HARBOUR BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 94, 18 April 1903, Page 2

HARBOUR BOARD.

Thb Board met Friday. Present: Messrs. Connett (chairman), King, McLesn, Dirigle, Price, Ward, Foreman, Max veil. Le""e r s »ere >e»d from the H .rbouri find Rivers Depart.uenf, Brisbane ; an 1 Public Wo ks Dep;rtment, Wesar'i Australia; relative to the bss 1 : timber for wharf piles.—To be acknowledge ! with thinks,

J. W. Wallace (fc Co., Welling'or, and James Moore, South Melbourne, wrote quoting prices for piles.

It was decided that the Chairman and Messrs. King and Ward be a Committee, with power to act, in effecting a sale of the pumping plant. The Railway District Engineer wrote applying for parmisnon to take stone from the qinrry for the protection of the ssa cblf nsar G wer Street.

Oo tha mo'-io.i of Mr King, saioaded by Mr Oiogle, it was decided to iof jrm the Department that the Board regret b iug iioible to spare any stone, as all of it would be required for Labour extension.

Messrs Wilson and Grey wrote oo behalf of Mr W. Humphries for a further of pirt 4, Kiwau Pah. Mr Maxwall mived that the Boird is unable to grant ihi req lest, but will ac-c-pt a surrender of tho lease and pu tlnsociim up to auc.ion on tho conditions.—o irritd.

An application by Walter Freeman, lessflo of actions 12 and 24, Mt. Elio' ResJi v» ( to spend the full amount on one section inatoud of buildiugon each, and to build on {the other siction in 12 to 18 months time, was complied with. The Secretary was instructed to demand payment of all overdue rents forthwith, and the hese s informed that upon failure to pay such rents and fulfil buildiug conditioo9 at once the leases will be liable to forfeiture without further notice.

The Borough Council was granted the use, free of charge, of the Bird's cement; tester on condition that it was returned in good order. Messrs Waring and Rjwdon, of Melbourne, wrote asking if the suction dredge was for salt*.—The engineer is to be asked to fix a price. The Taranaki County Council wrote, referring the claim of £2 cost of transfer of the Break water-road to that body.

It was deoided not to recognise the claim.

The Engineer wrote, stating that having gone through the result of the bows in the hirbiur he was quite satis fi.d with the insult.

The Inspec'or of Submarine Miniog wrote asking tho Bjard to place i's div.'r and app iratus at the service of rue Marine D ,p-utment in coiin>c;ijn with the woik of blowing up s?me ro?ku at Op u mice harb'ur. The Opunaka Bjard also urged the sam» request. The Chairman stated that the Dapirtment had offered to piy all reasonable espouses and after consulting Mr King ho had consented to the request but tho diver's dress had not been returned from Auckland although it had bsen telegraphed for.

Mr McLean moved that as s>on as the diver can be conveniently spared the Opunak) Boacd may have his serviced and the loan of the dress and apparatus on coudition tbat they piy the diver's fee of £1 per day and £2 2s par week or portion of a week for use of the apparatus, ard th'it they also pay the wages of the assistant and the keep of both men besides taking all responsibility. Mr Maxwell seconded the motion. '

Mr Ward objected to the diver being abscut as at any mom ant his service* might be required at the breakwater. Thi Chairman pointed oil 1 : thit no o hat' diviog dress eould be obtained iu the caLny. Aft9r some discussion tho motion w«s carried, the Opunake Board to b notified when the diver and gear cou'd be spared. The New Zealand Accident Insurance Company notified thatthe amended Act carae into forca on April l«t t pro viding for compensation from date ol accident. The extra risk on curren policy was £3 15s 10d.—No action takoD.

The Oakura braich of the New Zealand Farmers Union forwarded a copy of resolution passed to the eftect that tho time had arrived for extending the breakwater.

F. Harrison, crane-driver at th<> wharf, applied for an increase of wage.to 9d per day, equal to a rise of 2i pei haur.

Mr Price moved that applicant be granted the increase while dtiving the crane but the old rate to rule when the man was on other work. - Carried.

Mr Tanner, tha Board's diver, attended, and complained that during his absence in Auckland the foreman bad attempted to send down one -of the pump hands, a proceeding which en tailed considerable risk to the Board, as no Accident Insurance Oompunj would accept a diver's risk. H 3 con sidered the foreman was trying t( work his friend into the position of diver and he (Mr Tanner) felt it necessary to pro r ect tiirusn'f. He also uri>ef> that hi-, and not the foreman, should hive control of the gear aa was tht custom.

Iu reply to the Chairman, Mr Tanner 8 iid the diving gear had not yn rotu-n?d f;om Auckland. H< h -d only usid it r.s a trial in Auckliiiri Harbour. Ha considered tha work ai the B.eikwater, which was stopper '"v'ng t > loss of plans, would take abou four day.-). The Work i Oommittee wjs re ques'ed to itquir) into the diverY complain', also as to the loss of the plans, and to report to ho Board. The Harbour Mister reported 44 stumors were berthed during th month, of an of 34,847 tow Impocis weru 3,259 tons, and export 1,172, total 4431 tonß. The diedg worked 18 day?, making 244 trips, a r u removing 14,640 cubic yafds of sand Is w "8 l 'id up for a wank for leaiis ti bs stopped. A large quant i.y of sim oad made up on the wts; side of th wall, and a good quantity of it cam. vound the end of tha wall, and th. ,dredg-j wns now removing tha deposit I The Foreman reported on work don since last mteting. He suggested th Engiueer should advise what was to b dono to the cattlo wharf, and as t straightening out thu wbarf from th ropeshi'd to the bre kwutor. U ido present circumstances, he c uM noiJon /et down the wburf ta do a:iy repaiiM Hlaeh year the wh irf was getting »oi>e. Li-<t ytar six piles had to b.i iepUre. .md this yt>ar 12 to 14 were r.quired, md p'obably double that numb i would bo required next year. ]■ ii other berth w.s mvio at that end o the wharf, the present wharf could b, '■epiirad wheuever them v;a? on!ono Bteiracr in. Tim leak* in th dred»,> hud bean stopped and otL-, minor nutters altendod to. Ha hid takon down the engino and boiler of the Goliath crane. I'he boiler was too

far gons to be of any u*e, -but the engines were w«dl worth cleaning an 4 repairiug at a cost of about £i, in addition to lab ur and piint. He reoommondei the Golia'h being taken down another i.n i and t-irders chipped and paint., d, us h-y w-r.t too valuable to be Ifc to runt away. Ho also rtoom-me-ided tint the p : pes on the beach be t, ke« up, clewed, and stored, He futth' r rec m'mended that the Tangye pu.np be sold. D. K. A'orrison reported on the tiiilerti removed from the dredge. He •*as inclined to think they were not north repairing, and he suggested they should h* sold if an offer could be obtained for them. —Left to the Work# I yommit'ee to dispose of. ' Th ) Chairmau asked for a further extension of time for the Committee to bring down thi report on the question of hirbour extension, —Granted, Aci,urns wore passed as follows: [Ordinary, £221 4alod ; coupon ini teren% £1378 13s sd. The Boird rone.