OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20702, 27 April 1929, Page 14

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The final meeting of. the Harbour Board as at present constituted was held last night, and was attended by Messrs H. E. Moller (chairman), H. C. Campbell, J. M'Coll Dickson, A. Cable, J. Loudon, H. M. Driver, C. H. Hayward, D. Larna-;h, J. W. Munro, MJ?., and Captain Coll M'Donald. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. Notification was received that Captain Coll M'Donald and Mr D. F. H. Sharpe had been re-elected unopposed to represent the payers of dues on ships on the board, and that Mr Walter Gow had been re-elected unopposed to represent the payers of dues on goods.—Noted. Mr W. Connor, returning officer for the ’ Borough of West Harbour, wrote advising that Mr H. E. Moller had been reelected unopposed as the representative of the borough on the board. —Noted. Mr J. Logan, returning officer of the Taieri County Council, wrote advising that Mr J. M'Coll Dickson had been reelected unopposed to represent the area comprised in the counties of Taieri, Waikouaiti. Peninsula, and part of Waiherao. —Noted, FINANCIAL. The net credit balance at the bank was reported to be £4560 18s,. ANDERSON’S BAY INLET. The Standing Committee recommended in connection with a communication from the Anderson’s Bay Ratepayers and Householders’ Association asking for an area in the inlet to enable it to erect salt water. swimming baths that, subject to a finfil approval of the association’s scheme, it be advised that the board is prepared to grant the request, but only during the pleasure of the board. The recommendation was approved. LEITH RIPARIAN RIGHTS. The Standing Committee recommended with respect to the communication from the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board, asking that the Harbour Board’s solicitors collaborate with the solicitors of the Drainage Board in connection with special legislation in regard to the riparian rights of the Leith, that no action be taken in the matter. Mr Sharpe moved the adoption of the clause. Mr Larnach seconded the motion. The chairman said that this legislation was desired so that both bodies could be protected. He thought they could overcome any difficulty by endeavouring to get the City Council to come into the matter. He realised, however, that the Drainage Board w-as the authority. Mr Dickson held that any proposal in this connection of the riparian rights should come from the City Council. Mr Campbell said he did not think it was necessary to bring in the City Council. The matter had to do with the Drainage Board. Still, he agreed that all the bodies should co-operate in the general interests. Mr Loudon said that he would like to repeat what he had said at the Standing Committee meeting, and went on to refer to the need of getting outside engineers to report on the best methods of preventing future flooding in the Leith. The chairman said this waa not before tlie board. It ■ was quite a separate matter. He was only trying to get out of a difficulty by trying to bring in the City Council. Mr Loudon said he assumed that the Harbour. Board was not responsible. Under section '237 of the Municipal Corporations Act, the City Council was the body which had the power to take remedial measures against flooding. It was a very comprehensive clause, and the Harbour ’ Board had no power under statute to do anything. The board would, however, no doubt be prepared to do work, if called upon to do it. Mr Larnach said that Mr Loudon wanted to raise a wide question. The clause simply i-eferred to whether the solicitors of the two bodies should confer. Mr Sharpe ‘said he agreed with the clause from, the Standing Committee. Mr Cable said that all the Harbour Board was concerned with was the amount of water which flowed in the Leith below the Forth street bridge. If the City Council widened the Leith above* the bridge, then-no doubt the Harbour Board would have to, do something. The clause waa adopted by eight votes to one. ' ‘ CLAIM FOR FLOOD DAMAGE. Miss C; M.'Murdoch .(owner of residences in Bow, lane and St; Andrews street) wrote making a demand for £BOO, damage .caused by the flood at the Leith, “through the board having made several alterations at the mouth of the Leith.” Mrs . E. L. Clark (Harbour terrace) claimed £525 (£SOO being for depreciation. . Mr, John Glau. (three shops or dwellings, in Union, street), claim £IOO2 ss. After these claims had beta read, Mr Loudon asked: " Isn’t there another claim —for £15,000? ” - The chairman: There are other claims. Mr Loudon; Why is the claim of Mr M. Stevenson not before the board? ". The chairman: Yes, there was a letter before the board. My Driver: No amount was mentioned. Mr Loudon: Is there no letter from Mr Stevenson making a claim? The chairman: The three claims read out have come in since the meeting of the Standing Committee. The committee had approved of the replies to be sent to the various claimants. Mr, Loudon thought these letters should come before the board for its ratification. Wha-t on earth was the board for? The chairman; You did’nt >vhen you were chairman. Mr .Loudon; It doesn’t matter'what 1 did