WANGANUI HARBOUR BOARD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12120, 8 December 1894, Page 2

WANGANUI HARBOUR BOARD

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Wanranui Harbour Board w.is hold yes. terday afternoon. Presont - Messrs T. Thatcher (Chairman), E. A. Campbell, P. R. Jackson, A. Hatrick, A. Higgie, Wixcey, J. Sttvenson, J. E. Sommerville, and Q. S. Kobertson.

Minutes— The miautes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

Accounts— Accounts to the amount of iS4BG Us Id were passed for payment. Bank-book— The Bank-book was laid on the table showing a credit balance of X571 9s 6d.

. Wharfage Bates— The Committee appointed at the last meeting of the Board to go into the question of wharfage rates, reported as follows:—' 1 Your Committee hive the honour to report that they held a meeting on Friday, December Ist, to consider the questions referred to them. They also waited upon the local railway manager, and discussed at length the points in dispute. Wharfage on translipped good6— The practice of charging wharfage on English transhipped good 3 direct to the respective phipping agents instead of to the individual consignees was thought to involve a serious los 3to tho Board's revenue. Your Committee thoroughly investigated this matter, and find that it is one of small importance, The local agents of the New Zealand Shipping Company placed theic books at tho disposal of the (Joramittee, and we found that the wharfage recoived by the agents from the consignees was only slightly in excess of that paid by the agents to the wharfinger. Tho excess extending over a period of six months did not amount to £2. The agents of the Shaw Saville line prepared a statement of the shipments l>y the ss. Matatua (one of the heaviest of the year) showing the amount paid by the agents from the individual consignees. The diiference in favour of the agent 3 was 63 lOd. The amount for the year was estimated at about, jJ3, On this print your Committee have no recommendation to make. Excois charge made againGt H. I. Jones and Co.— ln this matter, brought under thenotice of the Board by Messrs H. I. Jones and Son, we find that a clerical error was mado by tho Railway Department and admitted by them. The matter of making a charge for "passing" goods under hand was partly inquired into, and your Committee would ask for an extension of time to report on this subject, — Tho retort was adopted, on the motion of Mr Stevenson, seconded by Mr Hatrick.

Eheli. Rock -A letter was received from the Waitotara County Council, requesting the Board to as3ist the local bodies in pressing on the Government the necessity of a siding being put in from the Government Railway Station at Nukumaru to the shell rock beds on the Crown Lands adjoining, to enable shell rock and metal for roach to be delivered liy rail. Tho letter stated that the Minister for Lands had promised to come up this month and to meet tho representatives of the bodies interested in the ground, and asked that the Board sheu'd bo ropreaentv d —The loiter had been replied to, by instruction of the Chairman,<?tating that without prejudicing the L'oird he believed tiny would be happy to cooperate. — Mr Jackson moved, and Mr Higgie seconded, tint Messrs Thatcher and Campbell be appointed to represent tha Board on the mattor.— Carried,

Pouangina Public Hall.— A Jotter was received from Mr A. B. Welsh, ot Pohangina, enolojing fcli9 following resolution, passed by a public meeting called to consider the matter of a public hall at that place:— "That this meeting of sot'lers in and around Pohangin* heartily tbarik tho Wanpfsnui Har'iour Ibard for tlioir kindn'SJ in j.;T&nt\cg a siio fora hall iv the P^hangina township, and for the trouble takon by them in the matter." The letter stated that Mes3ts T. Sinclair, J. G. Browne, and Q. Adsett had baon appo'mtod Tius'os3. A request waa also made to the Board for a subscription towards the building fund.

The £ 10,000 Loan. — A. letter was received from the Oommissionflr of thq <3overnmont Insurance Paparttuent, stating that tiieio would be no objection to allowing tho loan to run on till April next, providing the interest for the extra periud is paid in advance,

I'oheshore Leases. — 1119 Secretary stated that application had been made for further leases on the foreshore. Instruction was given him to advertise the unlet sections for lease, iv compliaccj with tho Act — Tho Secretary roported tint there wore a number of sections at Castlocliff upon which it was difficult to collect rents, whilo others had been disclaimed altogether. Ho asksd for power to authoriso t'co Board's solicitor toreenter on bshalf of the Board. Tho necessary authority was given. Metaj, — Mesa's P-ussbll and Bignell wrote appljinwfor permission h takeabout 500 yards of metal from the Castlo3liff Cliff for use in connection with the new Hospital.— Resolved that tbo matter be loft in the hands of the Chairman and Mr Jackson, with a requo?t to visit the Heads and eswrtain how far it would b 9 safe to extond the cutting along the face of tho Castlecliif Cliff.

A Sup.— Letter from Messrs Hat rick and Co., asking permission to erect a slip on the lower portion of Nixon's Flat, for the purposw of repairing tbo river stoamers, acd thftt t)»3 timber used in the old slip be utilised for the pi-poso — Granted, on tha motion of the Chairman, seconded by Afr Wix.oy.

Pilot's Ekport.— The Pilot's roport was read and adopted. Tho report showed that 70 vobbolb had crossed tho bar during the_ month, 23 of which crjssod during the night. A further report was received from the Pilot, explaining his reason for not reporting tho sticking of the River Hunter in front of tne Head 3 Wharf on October 15th last.

Foreman op Works. — The report of the Foreman of Works was read and adopted.

Mr Reynolds.— Tho Chairman Btated that Mr Roynolds, who ivas leaving Wanpanui on the following day.had promisod at his (Mr Thatcher's) request, to attend tho meeting for the purpose of giving the Board a little information as to his progress.—Mr Reynolds said lie had finished same timo ago the collection of all data in connection with his report, and had baen waiting during tho past month for an opportunity to take borings on the bar. He had tried whon he first came to get borings cutsido from a punt; but could not get it to hang to its anchor. Later on ho had had a staging made, and although the woather had b - on calm during the last day or two, tho roll coming in had prevented the lunching of tho staging from tho punt, or oven the taking out of the punt itself. He did not consider it absolutely nose3aary that a boring should be got on the crest of the bar, or even at all, but of coutse it would be botter to have ono. He fe't disappointed in not having been able to get a toring.as ho had waited a fortnight in tho hopes of so doing, but p7erylh>ng was now in readiness, and Ihs Foreman of Works would have no difficulty in taking the boring as soon as the. weather wns suitable, Mr Reynolds having satisfactory answered a number of questions, thon withdrew, and it was rosolvod to adopt his suggestion that the Foreman of Works should take the boring as soon as convenient.