THE HARBOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 20 November 1924, Page 4

THE HARBOUR.

THE PROPOSE!) IMPROVEMENTS. COMMISSION TO BE REVIVED. A special meeting ol the Timaru Harbour Board was held yesterday lor the purpose ol discussing with the Minister ui Marino (Hon: G. J- Anderson), the proposed improvement of Timaru harbour. There were present —Messrs \\ . Jiiiyimin (chairman), JJ- C. 'Jurnbullj E. "it. Isaac, T. B. Garrick, J._ Kennedy, H. B. S. Johnstone, A. !’. Campbell, E. R. Elat man, \V. 1. Ritchie, A. R. Guild, W. H. Orbell and J. Bitchener. M.P., members of the Board, and the Minister was accompanied by Mr G. Godfrey (secretary tor Marine). Mr E. J. Rollesion, M.P., for Hmarvi, introduced the Minister to the Board, and the chairman of the latter welcomed, the Minister to '1 imaru, and thanked him for having come here to meet the .Board and discuss the proposed harbour improvement schemes. The Minister acknowledged the welcome- and said he would he please/l to assist the Board in any way that ho could.. . The chairman said it had been intended to take the Minister round the harbour in the launch Elsie Evans, but it was, unfortunately, too wet for that; he had, however, shown the lion, gentleman round tiie Bay and harbour, from the shore. The Minister would be pleased to answer any questions which members might desire to ask. Mr Ritchie- said it seemed to him that the Board was being asked to get a report on schemes (apart from the two which had already been reported on), which they might- have in view, although the Royal Commission found that the. Dashing Rocks scheme was practicable; that it would effect the purpose in view; and that tiie estimate of its cost was reasonable. £250,1100 was what the Board proposed to spend, and there was a shifting. fund, which, by 1933, would amount to £130,000, so that the debit balance in the loan account by that vear would be reduced to £120,000. Six per cent, interest on that sum would be £7200, but their engineer advised that the Dashing Rocks scheme would effect a saving of £4200 a year in dredging, so tlntt the actual amount of additional interest which the Board would be called upon to find would bo £3OOO a year—a sum which was easily within the capabilities' of the district. He would not like to see any increase in the rate, but an increase of l-l(jth penny would give the Board additional income which would more than cover the additional interest charg;e. Though he was opposed to increases of rates, he thought'that such a small increase as 1-lOtli of a penny in the £ would be justified and would not be objected to, if it would enable the Board to effect the necessary harbour improvements, and ho quite failed to see how the Marine Department could take the view that the burden of the expense was greater than would be justified. The Dashing Rocks scheme was admittedly a good one. Mr Bitchener said the Commission seemed to be of opinion that the Board had not exhausted all the possible, schemes, and that while the Dashing Rocks scheme was a good one, a scheme equally good could be adopted for much less money. .In cflect they said that the Dashing Rocks scheme was good but too expensive. He thought the Board should get the best expert advice and see whether a less expensive scheme' could bo found. . j The Minister said tire .Board was quite wrong in supposing that lie, or the Marine Department considered South Canterbury could not afford the schemes .which the Board proposed. Ho had been Visiting South Canterbury for j a great many years and he knew that it could afford a great deal more; but , that was not the point. The point was ! that the Board had not asked the. Com- j mission to suggest any scheme outside the two which it had submitted; the Order of Reference was not sufficiently wide, and was not in accordance with the resolution which the Board had : passed. The Minister here read the letter which he had' received from the Board (on which the Order of Reference had of necessity to be based), and the resolution which" tho. Board had passed on the subject. The latter, he said, was quite all right, and if the letter which he had received had been in accordance with , the Board’s resolution, the Order of Reference given to the Commission wfiukl' have been sufficiently wide to have allowed them to propose a scheme outside of the two submitted by the Board; but they could not legally go outside the Order of Reference. It was the Board's mistake, and not the mistake of the Marine Department,' or ihe Minister. The resolution passed by the Board was as follows: — “That the two schemes for harbour improvement proposed by Messrs A. E. Dobson and E. \V. Clarice, be submitted to a Royal Commission for a report, and advice as to which, or part of either, or any other scheme, is the most suitable.” ! The letter sent to the. Minister by the Board', when asking that a Royal Commission be set up, was as 'follows:“I have the honour by direction of the Timaru Harbour Board, and in terms of Section 28 of_tho ‘Timaru Harbour Board Act, 1876,’ to request that a Commission be appointed with n view to taking evidence and obtaining information of the practicability 3 of the proposed plans of harbour'extension at Timaru. Duplicate copies of plans and tlio engineer's reports, I am forwarding herewith. “The detail plans have been prepared conjointly by Air F. W. Clarice (the Board’s Resident Engineer), and Mi- A. Dudley Dobson (of Christ* church), who is the Board’s consulting engineer. “\s the Board inav decide to introduce a Bill into Parliament next session dealing with the proposal and is desirous that the report of the Commission may be available lor Parliament. I have been instructed to make application for the Commission at once, so that no time may be lost, and to ask when it will be convenient lor the Commission to visit Timaru.”