when I was a chairman. The chairman asked that the letter from Mr Stevenson be read. Mr Sharpe: It is only fair to read the letters of all the other claimants also. Read the lot. The chairman: Is it the wish of the board that we read all the claims that have come before the board? Mr Cable: Read Mr Stevenson’s letter, anyway. It must be ratified by the board. ■ The letter was read, and referred to the damage to Mr Stevenson's premises j n \ 'illis and Tewsley streets. Mr Driver: There is no mention of . any amount. It w-as decided to receive the three letters, and send them on to the board's solicitors, as had been done with the other claims, Mr Loudon raised the question of allowing a rebate in rent to those tenants of the board who had suffered from flood damage. The chairman said he had already told them that their solicitor had stated that they could not make any rebate. Mr Loudon said the board was probably . the largest landlord in New Zealand, and he thought it would be only right if they could help the tenants. VICTORIA WHARF. The Standing Committee recommended for adoption the acceptance of Mr R. W. Horne's tender for ironbark piles and sawn and hewn ironbark timber at approximately £1810; that of the West Australian Hardwood Company’s tender for jarrah decking at approximately £586, and that of the Petrous Tile'Cornpany for . roof-covering of R shed at £476, ss. The’ recommendation was adopted. STANDING COMMITTEE. The Standing Committee recommended that the resignation of Mr J. M'Kenzie as piermaster at Port Chalmers be accepted, that Messrs T. Morrison and D. Simpson be appointed signalmen, and that Mr R. Arthur be appointed to the dock staff.— The piermaster’s resignation was acceptec]

and Mr Ernest Head, an employes of the board, was appointed to the position. The committee recommended that the tender of Messrs Sir William Arrol and Co., Ltd., Glasgow, for the supply and delivery of two 3-ton electric level-luffing cranes be accepted.—Adopted, The committee recommended that Victoria wharf be strengthened to carry the electric cranes at an estimated cost of £3soo.—Mr Sharp asked how long would it bo before the cranes were lauded? —The engineer replied that it would be about five months.—The recommendation was adopted. The committee recommended that the workshop and forge at Port Chalmers be offered for lease, for a term of three years, at a rental of £172 per annum. — Adopted. The committee recommended, with respect to the communication from Messrs Mondy and Stephens, advising that the amendfhents in the Logan Park lease, required by the sub-committee, had been approved by the town clerk, on behalf of his council, that the draft (final) lease, as amended, be approved.—Adopted. The committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage ? sa: d regarding the construction of Ward street sewer, from Halsey street northwards, that the request be agreed to. —Adopted. The committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the Vauxhall Power Boat and Sailing Club, requesting a donation, that the sum of £5 be donated.—Adopted. The committee recommended, with respect to the communication from the New Zealand Railways, Wellington, asking renewal of lease of land on which stationmaster’s house, Pelichet Bay stands, that the Railways Department be offered a lease from quarter to quarter at £25 per year.—Adopted. TENDERS FOR COAL. Tenders for the supply of 2000 tons of coal were opened, and that of the Westport Coal Company, at 30s 9d per ton, was accepted. DREDGE OTAKOU. Mr Robertson (assistant engineer), writing from Glasgow, reported on the progress work on the new dredge, and forwarded photographs of various sections of the work. AUCTIONEERING BUSINESS. Mr Loudon moved —“That the board’s resolution of February 22, appointing Messrs Park, Reynolds, and Co., Ltd., to execute the whole of the board's auctioneering business on a 24 per cent, commission, be rescinded; and (2) that, in view of the spontaneous offer of the Real Estate Institute to charge only 24 per cent, commission, the previous rota arrangement be continued.” He thought the motion was on the right lines. The officials of the board were right in raising the point that 5 per cent, was too high a charge. All the board’s valuing was done by its valuer and all its legal work by its legal advisers, and ther;e was not much work in connection with the auctioneering of properties, so that it was right to reduce the payment from 5 per cent, to 24 per cent. The board, as a public body should give all the firms an opportunity of auctioneering its leases, and should not tie itself to one firm. It might be a good thing at some future time to consider the question of obtaining an auctioneer’s license for one of its own staff. Mr Hayward seconded the motion. Mr Dickson opposed the motion. When the board decided some years ago to give all the auctioneers a turn it did so with the idea that it would be dealt with in the same way as it had been by Park, Reynolds, and Co. —that the board’s business would be done on a basis of 24 per cent. The then found that the other firms, and also Park, Reynolds, and Co., when they hud their turn, charged 6 per cent., with the result, that the