BLUFE HARBOR BOARD ELECTION.

Southland Times, Issue 3315, 4 February 1879, Page 2

BLUFE HARBOR BOARD ELECTION.

'• r 'Tlienomiinatioii bf ; a member to represent . the Borough of Campbelltbwn in the Bjliiffi. Harbor Board, tpok place at the -CoarthouseV 1 * ; CampbeUEPwifj yesfceriiay, at noon: Mr "Wil- 7 • loughby-aoting-as Eetuming; Officer. There. 1 were, tyro candidates proposed^ Messrs Samuel Nicholj proposed by -.-Walter -.;-Hendejsip^C;'.and-' John ittark ; Hunter, jKaiid James T, Warren, ■ proposediby' Michael .Sulli van and seconded by William T. Wilson. !', : -^ a ; AaX: -.- : Af &erlthe ,Beturhing: Officer; had declared 'that akpoU would be taten oh Monday next,. Mr; S. Nichpladdressed the electors present^ *s&f teiv -tlianHrigi' the % electors for . again proposing Mm as "their^iheniber; he stated, that -ue'Tf^ld^giT^^thettß-a slight 'resuirie of -the ■ Camp^lM»v?n^ Wheprthe Board' jvsras * brigi- ; ; lated Jthey ; had g^eat^ifficalties^; contend k .i^r niunber pf imprpyements w-ere ■; ; lece^ryi^atid'^eyhad ;np fands!> t»^c^rry Vith^^ th^&«t thing tiie Bojird had; co do i was to bbtainvmpney; Jtwsa^ ialso asj^erMned^ th^t; the revenue '^ ; ulotage,, pork charges, &c, was] barely suf^-;3:cient-to v pay -Tcdrking'^expenses; and; it -was; : further fouhd.thai; o^ot -JHarb^r; >jßparda Jhstsr,

/mf^liet^ai^bj^feeref ore seen that unless the 'Bluff/Harbojiibara could make out a pari. ticularlyfgqqd/ iffjise^ they could not expect to i'get anj 7 Accordingly a plan ■ iv/as pjepfired bjr^bte Engineer, assisted by the -■.Har&pr-fmaste^l of permanent harbor Works,! sosthat ,,ah^|rork undertaken would ;he^one st^p-^arids' working bat one plan. ■■ • ° the Government with a requesfiffKsujpply the means, and this being backed up by both the members of the Assembly,- resulted in a handsome endowment, large- enough 'toccssa^saat all the wbrksj would "sTill .require cafefuThusbanding to do so. ..The most necessary works were then considetedyj-and a 6 extension of the wharf/ "earned out' 210 ft., at accost of. about £2000. Shortly after Ws :^ln^ie^ had so far increased] asito-render it necessary to have a - further -increase . of- .wharf- accom[modatipn^: the contract for which has Jbeen accepted to the extent of .40Of t.^md~is-tiow -ibeirig K carried ,out. ■, / This wilf ssJ^p^aU/the requirements of the port for go'm§svta&/;;The Mid-;chann.el Rock was the next-matterJtaken -mi hand..., .It was found, after careful suifvey, that it consisted of. two or three pointed rocks, which seriously impeded the navigation' '6f ,-: the! ; 'entrance ■'•'• of .'' MeT harbor, arid the services of Mi| Gorman were/obtained to blast these away \yjth ; dy.na"niite?,sq?' as to allow vessels of large draught 6t water to pass over it at low waterJ'Althoiigh the success is not so great as was anticipated,'yjet;licdnsider the money spent in this work well spent as it has not' only greatly "increased the t dept^i"^ but has so.; far Operated upon^therpcK'as to make it simply a' mass Of rubble, which a vessel will take but 1 little damage 1 if she should ;.grou t ndth,ereQnj' -The next matter ; was th,e cOTSti-uctipn.of aiightsliip, which is now being built, also, a dwelUng hoiiSe for the assistant pilot. ; In electing' your repfefeenta- - tiyeyul; >xould- wish itq ;poih.t.<3iut:tq ,you;;that it .is oecessaryto .put : in;- some one -. who ".will i w:atch>the .endowtneut o;f theßoavdi and care- ; fully husband.th^ ; means, ; It; is iwell . know a that it was a project in the miads 'of 'Some of the members ;;of the old Jßoards to go in for .carrying put the whole plan of the harbor^ 1 " works at once; but /af ter^caref ul considera.tion of the matter, I felt that it would not be policy to spend alLour means at once and so leave no money for carrying on necessary works. -

