HARBOUR BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14284, 27 August 1910, Page 3

HARBOUR BOARD.

MONTHLY 'MEETIN Q, Tlia monthly meeting of ths Timaru Harbour Board was "held yesterday. Present—-Messrs J. Craigie (chairman), •f• J- Rolleston. T. D. Young, D. C, Turnbull, C. N. Orbell, C. E. Stickiucs, ■T. E. Goodwin, J. J. MeKeovn, M". Hnynian, J. Manchester, 8.. Skinner, and G. W. Armitage. Au apology for absence "\v;is received from Mr Thew. The Chairman expressed the pleasure which it gave all members to aeo Mr Orbell back in his seat at the Board table. They hoped he would be speedily restored to good health. In roply to Mr Armitage, the chairman said that the Oamaru Harbour Board had paid m full for the hire of dredge 300. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. 'J ho Chairman said the receipts since last mooting had been as follows: —

.From ships' dnps, £loS4 3s 9d; whuri'ajie, £.142/ Is <cl; liire ot" 7*eti''3oU, : ' I'O iO-, debentures sold. ot' £>j,s;> os 4d. The debit balance at last meeting stood at £3 ( J;3S 17s J (id; tin.' accounts h> }>,. na>sed that dav iolalied .CM&J Us id! Tin's Would leave ii debit balance <ii" £lbßo ] l Js Til: hut rhey had 0( | ilx<hl deposit (wharf rt'iK'Wal) u, sum of JL"JS7G L:*Js Gd, wijit-K could !.»«• tu save paying interest on overdralt, and if they used this the debit would ho convertcd into a credit iii L!)!H fk i Id. Since these accounts had been made up, .L~>'2s I(is ;td had he.mi received irom the -Nit. IVei and (x-raldiue [load .Boards, and adding this on would the credit 1 alance up to i'lrifJO odd. O'JUij debentures had been sold at 4.1, per cent., thus indicsiUiil: that money was plentiful, and i hat there was no lack oi' conJidencv in the stability and value oi the port. The s.s. Nairnshire had left the port ilrawSjn ot water, but in addition to tins she had a. list which the .Harbourmaster .said would briny; the water she was drawing up to *?oft. This was a record lor the port, and must be considered very satisfactory. The s.s. lonic had also paid another visit to 'ljjuaru—this tiuio with a- new captain, who, on account of the rumours ho had heard came liero in tear and trembliue: lest a mishap should happen to his big vessel. But after finding that his ship had ample and safe jiceoii.imidatioii here, lie had gone away thorough]y satisfied that the stories he had heard were without foundation, and that a vessel like ilie lonic could berth and remain at Tiniaru in safety in any weather. With regard to the application of the Timaru Cold Storage Compan''. for the Board to build them a grading store, the engineer had prepared a, plan of a- new building, the old lileboat shed which it was asked .-.houid be used lor the purpose, being (too worm eat-en to use. The Standing Committee had discussed the posiuon, and seeing that the industry is one which should be assisted, especially as it, would bring more shipping revenue to the they recommended that a. grading store to cost £231.) be erected. Tiie rent which the Cold Storago Company would pay would givcj the Board 5 per cent, on the cost of the building. There had been complaints about the "blocking of Hayes Street by the Kailvvay Department, and he had seen the general manager, who had ordered the removal of the obstruction. There was some further formation required which would eo*t £IOO, and the Standing Committee recommended that the Engineer should put this work in hand. The Borough Couueil should be asked to light Haves Street, and also "Wharf Street. 'xiie proposal to erect cargo sheds at Timaru had been delayed owing to the illnc.-s oi -\lr Burnett, but the matter was new before the .Minister of Railuavs. ' Jn connection with the land which the Railway Department proposed to take from the Board, lie would do his best to get value for the land. lie was sorry to say that he had been unable to persuade the Minister for .Railways lo allow Timaru fishermen to send their fish to (.'hrisLchiir:Jj by flic, second express. The Minister said thai, to allow them to go by the first express was a concession granted in no other part of the Dominion. In other parts iish had to go by the .slow trains; the mail

trains must keep up a 111 speed. Mr Millar also s;ii:l ihat he Jiarl refused the request of Waimate people to allow their fruit to be carried on' the express, and that if he granted the request or the Timaru fishermen it would break down the whole svstem. COUKiiSPOXDEA'CIi.