Mr Turnbull said that the principal objection was to tiio personnel ot the Commission; it was hardly fair to appoint an engineer to an opposition Board as g member of it. The .Minister said that that the reputation and professional standing of the member referred to_ was beyond question ; he was one of the- ablest marine engineers : u New Zealand, and it was quite certain that he would recommend wlnit lie considered to be in the best interests of Timam harbour. There was not a doubt of that. The whole trouble had been caused by the Board ; if it had asked to bo told of a cheaper scheme than the two it had put beloro tho Commission it would have been told of one. Mr Turnbull asked whether the Board could still get such a report irotn tho Commission. The Minister said that it was now a legal question, and he would ascertain from the Crown law officers whether the Commission could be revived in order to suggest a cheaper scheme than either of the two proposed; if this could be done,- it would be. The chairman said they did not want to run into any more expense than was absolutely unavoidable.

The Secretary for -Marine explained that no Royal Commission could go outside its Order of Reference. It was understood that the Commission had an alternative scheme to suggest, but it had been unable to suggest it because it was outside its Order of Reference.

Mr Turnbull inquired whether the M blister could send a Government Engineer to give the Board a report?

The Minister said lie would not care to do that, under the circumstances, though lie would do that quickly, if ho were not satisfied with the way in which the Timaru Harbour Board managed its affairs. Ho knew that the Board looked after the interests of the port well, and he and his Department had no desire to interfere by .sending down a Government Engineer to report. Tho best thing to be done, if it could be done legally, w,as to revive tho Commission.

Mr Turnbull said that one had only to look at Caroline Bay to realise that something must bo done at an early date. The Commission had taken no evidence to the value of ihe proposed work to the district; no evidence of the financial standing of the district ; nor of its ability to pay for the work. The Minister said it knew all those tilings and had no need to take evidence concerning them. Mr Turnbull said the- Commission approved the Dashing Rocks scheme, but turned it down on the score of expense.

Mr Campbell said that what the Board wanted was the cheapest scheme, provided it was as good as the Dashing Rocks scheme.

Mr Ritchie said that if the Commission had a cheaper scheme the Minister could surely get it without much further expense. Tho Minister said he would look into the legal question and if the Commission could he revived with an amended Order of Reference fcfiat would be done. He recognised that something would have to be done, but under the Board’s Act, of 1876, the Board could not let a contract for breakwater work unless such work luid the approval of a Royal Commission. After further discussion of various details it was decided, on the motion of Messrs Turnbull and Garrick, that application bo made to revive the Royal Commission, anil that its Order of Reference be amended to comply with the Board’s resolution (above quoted) of December 21, 1923. The chairman thanked the Minister for having met the Board; and the Minister said he would be pleased to do what he could to assist the Board. Mr Flatman remarked that it was pleasing to hear the Minister s complimentary references to tho way in which the Board conducted its affairs.