TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14482, 1 July 1911, Page 2

TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

, <>. MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly nicotine of the Tirauru Harbour Board was Jield yesterday. I't.iui.t-Messrs D. C. Turnbull (chairman), J. lllacic, C. N. OidoU, J. E. Goodwin, C. E Stk-kings, T. D. Young. F. J. iiullcstou, J. ttitliull, N Francis, J. J. McJveown, G. W. '• .''mitage, it. Tlioiv, aud It. Skinner. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. The Chairman .su i<l the port had been kept busy during tho month luid the revenue would bo satisfactory. Tho credit balance at last nicotine w;la £1,104 IVs Sd, and the reee.pts since thou amounted to £2652 4s ad. These, receipts were made up of £1204 3s in skips' dues, and £1628 Is 2d in wharfage. 'Uie accounts (to Juno j9) totalled £1421 7s Od, and the credit balance after paying these, was £2425 14s 2cl. The credit balance to date was £3OOO, but i;'ti7s would have to bo paid in interest on the following day. The quar-cA liud beer, kept goi'ig 'aud the engineer liad low started tipi/ing stone for the new roadway. The Boron "h Council had agreed "to pay half the cost, up to £OO, of extending the George Street sower. The fishing industry, had also been given aruie attention It had boon intended that steps for the fishermen should be buiit at the new vharf but that was found impracticable, and it was proposed, after consultation with the fishermen and the engineer, that a now jetty ' e built The onginccr had been instructed to prepare -.plan and estimate of lire cost of the jetty. The Departing it was still •keeping in vioiv" the matter of supplying tho Main Wharf at T>'mn.ru with electric capstans, or horses. Tho harbour offices had been oaintcd since hist meeting. _ It had been suggested tliat tho question of franchise in the country should be- cmc of the subjects to bo discussed at tho Harbours Conference. CORRESPONDENCE. The Town Clerk advised that the Borough. Council- would bear half the. cost, up to £GO, of extending tho Struthallan Stieet sewer. /The Minister for Railways advised that the question of supplying Timaru wharves with capstans or lioracs, w-ould receive careful oonsideratioi. The secretary was instructed to write again pointing out the urgent need for capstans or horses on" the Main Wharf.

Trio Secretary to the Harbour* Association of New Zealand, wrote asking 4ie opinion of the Hoard as to whether a conference of Harbour Boar.ls should lib hold this year. llie Standing Committee recommended that the Harbours' Association bo advis?d that this Board approves of a conference being held this jear; also, that the question of the franchise bo submitted as a remit. Tho Secretary of the Marine Department advised that certain defects had been found in the work-injj of the Harbours' Amendment Act, 1910, and it was proposed to prepare an amending Bill. What alterations did tho Boarl desire?

Tho Standing committee recommended that tlie Minister of Marine be requested to amend the franchise, in the direction of placing rLe country constituents on the same footing as the towr. constituents.

The Board adopted tin's suggestion. The Secretary had written to Messrs W. Simons and Coy, Ltd., of Renfrew, asking for the fullest information relative io the trailing suction dredger, M. O. P , constructed to the c.-der of the Argentine Government. It was stated that this dredger dredged and transported over 600,000 tons cf clay in 16 days—To this there has not yet been time for a reply. J. S Withers and Spooner, chartered patent accountants, Loidon, wrote that at the suggestion of Sir Joseph Ward they were forwarding a reprint from "Engineering" having reference to the Pierey Locomotive stage for harbour work.

Tlte Marine Department forwarded copies .of harbour regulations which hail been made for tho protection of lie and property on vessels, when cargo was being worked on board. The regulation came into force on 'the Ist priximo, and the Harbour Boards are to see t-hat it is enforced.

The Marine Department of the Imperial Board of Trade askecl for a report showing the organisation of the service for (saving life from shipwreck in X=w Zealand.

