RIVERTON HARBOUR BOARD.

Western Star, Issue 147, 1 July 1876, Page 4

RIVERTON HARBOUR BOARD.

A meeting o£ the above Board was held at the Town Council Chambers on Saturday afternoon. Present—- Messrs Mills (chairman), Port, Simpson, Daniel, Dr Monckton, and Captain Hankinson. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read, several omissions were pointed out by some; of the members, audit was resolved—That the confirmation of the minutes of. the previous meeting be postponed until all the documents and motions of the business at that meeting be laid on the tableland that the Chairman be requested to attend and give any necessary information that may be required. The Chairman said he was surprised at the small attendance of members, seeing the important matter the Board was called upon to discuss. The country people had had every opportunity of being present, but he was serry to see they were conspicuous by their absence. The members must all be aware that the time allowed them to secure an endowment for the improvement of the harbour was short, for if they did not take action at once other places would step in with their claims for endowments, and Riverton would be left out in the' cold. As yet the Board had not received one shilling from the Grovernment, nor themeans of raising any funds. They had evidently been hoodwinked by the Q-d-' vernment respecting the reserve of 5,000 acres which had been set aside as au endowment, a description of which appeared in the schedule to the Riverton Harbour Ordinance. When the Board applied to the Superintendent to hand the reserveover to them, his Honor replied that, be had no power, and consequently they, did not get it. He thought that by still applying they might have it vested in them, as the fact of the land being included in the Riverton Harbour Ordinance would give them a good claim to have it Crown granted to them. However, it was a matter for the Board to consider whether by applying for that reserve they might reduce their chances of obtaining a larger and more valuable, endowment.

Mr Daniel entered into a lengthy explanation regarding-the manner in which the reserve had been dealt with by the* Government. He said that the land, although it had been set aside by the Council as a reserve, had not been withdrawn from sale, and consequently the best of it had been sold, and all that wasleft for a harbour endowment was a lot of sandhills. In the Assembly even that reserve, along with all. the other endowments, was disallowed, so. that the Superintendent was left powerless in the matter.

Tbe Chairman read tbe following letter which he had received the previous day from Dr Hodgkinson, the member for the district :

House of Assembly, Wellington, June 19,1876.

Dear Sir, —Mr Reynolds has telegraphed to Mr J. L. M'Donald to-day re Riverton Harbour Board, and I have also telegraphed to Mr Daniel, who I suppose is also a member of the Harbour Committee. We want to get your (i.e., the Committee’s) ideas as to provisions necessary for insertion in the Harbour Bill. I asked Daniel to see you and M'Donald. It is right that the Riverton people should know that Mr Reynolds is acting very handsomely towards them, and will fully redeem his promises to them by giving me all the assistance he can. He has supplied me with the ordinances of the New River and Clutha harbours, arid I am now reading them over, and with Mr Reynolds’ help will get a Bill prepared. I think of asking for about. 20,000 acres as an endowment, but if Mr Reynoldsthinks this more than will bo granted I must reduce it. Of course I can’t yet say what chance there is of getting an endowment. —I am, &c., Samuel Hodgkinson.

Dr. Monckton said he would not occupy the time of the Board in drawing, comparison between Hiverton and a number of inferior ports, and the relative amounts which had been and were proposed to be expended on the latter : that had been sufficiently made public in the papers. He would simply move the following resolution : —That an endowment of 40,000 acres of land be applied for, in four blocks of 10,000 acres each, and that Messrs Daniel, F. A. and Mills be requested to interview the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the purpose of ascertaining where unsold lands of those sized blocks can be obtained, and accurately defining the boundaries, and that an endowment be granted of sections 22,' 28, 24, 25, : and 26, block 9, town of Eiverton, for Eiverton bour Board. He asked for the immigwation sections, so that the Board have an immediate return and be enabled to obtain an endowment to cover its current expenses. Perhaps some of the.members might find fault with his proposition as being too modest as compared to tho endowments of other ports ; but thought it would be as well to show what they could do with a small endowment,

when they would, perhaps be enabled to obtain a larger one. *Mr Port seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. It. was resolved, —That the beforen imed gentlemen (Messrs Daniel and Mills and Dr Monckton) be requested to forward the necessary instructions for framing the Riverton Harbour Endowment Bill to Dr Hodgkinson. It was moved by Dr Monckton, seconded by Captain Haukinson, and carried, —That, according to Mr Carruthers’ report, the Riverton Harbour Improvement Works will require an expenditure of £25,000, Dr Hodgkinson be requested to have all the necessary borrowing powers inserted in the Riverton Harbour Endowment Bill. Considerable discussion ensued on a proposition made by Mr Simpson, asking the Government to extend the railway in South Riverton to Howell’s Point, with a view at some future time of enabling vessels to be loaded and discharged at the outer harbour. Dr. Monckton strongly supported the suggestion, but the other members, including ihe Chairman, were opposed to it. The motion was as follows —That, with a view to utilising our outer harbour, it is very desirable that our railway be extended to a part adjacent to deep water at Howell’s Point, a distance of two miles.

As an amendment to this Mr Daniel moved, and Captain Hankinson seconded, —That the words, “to a part adjacent to deep water,” be struck out. The amendment was carried, and the meeting then adjourned, with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.