OTAGO DOCK TRUST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 9

OTAGO DOCK TRUST.

\ A special general meeting of the Otago Dock Trust for the election of a chairman for the ensuing year was held at .Port Chalmers 'on the 24 th, present— Messrs E.,\G. Allen, M.H.E.. (retiring- chairman), J. Thomson, and 1 the Hon. Hiigh Gourley. „.

Mr Allen, before vacating the chair, congratulated the, trust on having had a fairly I satisfactory year. The profits arising from the clock proper 1 had been .very small.. In fact, the dock charges were so low that' the trust did not anticipate making a .great profit from the docking of ships. - The dock master reported that 57 vessels of all descriptions had been docked' during the year, representing a tonnage of 39,152, as against 64-* vessels of a tonnage of 48,970. during the preceding year. The dock bad been employed 233 working days. Two months of that time were occu* pied in night tand day work, the Mapourika being then in clock. The. dock forge had been employed during. s4-, daye. The demand on the slieerlegd hail not been so .great, this year, but they continued, to be of' great service to the shipping; The dock plant and jnachinery were ,in rgood, condition? Coming to* the trust's, freezing works,' the manager, reported •that the large Hercules machine, gave 'satisfaction during ihe 10 months it was'in operation. A portion of the 'freezing - space " was submitted to^public competitiony and it was seI cured by Messrs Tonkin and Co.*- The balance I of space was used by sundry clients of the trust, but the whole of the accommodation was taxed to the^ utmost capacity. It was found 'necessary to increase komc of the pip-* i ing in several of' the rooms. The result had I been satisfactory, enabling, the trust to freeze i more rapidly, and thus to better overtake the 'demands made 'upon. them. The want of to^-nare since the close of last year_liad operated'detrimentally tipon the interests of the trust. Sin*w the 31st December they had to ' rail, for this reason, a lot of "frozen meat to the Bluff. The shortage of vessels was presumably one of the outcomes of the war.1 The export of butter had developed in-a very I '-trikiug wiy-this season, and demonstrated that' increased accommodation for- grading should be**provided f©r< -He thgirel pre recommended thu.t a new grading room -,be l provided at' the west of the north wing of the works, and 'that' the present grading room be made available for a freezing room.'" Considerable quantities of beef and poultry had I been handled, and it was considered likely I that these "lines would develop considerably ;in the near future. J-.; Jging ,by the expansion I of the frozen meat in.-iistry, it would be necessary to largely increase the iruet's works at no distant date. At present 1 the; number of people employed iii runnection with tl c works was between 60 and 70. In concision, he de~sired to express his appreciation of the runner in which the. dock master,, the ms ~"vger, the ergineer, storemen, and the permanent subordinate staff hed _erformed their duties. The freezing engineer' "(Mr ~ Sniaill) «.nd the manager (Mr Tbci-iion) had had many difficulties to contend with, and had overccJiAe them in a manner creditable to thembelves and to the interests of the trust

The Secretary temporarily filing the chair called i.c>r nominations. T£e 'Hlja. Hugh Gourley 'movedV' ?hat

Mr Allen "be re-elected." * In doing fgc£ Mr Qourley stated that; during his term * of _Mr Allen had done his very best in^Me interests of "the dock, ana;, so "fefe-asigoiild be judged, he was the right man in^tlie i-ight place. _ *'•--. '/!>*'■** i-,;- 1 ~S , ,'Mr Thomson seconded T'the 1 - motion/; and, there being no other nominations, Mr-\Allen was declared re-elected. "-'",.," •-.'-' / The Ohairnian.jn, returning- thanks-ior the .honour conferred .on, him, -eaid -that he had taken an interest in dock matter^ from the very inception of the clock.. Previous to bio last term H>f office .he had been chairman for some -six or seven ,years. The diitiGs^pertaining to the position, ,now thafr-.the'y hacl added 'the' freeaih^— works, were somewhat mpre extended; iCh*eyi -\*ere more serious iii fact aa regarded, the whole 'of the- members, of the trust, and at next meeting'he ptop'osed to ask them whether they should* not make' it a point to meet- at an earlier hour, in order' that they might have more time to consider the various matters that had each month to com.before them. Aj The proceedings then closec!.'