Bluff Harbour Board

Southland Times, Issue 16075, 28 June 1902, Page 4

Bluff Harbour Board

Fridat, 27th Jonk. The monthly meeting was attended, by Messrs A. Carmichael, (chairman), J.W. Mitchell, J. E. Watson, .R. A. Anderson, R. Dunlop, T. Gilroy, A. Bain. Before proceeding with the business the chairman moved a vote of condolence with his Majesty the King in his illness. Mr Mitchell in seconding the motion, said that the calamity was a mysterious one, unprecedented in the history of the Empire.— The motion was carried unanimously. The Chairman said that he had a matter to bring before, members before dealing with ordinary business. Mr Roberts, a member of the Board, had approached him, and stated that iie was in the employ of one of the contractors engaged on Board work. He wished to know whether the Board had any objection to liis occupying the position of member while in the employ of one of their contractors. He (the ch.irman) understood that Mr Roberts had undertaken the management of a Board contract. If members thought it desirable : Mr Roberts wonld resign, and he had asked ! that members give their opinions.— Mr Mitchell said that if Mr Roberts had been the contractor or his partner his place would havo been to resign, but seeing that he was an employe ..raised a doubt on the question. He moved that before a reply was sent the Board's solicitors he asked to give thoir opinion.— Mr Bain seconded this pro forma. He did not think it a matter for the Board at all, but for Mr Robei -ts' own sense of honour to decde. He would be sorry to see Mr Roberts or any other member take up a position on a contract under the Board and still sit at the table as a member. It was a very invidious position for him to be in.— Mr Dunlop said he thought Mr Roberts would be quite within his legal rights in remaining a member, but it was certainly due to the Board's inspector that he should not retain his position.— Mr Watson said that if the Board's inspector had occasion to find fault with thri contractor's work, when Mr Roberts occupied the position of manager, it would be impossible for Mr Roberta to sit at the table and criticise his own work. It would also place the inspector in a very embarassing position if he had to inspect and report on the work of one of his "bosses." . It was never contemplated that a man should be an employe of the Board and a member at the same time.— The Chairman said that his ruling was that the Board had no control whatever over Mr Roberts' connection with the Board when his position was what it had been represented. He would compromise himself to a veiy serious extent if he sat at the table while he was engaged on a contract for the Board. He moved— "That the Board, from what has been placed before them in connection with Mr Roberts' position ps manager for Mr Curwood, do not feel justified in taking any action, and that the matter is entirely in his own hands." This wa9 carried, and* Mr Mitchells' motiou withdrawn. . The chairman reported that the Minister of Railways was approached to receive a deputation of the Board, but as he waa much pressed with -business and had in the meantime stated iv his speech at^Winton that he had arranged for further standing room for 100 trucks at Bluff, it was not thought necessary -O persevere with thad eputation, as the object of the Board was accomplished. The chief officer of the :>.s. Tottenham wrote apologising foi* using obUsive language to Mr Gifford, pilot, on the occasion of mooring the steamer on the 29fch nit. '. The language yras nied through MHOifford acting contr ary -O^-tlife -_arboui_n_Bfe-V' __ structions as to the disposition of certain hawsers, leaving the steamer io an insecure position at the rise of the tide. —Apology received, and ordered to be forwarded to Mr Gifford. Ihe Marine Department applied for a plan of the harbour and general ih __ft_ati__ cone jming the port, for publication m a book which the Department intended to issue for the use of shipowner, and mariners. - Information to be supplied. The Cußtoms Department notified that £532 3s 6d pilotage fees had been collected during -May, and port charges £199 12s 4d. J. Shark ie offered £3 for three old boilerlying on the foreshore.— The chairman and Mr Gilroy authorised to act. J. G. Ward and Co. forwarded a letter from the captain of the s.s. Tottenham, asking tor a refund of £12 5s 3d, charged for a removal on the 29th ult. On arrival, the steamer was berthed at the west end of the wharf, where, owing to insufficient depth of * water, the fore watch could not be worked. A removal was made on the 24th ult. , and on the 29th, still owing to insufficient depth of water the harbourmaster agreed to move the steamer to a deep water berth. It was hold that it was the duty of the Board to provide a |berth where a vessel could load always afloat. It waa proposed thab a refund be made, but it was pointed out that tho charge was not for the removal, but for the use of the tug.— Matter referred to the committee ; the harbourmaster to report. On the motion of Messrs' Dunlop and Bain a resolution was passed complimenting Sir Joseph on the laying of the Stewart Island cable, and the untiring energy he had shown in forwardng it. . G. A. Whealler wrote that he had received instructions from the owners of section 6, block 3, Campbelltown 'East, to sell no more of their land at present. —Received. Captain MeDougall, of the Shaw SaHll Company, wrote for particulars of port charges and dues on ships calling at the port, and asked whether any reduction made on the occasion of a second call by the same- steamer inside of twelve months.—Referred to the Dues Committee to consider. The U. 5.... Co. wrote that oomplaint had been made by the Quarantine Inspector! of the methods adopted at the Bluff to k^ep vessels clear of the wharve sat night. It was pointed out to him. that there were unuaial difficulties in dealing With the regulation^ at the Bluff.— Referred to the harbourmaster for report. t Messrs Hall, Stout and Lillicrap wrjate that they had received instructions from the Campbelltown Borough Council to at ohee take the necessary steps to secure for that Council full control pi the waterworks. Mr Watsou strongly opposed the control of the water for shipping going out oi the hands of the Board, and moved that the matterl bo placed in the hands of the committee lappointed to deal with it. Mr Mitcßell seconded tbis, and the Chairman and Mr Bain supported it. The Chairman suggested that a deputation should meet the Borough Council and come to a definite understanding on the question. Mr Dunlop thought Ijhis would be absolutely useless, the as Council had previously refused to carry out arrangements come to by deputations in conference. —Referred to the Waterworks Committee. The Commissioner of Crown Lands wrbte that the Board had decided to reclassify the small grazing run formerly held by jJ. Reegan as a pastoral- run, and to offer itjfor a term of two years at 2hd per axire ; also that it was not customary to notify forfeitures either to the Otagd jSchool Commissioners or the Bluff Harbour Board.— ReC__ 1 V 6 Q The Railway Department advised that wharfage dues to May 24th were £108$ Is lid net.-— Received. . John Mill and Co. applied for a refund of £11 2. 4d for removal ot the M. de Larruaga, as the berth provided was not of sufficient depth to allow the vessel to complete loading.—Referred to the Finance Committee ; harbourmaster to report. G. A. Whealler offered his' right and title to a section on the foreshore, leased by him from the Railway Commissioners. — Aocepted. A. V. Valentine, junior clerk to the Board, applied for an increase of salary.— Referred to the Finance committee. Murray, Arnold and Co. asked the Board to accept delivery of the s.s. Monowai 's consignment of brush box, deducting £6 4s forrejects, as no inspection had as yet been made. — Agreed to. The Lyttleton Harbour Beard wrote that the statement made in Wellington re port charges, and discussed by the Bluff Board, that £140 wa? charged at Lyttleton was incorrect, say, for a 2400 to n J _e«ah steamer for three visits a month. The chatge was made up as follows .^-Pilotage inwards, £25 ; pilotage outwards, £25: Port charges, Ist call, £20 ; second call, £20 ; third call, £20. Pilotage was free on second and third calls, and no harbourmaster's fees were charged _t Lyttleton.— Referred to Harbour Dues Committee. . Tho chairman of the Stewart Island Tourist Bureau wrote, re accommodation of touristy that the proprietors of the two boardinghouses were preparing to enlarge thoir premises, and another did not intend to do so till a larger steamer was put on the service. The Bureau requested that extra seats and 1 deck chairs be provided on the Theresa Ward, and that immediately on arrival all traces of sea sickness be removed from the vessel. --Eerer-red to Stewart Island Committee. The Railway Department applied fora copy of plan showing the extent of the reclamation decided upon at the port.—To be supplied. Accounts amounting to £1628 Is ld were passed for payment.

