TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4797, 20 March 1890, Page 4

TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

The Harbour Board met yesterday. Present— Mr E. Acton (chairman), Captains Woollcomba and Sutter, Messrs Wilson, Teschemaker, Talbot, Manohenter, and the Mayor of Xiroaru. , Apologies were read from Messrs Morns and Flatman. A BBBIONATION. A letter was read from Mr K. F. Gray resigning his seat on.the board. Captain Sutter moved, and Mr Wilaon seconded, " That Mr Gray's resignation be accepted with regret, Mr Gray having been a member of the board since its formation and taken an active part in all its proceedings."— Carried. COBBBSSONDBXCB. Mr Austin of the Railway Department, requested the Board to remove the " unsightly mound " where tho conorete mixing machinery formerly stood, on the railway ground-— Thie letter created some amusement, and itwas decided to refer the letter in the first place to the contractors who built th« mound. The Bank of New Zealand reported the redeposit of the Titan Insurance Fund, whioh is now £2166. Mr Snoswell wrote requesting the board to hire to him their oentreboard boat for three months at a low rate, for the purpose of giving a good trial to deep aea fishing. The chairman stated that the boat cost £65, and was never used, had never been used he believed. The secretary stated that the boat wa» lent by the Lyttelton Board at the time of the wrecks, when every boat in the place was destroyed. The board used it a ehort time and damaged it, and therefore offered to pay for it. The price asked and paid was £65.' It was agreed to let Mr Snoswell have the boat without oharge, as he wanted it for a good purpose, on his aigning an agreement to paint it after he had done with it, and find a surety to replace it or pay for it if it waa damaged or loet. A receipt was received from Fleming and Ferguson, builders of the tug, for £2487, the first instalment payable to them. • Mr A. Warren, Oamoru, wrote offering £3 per ton for old coir rope for mat making. Offer accepted. From the harbourmaster, Dunedin, offering 10a per owt for a better clan of old coir rope for fenders. — Accepted. habbocbsiabtbb'b bbpobt. The harbourmaster reported the arrival daring February of 26 steam and 10 sailing vessels, and departure of 26 steam and 6 sailing vessels. The weather during the month was very fine. The soundings book, for that day, showed for the first time the depths beside the Notth Mole. Theso ranged from 13ft to 15ft from shore end to opposite the end of the Moody wharf, 16 to 19 thence to half way along the wall, thence 20 to 21 to the bend, and 21ft along the bend. BNGrHBBB'B BEPOBT. ■ Mr Marchant reported for the month as follows : — " North Mole.— This contract is now completed. The maintenance period will commence to-day. " Wreck Survey.— l have made a thorough survey of Iho remains of the Duke of Sutherland wreck. Tt lies in 21 feet of water at low water spring tides, the highest portions of the wreckage b&viog about 17 feet of water over them L. W. 8. X. A few heavy shots of gan cotton and about 14 days work of the dredge would I think remove the whole of it. " Dredging.— Bince last meeting the Taniwha has dredged and discharged 3890 tons of spoil in 14 working days. She is now on the slipway for repairs. Having been in uninterrupted work for 9 months and her machinery having had but few repairs since her launch, there is a good deal of work to be done iu renewing bearings, etc " In reference to the Duke of Sutherland wreck an inquiry had been made of the Marine Department, whether they could supply 8001bs of gun cotton, and an affirmative reply was received — price 2» per lb . The engineer stated that by the nse of sweeping lines and a steel probing bat he had ascertained that there was very little of the wreck left. He believed there were was nothing of the ship left, but the windlass, an iron mast, and some rigging. The windlass etuek up highest, about 3J or 4ft. It would be necessary to break up the mast in order to VOBCTF9 Mi 'ihe chairman thought the cost of gun cotton and s fortnight's work would make it aa expensive job. Captain Bntter said it was important that the wreckage should be removed, it was in a bad place. Mr Merchant Baid it wocld not take 3001bs of gun cotton to break up the wreckage so that the dredge could lift it. A member sraggeßted that the pieces might be dragged olong the bottom, bntthe engineer thought lifting would be easiest. It was agreed that the wreckage should be removed. Mr Teschemaker inquired where the abinglo dredged from the end of the breakwater came from, and the engineer repeated the explanation he gave at the previous meeting, that it came from the saa bottom where the swirl of the water off the breakwater had scoured out a broad trench on the seaward aide. It bad nothing whatever to do with the beach. The sea bottom in many places appeared to be wholly of ahingla. The chairman stated that ten blocks had been lifted at about £4 each. THE HABBOTJE BATE. Captain Sutter moved and Mr Taibot seconded a long formal resolution increasing the harbour rate for the current year from one-eighth of a penny to a farthing in the £, and rescinding the former resolution as to the remuneration to the collecting bodies, and requiring them to do the whole of the work, as provided by the Act, for the remuneration of 2J per cent. Captain Sutter read an estimate of the current year's receipts and expenditure, from which estimate the amount of rate required was obtained. The gross revenuo last year was £10,500, plui interest on deposits £2000 j total £18,500. The working expenses £5200, interest on loan £10,000. total £16,200, leaving a deficiency of £2700, to be made np by the rate cow being collected. For the current year the revenue from dues was estimated at the amount received last year, £10500 ; the interest on deposits however will only be £450, or £1550 lets than last year ; making the total receipts £10.950. The ordinary expenditure was set down at £3700, interest £10,000. law cost* £2000, dredging £1500, total £17,200, leaving a deficiency of £6260, to be made good by a rate, and a farthing rate it estimated to produce £6000. Hitherto the cost of dredging has been paid outof loan, and the law coats, which now amount to £4000, have been paid out of loan deposits, but they mint be paid out of ordinary account, and £2000 was set down for this year. He thought tho ratepayers would see the absolute necessity for increasing the rate now, but there noed bo no further fear of it being further increased m far aa he could see. In reply to Mr Teschemaker he said the board were only £4000 to the bad on the ordinary account, £2000 of an extraordinary account, the law costs, made np the £6000. It was to be hoped the revenue would increase considerably and that would be to much to their advantage. Mr Talbot »n seconding the motion also insisted that their limit had beon reached, and even so much would not have beon needed but for the necessity of paving off the law costs. He contended that the rate was a very cheap payment by the ratepayers for the advantages they gained by the possession of a harbour. Without it they would have the long railage to Lyttellon or Dunedin to pay on all their goods. Where would be their nulling industry, their meat freezing industry, their agriculture, without the harbour ? He believed the board's finances now wore their wont aapect, and that it would never bo necessary to again increase the rate. In reply to Mr Wilson, the chairman said the rate would not be collected till December. The motion was put and carried. The chairman reported that, as authorised, he and Mr Talbot bad conferred with the solicitors on the drafting of a bill to enable j the Board to make a levy on the local bodies for the amount the board required from the ratepayers, aa was dons by the Hospital Board, instead of striking an independent rate. A ciroalar bad been drawn up to send to the chairmen of the local bodies atking them to consider the proposal and give the Board thei» opinion upon it. The circular pointed out U»t the whole expense

