OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16071, 12 May 1914, Page 2

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD.

ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN. MR MOLLER RE-APPOINTED. Within the last few years tho annual eloction of il chairman to Uio Otago Hiirbour Board 'has been invested with a great deal o£ interest, and the position has been keenly sought after. Four years ago Mr Belcher defeated Mr Barclay by olio vote \ for the position, and the following year Mr Belcher was himself defeated by one vote — . by Mr Walker. Three gentlemen—Messrs liullock. Loudon, and Moller—were found contesting.tho honour last year, Mr Moller obtaining tho covcted lionoiir, tho position for tho first time, by Act of Parliament, becoming a paid one, the salary being fixed at £200 per annum. Yesterday aftea-noon, at a special meeting, , tfho chairmanship of tho board for the next 12 months was again decided by ballot ol the members. There wero present at the meeting Messrs Moller (in tho chair), J. Loudon, A. H. Bridger, T. Scollay, E. C. Hazlett, J. Dickson, J. Walker, W Belcher, F. W. Platts, G. B. Bulloolc, W. Wilkinson, 11. L. Tapley, and Russell. Tho Chairman, having stilted the busirieai of the meeting, sa:d before taking the; vote ho would like to tender his' congratulations to Mr Russell on his re-election to the board, to Mr Wilkinson on his appointment as the Government nominee to the board, and to Mr Scollay, 011 his election as Mayor of tho borough of Port Chalmers. i

In replying. Mr Russell said that, though lie did not agree with the board on the question of the rating area, ho was always prepared to do his best to further the interests of the board and tho harbour.

Messrs Wilkinson and Scollay also returned thanks for tho complimentary references made to®them by the chairman. Mr Moller said the matter of who should occupy the chair during the election of a new chairman had been raised before, i and it had been decided that it was the existing ohairman who presided and who conducted the business. He then called for nominations for tho position of chairman for tho next 12 months. • Mr Hazlett said ho ,had much pleasure in moving the re-election of Mr Moller. Mr Scollay seconded Mr Moller's nomination. Mr Walker nominated Mr Bullock. The office, he said, ehould he a rolling one, and it was only a right thing that, other members of tho board should have a turn at it. Mr Bullook was' a man who had given much time to the work of the beard, and tho speaker was (jure that, if elected, he would fill the. position with credit. ' ' Mr Tapley seconded Mr Bullock's nom- 1 illation. .' .. .. 1 I 'Those were tho only nominations, and I after a ballot had been taken the secretary j of the board (Mr Bardslwyj announced the j voting as—Mr, Moller, seven votes; Mr j Bullock, four. Mr Bardsley then formally declared Mr Moller chairnian of tho board for the ensuing 12 months. The Chairman then asked for nominations for the position of / deputy chairman. Mr Beloher nominated Mr U. Dickson. Mr Ilusseil seconded tho nomination. Mr Tapley nominated Mr Loudon, but there -was no seconder, and Mr'.'Dickson was declared elected. * The election of. an Accounts Committee resulted ill the election of Messrs .Belcher and' Wilkinson. , It was explained that the chairman would bo a member of. the cofnmittee- ex officio. This having concluded tho' business of the election of officers, Mr Hazlett said he would like to congratulate Mr Moller on .his re-eection, and compliment him on the fair and able manner in which he had carried out . his duties as ohairman during his past period of, office. t . ■ Mr Dickson said tho proof that Mr Moller had carried out his duties aa chairman in a satisfactory manner lay in' the fact that he had been elected ior a second term of office, despite the -fact that there was a feeling, perhaps, that the office should bo a rolling one "Mr Bridger said he was pleased,' from a; matter of principle, that Mr Moller had been reappointed. It was realised s in municipal bodies that a second year of office was necessary to enable a chairman to become thoroughly useful. He hoped that the timo would como when the new 1 rule as regards the term of office of- an occupant of a mayoral chair would also apply to the chairmanship of the board, and that the period would be two years instead of one. , Mr Wilkinson also congratulated Mr Moller on his re-election. He said he was sorry, however, that the principle which had been laid down when the emolument was first introduced had been departed from. He thought that the remarks made by Mr Bridger did not apply at all in this case, and "that any member of the board could become fully acquainted with the business; seeing that the members now acted,asacommittee of the .whole board. As far as continuity of office was concerned, in his opinion, the chairman had very little to do with the policy of the board. The majority of the members, however, had declared for the continuity ot office, and he had therefore no fault to find with,, their, ruling. Mr Moller thanked members of the board for having re-elected him. He also thanked Mr Bullock, who had been his deputy-chairman, for the very able and fair manner in which the latter had assisted him in tho various duties that had fallen to his lot- during the past year. A 6 far as the speaker was concerned, he was attempting to play the game. He had treated every member of, the board, no matter what position he took up, in a fair and impartial manner. He ha;d taken no advantage of his position as chairman, and had given every member a fair hearing. He was not a believer in the system of one man holding office for one _ year. He had' been long enough in municipal affairs to know that, no matter who he was, a man could not do justice to the office in one term of 12 months. The speaker had supported Mr Belcher when that member had stood, and Mr Belcher had not been' put in. He was glad ; that the rule had been broken. In the present year, if thev could get the office staff organised at the . present time, they would try to get the railway lines raised, and trains brought overhead to the station, so that the land being re- ; claimed at the south end 1 might be free, and the lines be brought around. The board might offer land at Pelichet Bay to the Government, and if it did so it would be j moving on the right lines. This part of . the town was thiokly populated; but it was a - portion of' the harbour that was | practically ?hut off from Dunedin.. If members would give the matter their oonsidera-. tion they would find that _it would be a i benefit to the city of Dunedin; The speaker concluded by congratulating Mr Dickson ; on his election as, dcputy-choirman. Mr' Dickson was a fluent speaker, and would render valuable service on the board. { Mr Dickson thanked the members for | his election as deputy-chairman. The office ! of vice-president was, Tie thought, intended , as a stepping-stone to higher honours; but i it did not seem that this was so. He hoped | in the future that this would be remedied. "If this sort of thing igoes on," 6aid Mr i Dickson, "wo will have two parties on the > board—ex-chairmen and ex-deputy-chairmen. Wo might get up a football match between ) the two sides.." Mr Dickson concluded by. expressing the hope that !at the end of-the i year the same complimentary remarks that . had been made concerning, the late d-eputy- - chairman might be made with reference to I himself. _ . . It Was' decided that the members "of .the : aboard' should make a trip round the harI bour in a motor launch next Saturday after? j noon. '

Mr 'Loudon informs us that h© was not a candidate for, the position of deputychairman, and had --no intention of accepting it.