OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22065, 22 September 1933, Page 5

OTAGO HARBOUR BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Otago Harbour Board was held last night, and was attended by Messrs H. C. Campbell (chairman), D. P. H. Sharpe, J. Loudon, W.. Begg, R. Duncan, A. Campbell, J. B. Waters, T. Scollay, R. S. Thompson, and P. E. Tyson. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. Messrs J. W. Munro, M.P., and F. Jones, M.P., were granted leave of absence during the parliamentary session. FINANCE. The secretary reported that the board had a credit balance of £4233 17s 7d. VISITING WARSHIPS. A letter was received from Captain W. S. F. Macleod, .of H.M.A.S. Australia, thanking the board for facilities offered during the visit of the warship. Communications were received _ advising that H.M.S. Dunedin would visit Dunedin from October 13 to October 19, and that H.M.S. Diomede would be in port from October 31 to November 7. DOCK WORKSHOP. The Standing Committee reported that it had received and noted a communication from the Labour Department advising that the board’s application for a subsidy under scheme No. 10 for repairs to the dock workshop had been granted. The tender of Messrs Thorn and Co. for carrying out the work was accepted, the price being £l5B 14s. LOAN OF £60,000. The Standing Committee reported that it had approved and noted correspondence with the Treasury in regard to the board’s application to raise a further instalment of £60,000 of the £350,000 loan and advising that authority had been granted for the raising of the loan on the instalment repayment system for SO years at 4j; per cent. PURCHASE OF TIMBER. . The Standing Committee recommended for approval the purchase of a quantity of jarrah timber for punt repairs at an approximate cost of £lO4. —Approved. SOUTH ENDOWMENT. The Standing Committee recommended , that with respect to letters from New Zealand Airways, Ltd., and the Otago Aero Club asking for the use of the south endowment area as a landing ground, a special committee consisting of the chairman, Messrs Begg, Loudon, Thompson, and Waters be set up to consider the whole matter and report to the board.—Approved. MUSSEL BAY DRAINAGE. The Mussel Bay Committee reported that it had conferred with representatives of the Port Chalmers Borough Council concerning the cost of a covered stone drain and had given further consideration to the matter consequent on further alternatives suggested by the council. The committee had discussed the matter fully with the board’s engineer, who had submitted an estimate showing the approximate cost of a propexdy constructed concrete pipe sewer as £2670 for material only and who expressed concern as to the possibility of trouble with a stone sewer during the progress of reclamation. In view of the uncertainty of the stability of the stone drain and especially in view of' the fact that the proportion of the cost of the stone drain which the Port Cal--nicrs Borough Council had asked the board to bear far exceeded the original estimated cost of £I4OO for a wooden drain, the committee was of opinion that the construction of a stone drain should not be entertained. The committee recommended that the Port Chalmers Borougli Council be advised that the board was now prepared to consider only two alternatives:—■“ (a) The board to construct at its own cost an open wpoden drain as specified in the original agreement; or (b) the Port Chalmers Borough Council to lay a permanent concrete pipe drain to plans and specifications to be prepared by that council and to be approved by the board and with suitable conditions as to the time and manner of carrying out the work, the corporation to accept all responsibility in connection therewith, and the board to contribute the sum of £2OOO as its share of the cost, as the work proceeds, and the expenditure is incurred subject to its engineer giving a certificate in writing that he is satisfied with the work.”

Mr Duncan: Is this a way of putting the work off a little longer? Mr Waters said that the engineers were agreed that a stone drain would be unsuitable.

Mr A. Campbell claimed that the proposed drain was nearly twice as large as it need be. After 18 months’ talking and wrangling the completion of the work was further off than ever. In his opinion, Mussel Bay would never be filled in. Tbe board had gone the wrong way about the work.

Mr Thompson said that £2OOO was the sum which the board had undertaken to find in the first place. The proposal of the committee was fair to both the council and the board. The council was the drainage authority. Why should the board interfere?

Mr Begg claimed that the delay .bad been caused by the Port Ghalmera Council itself. It had agreed in the first place to have a wooden drain, but the council had later made a proposal that a stone drain should be built. The chairman said that he saw no cause to regret the delay. It was better to be sure than sorry.,

The report was adopted. WAGES REDUCTION.

