HARBOR BOARD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7665, 27 June 1896, Page 4

HARBOR BOARD.

||^Thb usual ; meeting of the Gisborne i^^BrborS- 'Board'. was held last evening, the following members were present fl^-^Messre Tbwnley (Chairman), Chambers, and Crawford. iSfe"^''"'' "' ■ '-'if* PBBB'S BILL. *J3M;* A": "'letter ' was received from Mr J, KxbllQwhley,. Mayor, enclosing resolution gjSpassed at meeting "of citizens with referWi Pere's Native Land Bill. '^;l]."^T',ctipy. of the Bill wsia also laid before fe^thß'BoaM;,- - Gray, said he did not ace why it was 'for the, district to have this land way 'mentioned in the &'; Bill ".than," for the' land to be acquired /^tinder the Lands* for Settlement Act. ryjjf* ?Mr J ohainberß thought: it was wrong in to hand' over estates to a comVv'inittee to manage for the Maoris. It was !?f, v aii attempt, to build up a large estate to P •'/■jthe.- Maoris, .. which waa contrary to the .^'present, tendency of legislation. He ;.;-v.>v^a]d;oppdse any opinion being given by Board. . ;:;f r ,f Mr .Crawford thought" that as thoy were Hr'.'Hhe representatives of a certain section of ;:-.- tho .people ,th«y should give an opinion i.V_' v on the matter. He would move :— "That Scythe Board approve of the Bill and give it all the support they can." ■•'*'■?- Mr Matthevyson seconded Mr Cr&w- / ford's proposal.- He did not think the J> -"Bill wasa^perfeeb one, but he had no doubt that by the time it was through the '■- ■ .House it) would be a good measure. He . hoped thai the Government would see -> that they to themselves the '■; . powers to appoint the Board. That would .'.,:' be a safeguard to the land being locked I y op. : ,Mr Chambers said that the Bill as it 'was would stop settlement. If it com- . polled the Natives to sell the land so as ;.to be able to pay off the mortgages, it «■."" would be all right. The lands were all mortgaged up to their value, and if the : .land was kept in trust for the Natives it , ■*; would be a bad thing. He thought the ■ 'Bill was inimical to the district. ;.\';j .Mr Gray did not think the ''Board was - ■"' called upon to discuss the Bill. He did '•' '.<not. think the Bill waa conducive to the welfare of. the district. The land could '-, he put on the market at the present time, ' V and as regards the other lands that might . be put in the 1 hands of the proposed Board, they 'should be placed in the hands i '; .of the Government for settlement. f The Chairman pointed out that one •"; ■." section of the Bill compelled the Board to ■: ■ settle 75- per cent, of the land immediately .;'"-,' they were appointed. Mr Chambers: Yes, but they are not "compelled to sell it. '_} The Chairman said no, but at present ■ the land could neither be sold nor settled . upon. To 'open up these lands legislation was absolutely necessary, and that was the opinion of the Judge of the . -^Validation.. Court. Thia Bill would perf- haps not meet the requirements of the ' ' "•■■ case,: but it might lead up to a better state r ' of affairs than at present existed. ■■-: ,\ The motion, on being put, was carried ,by three to two, Messrs Chambers and -'. Gray opposing. ... -The Harbormaster's report was read as . , follows : — -\ '."I have, the honor to report to you • that during this month I have not been able to do much to the river save in ■^-blasting, and I am anxious to get this : loose etone lifted. The filling in of the /.'-large holeJat'No. 7, breakwater, has ./-: .hindered' me from getting this carried ,-•* out," but. the latter is equally if not more J~ important than the other. The river will -;'; -;• V have my best attention at the first oppor- .? tunity. At present ib is very good. < Repairs to wharves on town side and -■„■ - crane on Kaiti have also been attended '..' to, and other necessary work in connection .'...with. the, harbor. The work of repairing the_ large hole at No. 7 of breakwater was :r commenced on the 15th inst., and has ' been filled, in to about two feet above high : Water line. Had it nob been for the wet weather we have had, this part of the 'damage to the breakwater would have .been finished.. There has been put in the hole upwards of 60 tons, and all in ■ one block well tied back to the main ;-'■■ 'Structure with . railway bars, chains, etc., C:! and the blook is so shaped that I think it ■„'"■",, is hardly possible for it to shift unless the '; ■. whole pier gives way. The next section, . -which is entirely suspended the whole :. ;: breadth of the breakwater, requires im'.mediate attention, and before any work of filling it in can be done there will ■ J V'; require to be about 200 yards of large ; atone put over at this place to protect the , \ hole and also for footing so that the bags ' ;■ of ooncrete can be hauled in from aide to .