The secretary had replied that the Board had a large and fully equipped life boat, but it had not been used for 30 years. They ialiao had a. rocket firing apparatus, but the Hr-cket Brigade had been defunct for mnuv years They had no special outkok but the harbourmaster or his assist ants kept a watch night una day Mr Mark Saunders wrote thankin" memners of the Board for the financal assistance they had privately rendered him, and stated that it :md enabled him to pnrcliase material wh-fch would "greitly hasten a.n dass'st tho <=«ientifi.-> birth whose immense but undiscerned value will last to tho end of t."".;e " A. WAGES QUESTION.

Fifteen of the employees employed in t'ha Board's quarries petitioned ior an increase in wuges from Ss to 9s per day.

in reply to Mr Goodwin the chairman said the trouble was that the Borough Council had raised tho rate of their permanent hands .o 8c (kl iki day ioi street work. The Roard's men were doing quarry work and ihev were not permanent: moreover they were not paid for wet weather. Mr Goodwin thought thev should not pay less than elsewhere.

Mr Skinner sa.d that quarrving wa« not very pleasant work oa these cold winter mornings. -Ah- Witilieli expressed himself in favour ot increasing the pay to Ss 6d per

Ihe engineer recommend xi that the quarrymen be paid at the rate of 9s por day, and tnat the rate for skilled labourers be 8s 6d per tav Th" won,! mean that about tliroe of % employees would receive E 3 and t « others Ss 6d. mi thß Mr Orbell reim'nded members that «g«. men were not permanently^ «b S BoSrd and the engneer t l V^v &IJg " turn in incr-easilg propttiS pay ot the lead„| £aSS° C e « 7 6 STANDING COMJMMIH'EE The Standing Committee rvcommeudod <hat the chairman's action in eonceding the Prince of Wales' Birthday and Coronation Day half-holiday be approved and that all employees be paid tlicir full wages. That the resident engi leer be requested to make a complete survey of the harbour, o-iving comparative figures, before the <md of th^yesr. 'vie recommendations were -adopted HARBBODR MASTER, The harbourmaster (Captain Tait) reported that the arrivals <h rinrr May sel wrt-h an aggregate of .<5,903 tons ■ and the- departures 37 steamers and one sailing vesaM. of 00,475 tons Very unsettled -nKpfe™ j la j perienoed during rsath. On tho 2Sth mst. a heavy easterly sea was running causing considerable swell in the inner harbour, and althouo-hthere were three large steamers m port they ..trer« in ng wa-v. iHconv.enisneed. The

engineer's staff had been employed in his e.epartment U6i hours. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The resident engineer (Mr F. W. Clartcj reported that fair progress had been made with the dredging operations, and aiuoe last roport 15,000 tons had been removed from tne- outside channel and 8000 tons from the inner harbour, making a total of 23,1100 tons. During this period tho work was interrupted by two and a half days' holidays,, and the towage of the barque, lion ain and out to sea. T'ie Taniw'ha had been engaged prioipally at the No. 2 wharf berths. Road approach to No. 2 and 8 whaives. The Railway Department had rut down the necessary siding to their boundary, and tho 'irst rako of about 44 tons of stone for the rubblo wall hud been tipped in the work. The t-hrce surf boats had beean taken from the old timber ways, and most of tho latter structures had been cut awav. At the No. 2 Wharf approach the f.aming for the connete rubble wall, where is crosses like ,-ock, was being g„t ready as the tides permit. A siding had just been completed on th» soutaern foreshore for the purpose of obtaining ehmgle for tihe comrete work. About twenty trucks had been overhaul -d and put ir. running order The holidays and. wet weather during th» mnn-a had retarded operations somewhat. A coming of shingle had been put on Hayes Street, and some metal from the quarry on pa,rt *>■• Wliarf Street in front of the office. Six barbell v,-, rc ,s had been placed on the top of the fence nt the fog sign .1. A few mmir repairs iind been done at No. 1 v/liii f. On the 25th instant a considerable -ia was rutir.ing aga : n-t the E.E. Mole, but no damage resulted. The teport was adopted. ACCOUNTS.

Accounts amounting to /T421 7s 9d were passed for payment and the Board rose.