In reply to a question as to whether Mr Mchol was in iaybr^ of purchasing the Comerang for a -tug iboat he stated that he had been greatly/ .against having anything to dp with her, arid^wbuld be in >favbr strongly of purchasing a- new -tug from home at an extra<;qst if aibqat suitab.le in,- every respect, and almost new, could' not be got in the colonies. -

Mr Warren then addressed the electors as follows:— I am'yery,,snrry : toha've to contest this election, but have good grounds for doing itv Mr Nichol'says we must husband bur -fundsNow, what has the Harbor Board done since it began ?— nothing : but ■ squabble. They have done works , quite illegal, , .which I have proof to shew. There is,- 'tor instance, the ! artesian^ well :up. behind here, and 4 by. what auLhoritv: has,, the JETarbro JBo^rd,; vl askj done this? and why 'were public^ lenders ; not called? Then, there is boring and blasting of , rocks, ; and also the water-shoo^up^there. -. T The Board, lias, in fact, no more power than'l' have to let /Without pubUctender.Gaptarn:^Thomson rules the;Board;.- public .opinion says so, and I say it is so, for I have watched Captain '' Thomsonls career : r in ': ithe ' ; - Board;'; ' r! There is Pilot Smith's' case as'i:; another J. in point, : which.r is Board, and ;a disgrace ',to :^e^ 1 haVe'vSee'n things*': done "at' ''the Board, which members' themselves Bayi^were 1 - wrong • t ? have watched ifcs progress carefully, iand have seen too much favoritism going on. Personally, I am a small man, and if opposed by the majority I must give in, but hope whoever is "elected,"as Mr Nichol'says, will husband the means/r

In reply to ,.. questions, Mr Warren stated that the Harbormaster .had b^oughty charges against Mr Sini^ : wMc;h L cprdd proved. No "tenders were' called: f oJcl jblas'trag^the Midchannel Itock, and the ..'Bbar^t'lfad riot power ~- to let dirjr work' pyer ]£ffi }vnisont fettling tenders^in 1 'one 1 paper.' :l The' /: Wnble -*Work of the Board was a log-rolling system;' He would not- be m favor' >of f sweepitigf all' the Harbor staff out, but .w,ould ; try to reform it. He would leave the question of a* place for a dry dock to the. engineer. In other civilised places the Harbor-master did more work, and did not-dp/the.MLa-derdah-.V He thought ; the Harbor-master sjioul<d have gone out with thenew pilots for six months, just~ id break ttiem in. ::Ur.i' • l\ : '-. :.-.h'.f t-J '">.::>■. mr.--..::"