board had to pay £3OO or £4OO more during that time than it would have had to pay if it had confined its biisiness to Park, Reynolds, and Co. He believed that if Park, Reynolds, and Co. joined up with the Auctioneers’ Association the board would have to pay 5 per cent, to them. He did not want to say anything to injure the association, but Park, Reynolds, and Co., for reasons of their own, had declined to be members of the association. He saw no reason for altering the previous resolution to give the work to thatfirm. Mr Sharp supported the motion, saying the auctioneers were customers of the board and deserved a share of the’ business. Captain M'Donald said that if it had not been for Park, Reynolds, and Co. offering to do the work for 24 per cent., the board would still be paying 5 per cent. Mr Munro said he could not support the motion. It was making the board appear childish. It was decided to give the business to a certain firm, and yet immediately the.other firms came along and objected the board rescinded its decision. He would, as a matter of principle, oppose the motion. The motion was agreed to by 6 votes to 4. -v HARBOUR MASTER’S REPORT. The harbour master (Captain M‘Lean) reported:—The least water on the line of leads 36ft at low water. Approximate width is 700 ft at the outer end. The south channel is 22ft at low water. The least water from Port Chalmers to the Heads is 30ft at low water, and the narrowest place is Deborah Bay, 300 ft The sand spit of No. 8 black in the Lower Harbour ia increasing, and will require attention as soon as posable- The Victoria channel is still maintaining 20ft at low water in the centre of the channel. Between piles 16 and 18 red, off St. Leonards, there seems to be action at work which causes continual shcaling at this particular locality. The width at this place i s less than 130 ft. When dredge 222 has finished overhaul-this appears to be the most urgent part of the channel to be dredged. T • arrivals at Dunedin in March numbered 39 (coastal 26, intercolonial 6, overseas 5, warships 2) ’ and at Port Chalmers .10 (coastal' 3, intercolonial 3, overseas 5). During the same month 37 vessels left Dunedin and six left Port Chalmers. The pilotage returns showed that 13 vessels had been brought in and eight taken out, ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr J. M‘G. Wilkie) reported:— During the month of March dredge 222 carried out the following operations: Obtained 20 loads (16,660 cubic yards) from the Victoria’wharf extension. Of thi g material, eight loads (6664 cubic yards) were deposited at the dredge Vulcan, six loads (4998 cubic yard.., at the Kaik. and six loads (4998 cubic yards) at the Heads. During the mouth the dredge steamed 334 miles and consumed 154 tons of coal. The dredge was docked on the 3rd just, for annual survey and overhaul. It is anticipated that the dredge will resume dredging on or about the • 24th inst., when she will be engaged in the Victoria channel between piles numbers 16 to la, whore the channel is narrow. A sounding plan of this locality is being prepared in order to ascertain the extent if the dredging required to permit of the Mary Ellen O’Neil aafely negotiating the channel.

During the month of March dredge Vulcan pumped 6664 cubic yards of material into the Leith estuary reclamation area. On March 27 the dredge commenced annual overhaul. It is proposed to fit the new runner, suction bond, and cutter purchased last year. The' casing of the pump is in very bad order owing to the heavy nature of the dredgings from the Victoria wharf extension. Somewhat extensive repairs are necessary to enable the Vulcan to cope with this class of material. Aj previously stated, if the dredge is, to cope with the quantity of material dredged by the Otakon. the capacity of the pumping plant must be greatly increased. In this connection plane of the' nontoon and nia-

chinery have been forwarded to Mr Robertson, who, .in a recent letter, suggested that he discuss and obtain a price for the necessary alterations from Messrs Fleming and Ferguson. During the month of March four vessels were docked. The draining pumps were in operation 432 hours, and the electric crane four hours. On March 19 a heavy flood deposited a huge quantity of detritus in the Leith Canal. Steps were immediately taken to remove the debris. The work has procccded at a satisfactory pace, and it is anticipated that by the 20t !i iust. the will bo completely cleared of debris. The concreting of the north wall, with the exception of the gap for the Harbour terrace bridge, is completed. In order to afford protection to residents on the north .ide of the canal the abutment wall at the bridge opening is being raised to the same height as the existing walls. It is anticipated that pile driving for the Riepo ; street .wall will be. commenced before the end, of the month. A bridge is under construction at Harbour terrace in order to transport the huge quantity of material piled on the north bank of the Leith on to the Education Board’s si'.: in Albany street. The engineer expressed his appreciation of the, cheerful and assiduous manner in which the board’s st'.ff had performed their duties during the flood period.