Mr Vv. G. Irwin, representing John Jackson and Co., Ltd., v rote drawing I attention to the great loss and incon- I venienco that merchants, carters, and others were experiencing through the closing of the road connecting lien ton Street with Hayes Street. For a great many years tlio public had used" this thoroughfare as a public road, and the closing of it now 'was looked upon as a. g'. eat- hardship. Y\ould the Board u;-o its influence in having the road reopened at the ea rlicsl .i:;- = ii,!<- date? •J he tenants of (he Hoard a!ou"Hayes Street sent a joint letter to similar effect. , J' l ? Minister for "Railways (Hon. J. . Millar) wrote in regard to an interview winch .Me Craigie had with the General Manager of Railways in re-j-C'Utl to tins flatter, iJj-vsatd that 11!<"• access required was in the interests ,-,f the Harbour Board's tenants, and although the public had had temporarv us« or the tmiber-d.seharging road for |vj® P' I? P ! W ol going between Haves ■ Li'oet and Heaton Street, a permanent road could not be granted by the Department. He ecu Id not see his wav to authorise any expenditure by the' Department in providing the access required. The Chairman reported that he had teen successful in getting the obstruei tioii removed, and everything was row j sal::slactory. ; The Secretary to the Lyttelton Harbour Board wrote asking on what eondivors' I'imaru Board employs . . T I IC cn - f ! .vmoutli Harbour Board \j iote ior information ro wages paid to m lianas; also tho clmruos made nl j.nnaru sailing vessels. niiormation supplier}. • TJ Ti racillnn 9'l Company \rroto asking t.ie cost of one of tljcir vessels ontermg the port of Timaru, and dissay GOO tons of cargo—a steamer of -jOOf) tons register.—The charge was £7O lGs Sd. Information supplied.

Si,'' ■J- Steward wroto that lie woukl be pleased to assist in remedying tlio grievance re Uio c.-irri:i<;o of fish upi \\ ceu 'J imarn juid Christchuvch. J. ho vVestland Timber Company wrote on its own behalf, and on behalf of other tenants of tho Board, asking tliat r,lr s e provided nlong Hayes Street. 1 he tenants along tins street paid .some nundreds of pounds in rates every year, jet the .Borough Council spend nnthin" lor their benefit. The Borough Council should also keep the roadway in. order. Borough Council to lie approached. +1 + f x " el,l p'°^ ee "tho Board wrote that about lour years ago when in the employ of the Hoard he had met with an accident wliich totally debarred him irom further work. . The N.Z. Insurance Company (with' which tho Board }\ as covered) accepted liability and paid him '! his was all be possessed; was now 73 years of age, and having been employed on the Board since its formation, would ho glad if the Board could see its way to allow him a small sum weekly in recognition of liis past services, Jtegret was expressed that the Board cannot legally make .such •' rr rant . HA RBOXJIIMA STER. Captain Tait imported tho arrival of 35 steam and two <=nilhiu vessels in Julv, aggregating 38,043 tons. J'ract.'c:ii!.' unbroken hue wealher, with calm io ;i::;dei'ati: ha.s prevailed during last month. Soundings have been taken as usual during the month, and marked on plan. The engineer's staff worked 133.}- hours mooring and unmcorjpg. sl'P) .i-Jt ~

