know where the money was coming from.—Mr Campbell asked which berth was to be the permanent berth for the discharge of coal. Was it the Jetty street berth?— The Chairman said that tho place upon which it was intended to spend this money was at tho Jetty street wharf, where the large bulk of the coal which came to Dunedin was discharged on to the ror.dway. —Mr Campbell aaked wh>t area vat ro be

covered.—Tho Socrctary said tho area was 350 ft long-; ho was not. certain about tho width.—Mr Campbell wanted to know if the berth was to bo allotted permanently to tlio coal berth.—Mr Hazlott mid tho engineer had informed tho Works Committeo that it would bo the permanent ait©.— Mr Campbell said it was teo valuable a sito for coal.—Mr Hnmol moved as an amendment, and Mr Barclay eaoontkd:— " That. the clause respecting the coal dump bo referred back to tho oommittoe."—Tho Chairman supported tho expenditure, and Buid it. would bo money well spent. Something must- bo done to the site. If not, the men would refuse to work there. The men nad already to!i] him so in so many words. So far as tho site was concerncd. it was doubtful whether there would bs any very .rrroat alteration 'as to the coal berth. Jettv street was the only place where the railway could tokc coal from a ship. The coal berth would be in its prose,nt position for many years to conic, and, therefore, they should improve it as proposed.—'Tho amendment was lost, and the report was adopted. The reports of tho engineer, Dock Committee, and Reserves Committee were adopted without discussion. FINANCE COMMITTEE, Mr Loudon (chairman of tho Finance Committee), in moving the adoption of the committee's report, asked that the following resolution be embodied therein That tho Finanoe Committee bo authorised to invite, receive, and accept tenders for the board's debentures."—This was agreed to. Mr Barclay said he did not think the Finanoe Committeo liad hitherto been empowered to accept such debentures—lio was of opinion that the tenders had to come before the whole board. Ho thought this was a rather important matter, because they should endeavour to keep up the price of these 5 per cent, bonds. A limit should bo .jfiven the committee to work on. It was certainly not desirabio that their 5 per cent, bonds should be thrown away for £100 when they had tceir getting £102 for their 4J per cents.—The Secretary said tho whole of the debentures had been disposed of last year >at £109 2s 6d.—Mr Loudon said the object of the Finance Committeo was to do its very best in tho interests of tho beard. He had asked that this clause bo embodied for the sake of convenience.—The report was adopted. SCOPE AND POWEnS OF COMMITTEES. Mr Keast moved—" That a committee bo 6et up to define the scope and powers of all committees." Tho motion was carried. The committee will consist of the chairmen of the various committees, with the mover. STORAGE CHARGES. Mr Keast moved—"That the correspondence of Messrs T. E. Shiel andi Co. and Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co. relating to storage chargce of the dates 20th May and 22nd May respectively be laid on the board taible and discussed at the board meeting." Ho would like the motion referred to the Financc Committee to repprt to next meeting, Mr Campbell seconded tho motion, which was carried, and referred to tho Finance Committeo. A letter from Messrs T. E. Shiel and Co. on tho samo subject was considered in connection with the motion. VICTORIA WIIARF CONVENIENCES. Mr Keast moved—"That this board.take into consideration tlhe advisability of erecting conveniences on the Victoria wharf." Mr Campbell seconded the motion, which was carried.