ARRIVAL — OF

The Union Company's ' steamer ' Arawata having; the New Zealand; portion of the; Suez mail on board, arrived at the Bluff last evening.' Our Australian exchanges came to hand by ,her, and )^pm.th,e'r'Ai^via''yf^.p&\G extracted :the foUowihg; (Summary , of ; , mail news,,: — .* . ■ '■ .v>;*i'^:>ffw".) .'•■'•■ .^LONDON, {I)EG. 20. The inclemency of the weather shows small signs of abating. This unusnally early winter has greatly intensified the wide-spread distress existing in many parts of England and Scotland; 6 wing to the general depression of trade, and the almost complete stagnation which prevails in the iron; 'cBaY, and manufacturing districts.. At Sheffield the distress is said to be without parallel *m the previous history of the .town,., and very gloomy accpuats are alaD received from Manchester, Birmingham, Wigaii, : ' Wolvefßampfiin^liiverpooli Plymouth, -Bristol, iPundee,] andfGlasgow. In the pottery districts the distress is coming alarming,, and in every town relief committees -are. actively engaged .in - ,doi Q g their- best, although, they are quite. .Ttnable adequately to alleviate the.distress.;. : ,.,./ ;-^j^ ;Mr Hughes Bea, assistant master of -. JBul- '" wich , C«llege,, has received the., appointment of; Professor; of, Glassies. and,, ; p6nlparative Philology in: the University-, of Adeiiade,^with a salary of; sSlOOO.per annum. -.The,; apppit;'^^ ment. is.in: the gift of : .the Dean .of iChriawP" church, Oxford ; the Master f jpf-.JTnnity College, Cambridge ;■ the Bishop .o£ Adelaide, and Sir A. Blyth,- agent-general for South Australia:;: .;» ; .-" /. 7 -; ,■ \ •//■•'■ ; •

The Right ,Hon. W. E.T Gladstone has intimated his .intention of contesting Midlothian in the iibgral.infceresfci^/llhe liberal committees of the.pqunty have decided to unite in his support.. (•

- - Ata meeting- of the Eoyal Colonial. Institute,, Gei;er,al Sir G.Dauben^, in,, the chair, Dh. G-eorge Benriettj otSydneyVreM s atlpaper by Signor L. M. , D.'Albertis (unavbidably absent) oa' New Guinea- 'and its fitness for colonisation. . S.ignor; D'Albertis, , in hia pa-per,-said •thatNfrbm'i hife expiSriehce -iq£ +New Guinea he considered the southern part of Newr.Gfairieamosfc suitableibrthe commencement of colonisation. i^-The country was well watered, with an abundance of grass"; the ; climate was [good, <and' the h^eat moderate. He hoped that colonisation'would n#|be undertaken by: gblfl > diggjersi. and should prefer, from his sympathy with the natives, to see tlieagnculturists-.ifirst'in the field. WHis ,plan ; would-be,, the>f prmation. of . ,an agncutiiral: mission fqi i^'mat^riarßene^tm^the natives. Mr F.Tbun'fßaid that negotiations were still pending with the Government with regard'to taking steps to Secure' ithecolpnisa- ; tionofctft?^^ southern partof^eiy, (guinea. ; 1' The/stfong Jafrid' indreasing lnieirest taken in ' rcplonial matters .^yV'ili^ f ::^riffil^yrpnijßo.'.;,iß.-.' :Bhpyra; by. the prominence giyeri to those 1 subjdcia 'itftie iLbnab^press.'-'DuriDrg the BSrencli Bihibition this was 'particularly^ notdceabJe. All the principal;^ journals deybted. column, after column ; tp '^ei^Led . descriptions of the colonial courts' aridr their exhibits. All are now; Cjailing: attention; to the forthcoming 'exHib'itipnstb be held in Austf^iia,^ and a further proof iofethis:^interest^^ is^ "given i by the publication, just latelyin. the Globe of a series of; i exhaustive articles upon v ; the r several coTpriies. . THese_^are from '^ the "'pens >of . the '; respectiyeagente-gener^J, or. o£ expert speciallyauthorised to spe4k. . ;. ; E The r riew ; Gdverflbr-Genefalf'of iOariada has jmade several speeches, .which^ are all/reijaark.able for -jgreat; talent and •ability"," and his lordship has . .everywhere created a very ' 2 favorable ;, impression. ; r -The Qaeen teleigmphed^tp the Marquis, fequesting him to ■ tei 1 the people , of Canada that she was . delighted at the loyal ■ reception which they had given tp the -Princess Lbuise.and him* ;:seif.;;f.^f ; >; ; ;, ;^o{ ; ;;'i.-;; ; 5 -,r^ :-S§' :^-t' •-. ! v j rjhere has been a^ J^njsfcry r afc -\