■*^^»»'«^^*^«H» The secretary and treasure!, reported that the Board . account was £3498 13s lid in credit ; ordinary revenue, £1695 3s ld ; outstanding accounts, £1710 10s ld. i The harbourmaster reported that the inward shipping for the past month was 13 vessels of 36, 133 tons ; outward, 20 vessels of 36,379 tons, and increase over the corresponding month of last year of 9286 and 6816 tons respectively. One buoy had been lost j during the heavy weather at the beginning of the mouth. 1 On the Imr hour mas .er 's recommendation a pilotage exemption certificate was granted Ito P. Million, of tho barque Gdffjtnede ; tenders to be ea.Ul for quantity. .^of'^hahi required for use and reserve ; sp-____i-i.riß to be furnished respecting the number of buoys required for immediate uso and reserve. A report waa presonted dealing with the stranding of the s.s. Westralia. The harbourmaster submitted a further report on the damage to the tug through the hawse pipe coming into contact with the ..a. Warrimoo on the 13th ult. — Tenders had been called tor repairs, and that of Johnson and Sons, acoepted. In reply to a complaint from Crosby and Sons /. removal of tb^s steamer Ouraka from her berth, thia hs|bojs. Waste r .aid that the Ouraka arrived oin sth May, aud .ailed on the l_»th. During the whole of that time sho was at tho best berth, and on the 14th she was shifted along 100 yards, at the st une berth, to make room for .a sailing vessel.— Copy of the explanation to be sent to Messrs Crosby and Sons. The inspector of works reported that repairs to wharf deck were required, and it was resolved to do urgent repairs at once ; tl.o engineer to report generally on the condition of wharf. The engineer submitted a report on the reclamation works. The approximate length of the walls would be— from A to B 1400 yards, from C to D 850 yards He recommended that the banks bo made of stone, as being easily obtainable, and clay, could be used a. backing to prevent leakage^ Mr Feigusson, engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board, was at present on a visit to Bt ia bane to enquire into tho capabilities of two hydraulic dredges lately obtained for deepening the Brisbane river and doing rec.'timing work aimilar to that proposed here, ai.d on his return he would forward to this Board full details. i he Works Committee recommended that if any buoy should get adrift the fact should be notified to the Board, and immediate steps taken to replace it ; that the engineer's report on the reclamation be held over for farther information. — Adopted. The Fnanco Committe reported having voted £20 each to the Campbelltown and Invercargill Counoils for Coronation cele-brations.—-Approved. ___________ The Board then ndjofltned,