The Standing Committee recommended, in respect of a letter from some of the staff asking for the restoration of the wages ruling before the last 10 per cent, reduction, that tbe Finance Committee submit a report on the restoration of these rates to the whole staff for consideration in connection with next year’s estimates. —Approved. DUES AND CHARGES.

The Standing Committee recommended, in the matter of the communication from the Associated Motorists Petrol Company asking remission of the charge on petrol worked overtime by the tanker Irini, that the company be advised that the board regrets that, as the charge is in accordance with its by-laws, no remission can be made, but that the matter of dues and charges will be considered in connection with the annual estimates with a view to possible reduction. Mr Tyson said that when the matter came before the Dues Committee he hoped that it would also take into consideration the charge on wool bales. Their board charged three bales to the ton, and he thought this was a very iniquitous charge. The Railways Department and other harboaur boards in New Zealand accepted five bales to the ton. The chairman: The railway charge will be by weight? Mr Tyson: No. Mr Tyson said that he also thought the charge of Is per ton on cargo worked outside the ordinary hours was an unfair one. The shipping companies realised that this charge had been made during the war, when revenue was required by the board. The board offered no service whatever for the charge. Even admitting that the board wanted this la per ton, surely it could agree to five bales to the ton like other ports. Mr Thompson said there was no doubt that the charge was out of all reason. He would also suggest that the committee should go into the question of the charge on oats. He understood that the charge was on 10 bags to the ton, whereas other ports allowed 14 bags. If the board’s charge was made on five bales of wool to the ton the -wool could be exported from this port on a basis of Is per bale, as against the present Is Bd. Mr Waters said that about 12 months ago he had brought up the question of the dues on oats.

The chairman: We charge on 14 bags to the ton, not 10. Mr Waters said that the Dues Committee would have a complete schedule of charges before it, and he could only hope that the state of their finances would be such as would warrant them in making some reductions.

Mr Tyson said that the lg charge on overtime work was an iniquitous charge, to say the least. Mr Begg said he understood that a bale of wool did not go under 2cwt, all told. * The position was hitting shippers fairly hard. He knew that finance came into the question, but he hoped the Dues Committee would give the matter favourable consideration.

Mr Sharpe said he had ventilated this question on several occasions. He was quite sure that these little obstructions did not help the Port of Otago in its competition with other ports. The chairman said the Dues Committee would look into the points raised, and the recommendation was then approved.

AREA ON HIGHWAY. The Standing Committee recommended that the two triangular areas available on the highway (23.6 poles and 6.2 poles) be submitted for lease. Mr Loudon said he thought it was a mistake to lease this land. He thought it should be set aside as a reserve, and that the City Council should.be asked if it would compensate any tenant if it were required. The land ’could be handed to the city for all time. They had to look ahead, and the Frederick street block in a few years would be closely settled, and the area under consideration would be a most desirable reserve. At one time the City Council had been willing to pay something like £7OO provided it were handed over as a reserve. Now that the buildings had been . demolished they would not have to pay anything like that. The place was unsightly as it stood, and if it were handed to the corporation it could be made a beauty spot. Mr Begg said that quite recently the Amenities Society had drawn the attention of the Reserves Committee of the City Council to this area. There was no urgency-over the matter, and he thought they might get the opinion of the Ambnities Society and the Reserves Department of the City Council to see if the original idea could be carried out.

Mr Tyson said he was, as a matter of general principle, opposed to the handing over of any of their endowments to the City Council. He was in favouVj however, of fostering a reciprocal feeling between the two bodies.

The chairman said that he and Mr Begg could go further into the matter. Mr Thompson said that far too many of their areas were given away. The chairman said they should remember that the City Council had spent an enormous amount of money on the Lake Logan area—an area which had, as they knew, been given to the city. This money would, under different circumstances, not have had to be spent. Mr Thompson: It’s a pity they ever took it up, Mr Loudon said that the section at the base of the triangle might be let, and the balance might very well be handed over to the City Council.

