LYTTELTON HARBOUR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 565, 1 December 1915, Page 8

LYTTELTON HARBOUR.

MEETING OF THE BOARD. A meeting of the Lyttelton Har- s bour Board was held this morning. Present:—Mr M. J.Miller (chairman), Hon. R. Moore, M.L.C., Dr H. T. J. Thacker, M.P., Messrs A. Kaye, C. Allison, R. M. Speirs, George Scott, T.\ D. Boag, J. Storry, F. Horrell, Hugo Friedlander, J. J. Dougall, and J; J. Graham. THE CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. The chairman reported that the last ordinary meeting the following sums had been paid in to the harbour fund account:—Wharfage, £2556 5/2; pilotage and port charges, £1153 13/9; towage, storage, etc., £912 13/1; total, £4622 12/-. the ordinary revenue for the 11 months ended November 30 amounted to £60,724 0/8, as compared with £66,348 6/4 for the corresppnding period of last year. The harbour fund account was overdrawn £4027 " 18/3, but against this the board had the sum of £4900 standing to the credit of the special renewal fuhd, leaving a balance in the board's favour of £872 1/9. The unpaid accounts to be passed for payment to-day amounted to £967 9/6. During the month of November 198 vessels, comprising seven oversea, i and 191 coastal* and intercolonial vessels, entered the Port of Lyttelton, with a total net tonnage of 137,798 tons, as compared with 174 vessels aggregatingtons during the corresponding month of last year. . ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr C. J. R. Williams) reported that good progress was being made with the reconstruction and enlargement of No. 6 jetty. Piles had been driven for 24 bays,, caps, fitted in 12 bays, arid floor beams wer» being laid at the inner end. ; x The times of delivery of various items in connection with the work of conversion to electric drive had expired. The war was affecting deliveries of electrical plant ill common with other materials. The board was not suffering any loss by these delays; as pavment for current did not begin until the board commenced to use it. The report was adopted. " THE REGENT FIRE. The engineer also reported that early on the 18th ult. the board's small brick store known as the "kerosene bond" was destroyed by fire. The board's loss would be less than £3OO, as the foundations and most of the brick walls were still' sound. In a special report on the.destrucr tion of the kerosene store, the gineer pointed out that the question whether inflammable oils should again be put into this store was a matter for consideration. If. the, de r cision be against this it would be rieceissary to erect a suitable store further off. A temporary expedient would be to store inflammable oils :in the dock stbre, and remove all goods at present in that store to the "kerosene bond." As the foundations and most of the walls of the "kerosene bond" are quite sound, the engineer recommended that, the building be made good again, and that the question of the future storage of inflammable oils be referred to the Harbour Improvement Committee for consideration and report. This recommendation was adopted. In the report it was sta< a 11lul the tus's pumps were at work within a quarter of an hour of her whistle being blown. i The chairman made appreciative reference to the w >.*k of the Lyttelton Fire Brigade. Appreciation,was ;t!so expressed of the good work of the crew of the tug and of the dredge Te Whaka. GRAIN STORAGE. ... With regard to the question of additional grain storage accommodation, the Harbour Improvement Committee recommended that con? sideration of a report which the board's warehouseman had presented on this matter in October be postponed for six months, and that in the meantime the warehouseman be asked to report on the advisability of leasing from the Lyttelton Borough Council the grain store at Officers', Point, now occupied by Messrs Kaye and Carter. The recommendation was adopted.