of collecting the rate fell on the ratepayers, and as this expense would be saved — and it was about 10 percent of the amount collected — the board hoped the local bodies would approve of the alteration in the law. The circular was approved. It was decided that the solicitors should not proceed with the drafting of the bill until the local bodies had had time to reply. THB MOODY WHABF. Captain Sutler moved and Mr Talbot seconded, that the engineer report on the coat of shifting the Moody wharf to the north mole, and on the suggestion of Captain Woollcombe it was added that he report on the cost of a new wharf there. A long discussion took place on this motion, Messrs Teschemaker, Wilaon, and Manchester opposing it strongly. The two firstnamed objected on financial grounds, they should got along for a while with the accommodation they had ; and Mr Teschemakor did not believe in shifting things of that eort —if taken up they never went down again. Mr Manchester protested against it aa the country ratepayers were inclined to think the board did a great deal too much experimental work, patting down things and taking them up again. Mr Ross declined to support the motion as he hoped yet to aee the Moody wharf given up for dray and cart traffic. Captain Sutter said he only moved in the matter because the harbourmaster had asked for more wharfage room The motion was lost, only the mover and seconder and Captain Woollcombevoting for it. ! BATHIKa. , A brief discussion took place on sea-bath-ing, Mr Manchester complaining that on passing by in the express one day he had seen " a painful and disgusting eight " in Caroline Bay. The Mayor said he had reaion to believe that next season would see bathing maohinee in nse, and all objectionable features removed. THHDEBS. Messrs Priest and Holdgate were the only tenderers for supplies of ironmongery and sundries, and their tender was accepted. ACCOTOTfI. The wharfage return for the four week ended Ist February was £695 11s 9d net, about £60 more than for the same period last year. The secretary stated £1930 of the harbour rate had been paid, about two-thirds of the whale. Accounts amounting to £7656 18a 4_d were passed. This sum includea £5000 for interest and £1700 odd on the North Mole contract. The board then rose.