It was decided not to approve of the recommendation, and that the chairman and Mr Begg should meet the other bodies referred to and report to the board, Mr Thompson dissented from the decision come to. ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES.

The harbour master (Captain Mac Lean) submitted the following summary of the arrivals and departures for the month of August:— Arrivals.—Dunedin: Coastal 37 vessels, 25,246 tons; intercolonial, 4 vessels, 5072 tons; overseas, 6 vessels, 24,548 tons—totals 47 vessels, 54,866 tons. Arrivals.—Port Chalmers: Coastal 2 vessels, 222 tons; intercolonial, 2 vessels, 2545 tons; overseas 5 vessels, 23,339 tons —totals, 9 vessels, 26,106 tons. Departures.—Dunedin: Coastal, 36 vessels. 23,805 tons; intercolonial, 5 vessels, 8221 tons; overseas, 6 vessels, 21,557 tons —totals, 47 vessels, 53,583 tons. Departures.—Port Chalmers: Intercolonial, 3 vessels, 2620 tons, overseas, 4 vessels, 20,097 tons —totals, 7 vessels, 22,717 tons.

Tug Dunedin.—Total time under steam, 58hrs SOmin; coal consumed, 44 tons 15cwt; distance steamed, 252 miles. North Channel. —The least water on the line of leads at low water is 36 feet.

South Channel. —Is showing a least depth of 25 feet low water. From the Mole to Port Chalmers there is nothing less than 30 feet low water, with a least width of 300 feet.

Victoria channel is maintaining a lowwater depth of 20ft 6in. Dredging at Kilgour’s Point was finished on the sth instant, and the dredge has rempved her moorings to the Harrington Point bend in the Lower Harb.our to do the necessary dredging at the portion of the channel. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

The engineer (Mr M‘G. Wilkie) reported as follows under date September 8:

During the month of August the dredge Otakou carried out operations at Deborah Bay and piles 6-6 Kilgour’s Point. The whole of the material dredged—i.e., 37,000 cubic yards, was deposited at the dredge Vulcan. During the month the dredge steamed 107 miles and consumed 54.66 tons of fuel oil.

On the sth inst. moorings were lifted from Deborah Bay bend and laid at Harrington Point, where the work of removing the shoal on the red side of the main navigation channel was commenced. During the month of August the Vulcan pumped 37,000 cubic yards of material received from dredge Otakou into the Mussel Bay reclamation area.

During the month of August three vessels were docked at Port Chalmers. The drainage pumps were in operation for 67i hours. On August 28 a further trial of the new “ Gill ” pump took place with the new runner recently received from the contractors. The dock was emptied from the 24ft 2in mark in seven hours 24J minutes. At this rate of pumping the dock could have been emptied from the 25 foot mark in seven hours 35 minutes, five minutes in excess of the time stipulated in the contract documents. The test is considered satisfactory. Mole Reconstruction. During the period of five weeks ended September 2, the following operations were carried out at the quarry:—3o9o cubic yards of stone were deposited on the Mole, and 2710 cubic yards of debris at the swamp reclamation. On Friday, August 25, the No. 26 tunnel shot was fired, with excellent results, a large quantity of big stone being obtained. On Monday, August 28, the annual overhaul of quarry machinery was commenced. Repairs were effected to Noa 1 and 2 steam cranes, Nos. 1 and 2 steam shovels, and the locomotive. All boilers were inspected by the Government inspector and found to be in good condition with the exception of the loco boiler, which was granted only a three months’ certificate. Mussel Bay.—The reclamation of Mussel Bay is progressing steadily. A small

pipe is being used to raise the inner area, the remainder of the spoil being discharged through the 18-inch pipe towards the outer fence with the object of building up a firm bottom on which to found the stone wall to be constructed along the outer boundary. A number of 18inch spoil pipes were removed to the board’s workshop for repairs; The launch Pilot was slipped for annual survey and overhaul. The hull was cleaned and painted, and the engine removed to the workshop for general inspection and minor repairs. Harbour Survey.—The periodical survey of Victoria Channel from the islands to Dunedin was completed and plans prepared.