HARBOUR BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17862, 2 June 1926, Page 5

HARBOUR BOARD.

SATURDAY WORK DISPUTE UNSETTLED. The Lyttelton Harbour Board met this morning. There were present— Messrs W. .T. Walter (chairman >, F. Horrell. R. Galbraith, H. T. Armstrong, M.P.. W. K. M'Alpine, M. J. Miller, W. G. Gallagher, H. Holland. M.P., W. T. Lester and .T. Storry, Hr H. T. .1. Thacker and the Hon R. Moore, M.L.C. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. The chairman reported that the Rapaki sailed from Colon on May 17 with the eighty-ton floating crane. The conference between the representatives of the shipping companies and the waterside workers, held at Wellington early in the month, resulted in an agreement between the parties, on the following basis:—That the waterside workers would work on Saturday afternoon in consideration of the extra payment of ljd per hour, such extra payment to be retrospective to the original date of the dispute. Such agreement was subject to ratification by the local union at Lyttelton, .but a ballot of that union rejected the agreement by an overwhelming majority. The matter, therefore, was where it was originally. Ships, however, were being worked as before the dispute arose. On hearing that the settlement had fallen through, the board’s secretary, in response to the expressed wishes of the board, interviewed the chairman of the local employers' committee and the secretary of the local union, principally to ascertain the facts. The secretary of the union was very definite that the men would not work on Saturday afternoons, even to complete the loading of a vessel which one hour's work would complete, and his expression indicated that money was no temptation to the workers. The board's secretary suggested that, the matter might be compromised by a proportion of the men. such proportion being fixed by rota, being willing to work each Saturday to meet the difficulty of vessels requiring a few hours to complete. He had not heard that that suggestion had been considered by the union. ENGINEER , S report. The engineer (Mr Cyrus J. R. Williams) reported that during the past month the dredge Canterbury lifted and deposited at sea the following quantities:—From the outer channel 40,140 tons, from the inner harbour 5460 tons; total 5 4,600 tons. Luring the same period the grab dredge Tewhaka had lifted and deposited at sea a quantity of 4 760 tons from the dredge wharf and from the Gladstone pier. This dredge took up the tug's duties on May 26 while the latter’s boilers were blown down for cleaning. The wharf construction gang had been engaged throughout the month on the alterations to No.-7 jetty to provide for the electric cranes. The railway sidings and cyrane rails on the west side of the jetty had been fastened down in their new positions, and the electric capstans and dummy capstans moved to new positions to suit the new lay-out. 7- Ive more piles had been driven to strengthen the western edge of the jetty. The upper decking had been relaid and tarred and sanded. The west side ot the jetty was reopened for traffic on Mav 26, and pulling up the decking on the* east side was commenced the same da Vll the four three-ton cranes had been landed and erection would be commenced as soon as the fails, etc., on the cast side had been relaid. The Harbour Master tvished to have the western side reopened for traffic, before the erection of the cranes began, so the above order of the work had been adopted to meet, his wishes. Holes for planting pinus insienis trees round the outer edge ot the reclaimed land had been dug and filled with soil, and the planting of the trees was now in progress. Referring to the clause regarding the plating 1 "? Pinus insignia. Mr Horrell evnressod the opinion that two rows would be better than one. He had found that pinus insignia grown where it was within reach of sea spray went brown on the exposed side. He mentioned 'other trees which might be more suitTt was suggested that the question be gone into by Messrs Horrell and Storry. with the' engineer. r rii... engineer pointed out tuat. me trees were planted and Mr Miller thought, the matter could be left to the Pr Thacker a the engineer to Like ' °The matter was left to the engineer. FINANCE. The treasurer (Mr C. -T. R- Williams) reported that the following sums had been paid into the Harbour Fund Account: ■Wharfage £4213 6.s lOd. pilotage £16.15 3s 3d, port charges £1305 1s «d. berthage £1314 18s sd. towage warps, fenders and electric light £533 3s fid. deck and slip £4O, storage aiid cool storage £ G97 4s. rents £3S 2s, hire of electric' cranes £409 13s, 3d, refunds and sundry receipcts £135 17s lid; total £10,33 7 10s Bd. The bank hook showed the harbour fund to be in debit £55,700 Is 9d and the unpaid accounts to be passed for payments amounted to £1204 ISs 4d, which would leave the account in debit £50.095 0s Id. The credits- of £55,517 14s 3d in the special renewal fund, however, being set off, would redpce tliq qmount of overdraft on which interest had "to be paid. • - •’ Thb unissued, balance 1 of the board £150.000 loan, originally issued at 5i perccent. was £50,200. As that money would shortly be required, the eomrpittee recommended the board, in conformity with its powers, to issue fresh debentures at. 53 per cent for £50.200, and that the board's seal be affixed to the debenturesThe report was adopted. The Sailors' Home Committee reported that the credit balance at the bank at May 31 was £ll3 Us sd. Accounts unpaid amounted to £BS 9s Id, leaving a credit, balance of £2B 2s 4d. The average number of boarders at the home during May was twenty, with a maxi/hum of twenty-two and a minimum of *.ighteen. The average for May 1025 was sixtoen.