TIMARU HARBOR BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1506, 15 May 1886, Page 1

TIMARU HARBOR BOARD.

A special and ordinary meeting of the Timaru Harbor Board was held on Thursday last. Present—Messrs J. 11. Sutter (Chairman), El worthy, Acton, Wilson, Kelland, Sims, Moody, and Jonas. The Chairman said the revenue from the wharf during the month, had been £498 9s 7d, and from port charges £269 IDs 2d, total £767 19s 9d. The tender of Mr Wood for alterations to the Engineer’s office had been accepted, the amount being £67. The work was now being proceeded with. Among the correspondence was a letter from the Canterbury Marine Underwriters’ Association, asking for a dozen copies of the Board’s annual report.- -The Chairman said the request had been complied with. Letters were read from the Bank of New Zealand re the loan ; from the N.Z. Accident Insurance Co. re insuring the Board’* employees; from the Railway Department, Wellington, acknowledging receipt of letter from the Board re the lighting of the main wharf, and stating that rails would shortly be laid on the wharf just completed ; and from Mr John Jackson, and other*, suggesting that the wharf charges on native coal should be reduced 6d per ton. The last letter was' referred to the Standing Committee. A letter was read from the local Manager of the N. M. and A. Co., asking whether it would be safe to bring the s.s. Arawa into the Port. She would* arrive and load frozen meat in July,—The Harbor Master reported on the letter that it would be quite safe to bring the Arawa here and load heron a draught of 19ft Gin. There w»* now 22ft Gin of water the harbor at low water spring tides; the rise and fall six feet, and the bottom was seft and sandy,—After the Chairman and several members had expressed the gratification they felt at the thought of such a fine steamer loading at the port, it was unanimously resolved on the motion of Mr Moody— “ That, the dues on the first direct Homo steamer calling here be remitted.” The Harbor Master reported the arrival of 33 vessels and the departure of 31 during the month. The Landing Service had only been used for storing coal and cement. Frequent soundings had been taken in the deep water basin, and tho results supplied to the Master of the dredge Progress. Ten or twelve working days would be required to dear away the shallow parts and make the depth uniform. As the dredge Jr’rogres would shortly have to go to Poit Chalmers to bo docked he suggested that the tug Titan should tow her down, and be docked and painted at the some time. —Members .agreed that the dredge should be docked at the end of about 10 days ; that the tug should escort her - down ; and that Mr Davidson, while she was at Port Chalmers, should inspect her on behalf of the Timaru Harbor Board. The Standing Committee reported that at present they had no recommendations to make regarding the working of the Moody wharf. They had agreed upon the terms of a lease of a site for on oatmeal and flour mill (applied for by Mr Bruce), and inserted an advertisement inviting tenders for the same. The Engineer reported that only seventeen lineal feet of blocks had been laid since the previous meeting on account of tho heavy seas and the holidays. No damage had been done to the breakwater by the heavy sens, Hie pilin» of the Moody wharf was finished, and °tbe work should be completed by next meeting. Since the last repairs had been made to the dredge Progress she had worked steadily and removed about 4600 tons of spoil. Regarding the repairs to the dredge, he had proceeded to Dunedin and made the best terms ho could. The lighting of the wharf was being proceeded with. Mr Moody was appointed Chairman during the time Mr Sutter is absent in Wellington, and accounts to the an ouut of £3789 9a 6d having been passed for payment the meeting terminated.