TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume CIII, Issue 15742, 28 August 1915, Page 6

TIMARU HARBOUR BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. Tlio monthly meeting of the Timaru Harbour Board was held yesterday. Present Messrs IT. J. Holleston (chairman) C- N. Or bell, J. S. Rutherford, C. E. Stickings, D. C. Turnbull, T. D. Young, B 11. Tripp, J. J. Mo Keown, G- \V r . Armitago, and 11. Skinner. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. Tile chairman made sympathetic reference to the death of the late Mrs W. McKeown, mother ol : Mr MJc?Koown, a member of the Board, and proposed a motion of sympathy with Mr McKeown. Mr Turnbull seconded the motion, ■which was carried in silenoe and ..Mr McKeown. acknowledged it. The chairman also referred to the death of the widow of thetir lato harbour master, and to tho fact that Mr Ward, a member or the Board's permanent staff, had lost his wife. To Mr Ward and to tho relatives of the lato Mrs Clarkson tho Board extended their' sympathy. The chairman said the debit balance at the previous meeting was £5242 lis Id The receipts since then had been —Ships' dues £1352 15s 3d : wharfage £1125 S)s lid, a total of £247S 5s 2d. The accounts to be passed amounted to £2574, and thero would be a debit balance, after paying these, of £5336 13s lOd. There was however a sum of approximately £4OOO which had been taken from the general account and plaocd to loan account, so that their actual debit balance was about £ISOO. Tlie trede returns for July showed a slight improvement. Mr Armitago said that the chairman had referred to sympathy for others but had said nothing about his own brother, Corporal John Rclleston, having been wounded at the Front. The Board extended their sympathy to him and at the same time offered" their congratulations, as injury when lighting for one's country was something to be proud of. 'Phey hoped too that Corporal Ro'lo.-ton woukl soon be back again where he most desired to be in the firing line. (Hear, hoar.) GAMBLING. A letter signed "'Wharf Worker"' was received drawing attention to alleged gambling at tho wharf workers' shelter shed, livery day this week, tho writer said, he had seen six married men gambling there to their hearts' content. There men should have bettei" use for their money and time. Tho secretary of the Strathallan Hall Coinmittoo had been asked for an explanation of this complaint and he replied that the committee had gon-o thoroughly into .the matter and advised that at at no time had they noticed money passing when members were playing cards. As regards matches representing coin they wore unable to get any proof, but in future, to do away with suspicion tho committee would stop all playing for n> at dies.

It- was said by Mr Orl>oll that there was evidently something in the complaint. and the chairman added that gambling in the hall was prohibited by the regulations. CORRESPONDENCE. The Yen. Archdeacon Harper wrote from London acknowledging receipt of a copy of the Boaid's annual report and stating that ho war, very much interested in the progress of the port. A number of oth-cr letters were received from different parts of the world, acknowledging receipt of copies of tho Board's annual report. One of these letters was from Japan. Tho American Consulate wrote asking for particulars concerning Timaru harbour, which was wanted for Navy pujposes. —Supplied. The Nursing Sisterhood of New Zealand, wrote outlining the work they were doing on behalf of our rick and wounded soldiers and asking the Board to give what assistance t.hey could. Mr Tripp said he thought the letter should be referred to the Red Cross. Tho chairman said that no fund had been opened, f-o far a.s he knew, on behalf of the Nursing Sisterhood and ho thought the Board should defer taking action on the letter in the meantime. This course was agreed to. APPOINTMENT. Mr P. Hunter, now on the Union Company's steamer Flora, was appointed second engineer on dredge 3-50. There were 23 applications for the position. HARBOUR MASTER'S REPORT. Tho harbour master reported that tho arrivals during the month of July were 31. steam vessels with an aggregate of 37,0-52 tons, and the departures 3G steam vessels with an aggregate of 35,230 r.ons.

RESIDENT ENGINEER'S REPORT. The resident engineer reported as loliows : Dredging.—Silica last meeting 36,000 tons have been removed from the outside channel, being 27,000 from the irner cut and 90U0 from the outer end of the channel. The material at the outer end is sand, shingle, and a little ciay. The inner cut was fiuislicd on the 13th instant, and the moorings were, lifted relaid for a parallel cui commencing abreast of the north mole light. As there was too much sea l'or dredging on July 30, the■ dredge iv:.i's brought alongside the wharf for the usual quarterly inspection of the boilers. The Taniwha has been engaged principally deepening inshore betveou No. 2 and 3 wharves. Extension of Eastern Mole 450 Feet. —Quarrying operations are now* confined to Fyfo's quarry, where the two cranes are working. Since last report 3734 tons have been tipped in the new work, and 1411 tons have been used for building up tlio old work. Tlio total quantity of stone brought down from the quarries since the comn cnceincnt of the 450 l'eet extension was 76.711 tons. About 1050 cubic yard* of spalls have been supplied to the Borough Council. Extension of No. 1 "Wharf.—Some further progress has been made with tliis work. Widening and Repairs to No. 2 Wharf. The concrete retaining wall is completed and good progress is being made with the now piles that are being planted in the rock and the other widening work. The old decking and deck beams which were in very bad condition, have been removed for the full width of the wharf, and some of the defective girders replaced. The principal timbers are in very fair order. and with the repairs lieing carried out this portion of the "wharf when completed, should be good for fifteen or twenty years. Tlio chairman and Mr Turnbull said that the work done in the outer channel was very satisfactory, Mr Turnbull adding that the amount of stuff shifted for the last period reported ou constituted a record-

The chairman said he believed it did.

THE BOROUGH COUNCIL'S LOAN. In reply to a question bv Mr Turnbull the chairman said the money lent by the Board to tho Borough Co unci! 1 was lent on the understanding that it could be used for either street improvement or for drainage purposes when it was taken out of the Council s general account.

ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounting to £2574 were passed ior payment and. the Board rose.