-:■: side and timbered up and. tied back with .' iron rods the same as I have done at No. :^;j 7 hole. The 200 yards of stone for this 3:\ ;part is an absolute necessity. I have : "measured up the back of the breakwater £i'\ for an apron extending out say 12 feet at ? the bottom 'and tapering off at the high water line, and I estimate that there is Wl. ,6000 yards of stone required for this :; c : : work, which commences at the damaged part No. 6 and would run out to the end. •:; If small blocks of concrete are to be made - both the . Chairman and myself are of -,;•)- opinion that a portable crane is necessary, ';• and the one that is intended for the wharf .■■-■/can be put on one of the block trucks, ■ ' first used for the breakwater, and then ;_ ' transported to the town wharf, as that . crane would be an improvement on the - ;: : . stationary^one already sanctioned by the -'Board, and you will see the difference in ■r price is very small. More cement is ; required, as there are only sixteen casks .; on hand, and fifty to come forward to- .' -mowow. Soundings this day at high „.;, water : 300 ft out from end of breakwater, i; j-25ft j 200fb out, 25ft ; 100 ft out, 23ft; :-.'■' end of breakwater, 23ft ; half way up, ;'".* .[;i<£ft'6fn; Snark's landing, lift j large :-:•;•' crane-llfc 6in j buoys in river, lift 6in. It -'.Shipping — Steamers: Arrivals, 18; de>l^<pattures, 18. Sailing vessels : "Arrivals, ;,' 7:l j departures, 2." ■'/,-:-■; The Chairman said that in the present «M: operations at the breakwater it had been proved that a mistake bad been made in . the original construction of the concrete : : ;"„ blocks by putting in large boulders .;' ' whole. . It was a foolish economy, and if i: _ the stones bad been broken it would have been much better. In the concrete blocks ■■,- -&t present being put in no large stones / ; were being used. -}' ; '" r ; ■Mr Chambers asked whether any steps :,;'-_ 'had been taken to find out whether tho : \ pier was on sand or on bed rock. He f: ? "thought that should be done right away. . V :He thought the apron should be on the •;■■•> bed rock. -. t£;.-j '.'- : .16 , was resolved that the Hnrbormaßtor V^i-be' instructed to procure the 200 yards .; of stone as recommended in the report. '\With reference to the crane mentioned ;-"'"• -An- the report the Chairman said it would i ; t/^be>bsolutely necessary to have a crane on during the present works, J^. Bnd itwould have to be a portable crime. f gffiA portable crane would also be much xW hotter for tHe wharf than a stationary one. §|^.He ;iiad in^'yiew of the circumstances i; ■{.stopped the construction of the stationary gt- wane'at Iheiblacksmiths. The difference jpjj&fciß price between the two cranes would only L 5. J . |P#fft .waa/iesolyed that the Board secure' a orane to be used on the whaif Sisjafter the breakwater is completed. fplpJ-Tlie, item of : dement was left over for . • ■' adopted. H^||My;Clrawford said that if there was a l^^uaniiuyJof.ironwork to be used in uoullgfleoypn.withth^, breakwater it should be wict that the Harbormaster the opinion that the charges nwot ' s were excessive. JPifei^g^lfePtled that- the account

sent in should be passed, other arrangements should be made. Mr Crawford Baid that perhaps it would not bo necessary to call for tenders. The blacksmiths in the town might be asked to give a price at which they would supply the ironwork, and the lowest price accepted. This met with general approval, and the matter dropped. Accounts amounting to L 163 11s 4d were passed for payment. This concluded the ordinary business of the Board. A special meeting of the Board was then held for the purpose of confirming the Harbor rate, of which notice had been given by advertisement. The Chairman moved nnd Mr Chambers seconded the resolution confirming the striking of the rate, which was carried. The Chairman and Mr Crawford were appointed to sign the rate book.