FAT.'TXKKIIS IRE POUT. The Resident, Kngineer, .Mi- .I''. AV. Clarke, reported 1 l);i i progress with ilio iipw «'h:!rl had Hi ft; lnvMl ijilito s<> good tillK month, lilj.t the work «] 1 re"h- j vanced and should be completed withi_u the extended contract tune. There only remains about 60ft, of the superstructure to pat an place. The Bailfay Department have "most of the rails stacked on the site ready for laying down +lie sidings. Good headway lis? j been made with dredging, "20,000 tons | being lifted in +lie outside channel, and j 11,000 tons from tlio inner harbour. j The centre cut. between the. Moody and I New Wliarf is comiileted to the X. \V. j buoy, and tho moorings will now be • shifted another IUO feet to the south, and when this is completed it will give deep water over the area in the inner j harbour, between the Moody and new ! : wharves. A temporary stoppage of i ' dredging operations was made on tho | 19tli for the quarterly inspection of the boilers and some minor repairs to the shoots. Tho Taniwha has been engaged on various jobs, during the month, and also dredging at the outer buoy. 3oU averaged 244 tons per dredging hour, anil the Taniwha I-j.3 tons. At tin; A 1 ni!l Wharf since last, report, lour concrete blocks have hern removed, ami »' iLi (11> ret anting and two mam pile*. haw been driven in place. in one jiier the front pile was originally stepped in a looso concrete hlock, which, had sei ileil since the berth wa-, deepened, causing .settlement in the supcrsirucilire. at this sput. The pile was drawn, the block blasted away, a. Glii't pile driven, and new caps anil some new beams fitted io this pier. Alainii'iiaiice repairs to >he Hayes Streer- sidings are new in hand, a level crossing has been pi:: in over the quarry train-line fur Air -Mall, near the Kairview Road. and a siormwater drain in Hayes Street in serve .1. Mill | and Co.'s sections No.s. i, 'J and 3, is | i!earlv completed. 1 ST.W'IH.NO COAIAi iT'i'KR.

On the rt'e.niiniomlaiion ui this Cumnnttee, it was decided to adopt the recommendation of tho engineer to build a grading room for the Cold Storage Cowitau.v, and that £3 3s be voted to the Shipwreck .Relief Society." GKXKLiAL. 'Willi referpnee to the payment by the O.imart! Harbour Board. i'or the loan of uredge 3r I, Messrs Rolleston and Turnbull proposed that £23 bo .refunded to the southern Board, being half the cost charged for laying moorings. They thought tlio Oamaru Board had paid pretty well for the dredge, and was entitled to some concession. Air -vrmitnge took an opposite view. He. said the Oamaru Board had only taken dredge oot.) been use it was the cheapest dredge it could get in the Dominion. Had it taken the Bluff dredge it would have had to pay tlolj a week more lor it. It was not. a business proposition at all to suggest giving a refund in this way; a certain agreement had been made, and it .should not be departed irom. J!o proposed an amendment that tho original agreement be adhered to.

Mr .Manchosior said lie would kindly second the amendment. lie e)iu j <r>, i <i what Mr -\rmitage hud said, ;uid added that Oainarn already derived a great henelit ai, the expense of Timaru iu thai it ui aw s rates trom a. large slice ol very leride country—the Yt'aihao riding—which should be in the Tr.iiaru Harbour district. The Chairman agreed with this, and saul the boundary between the two harbour districts should be the Waitaki U:\vr. lue amendincut that no reduction be allowed was carried. Mr Manchester, referring to the report on the dredging done at Timaru, said he would hke to know the total hours worked, and the total hours actually spout iu dredging hy tho dredge hands, w liilo .Mr s:iici ho thoug.it they should be supplied a pia.i :dio\\ ing the bottom <>t tl ;( v harbour

now, us compared with twelve months ago. It must have altered a good deal it was resolved that J nil information 011 these points should be obtained i'o>next meet nig of the Hoard. In reply to a further ijUe-qinn tl-r-Secretary said that since drcdje Mai-led work hero in December liiilo. tlie I 'A o dredges iiad lifted 001 ,:J7I Loir- • and uunng tho last twelve months to uuly 31, they had lifted I'TG.SOO tons ACCOUNTS. ' Aecounis were passed for payment, and the jjoaru rose.