OUTER HARBOR SCHEME.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2106, 14 June 1907, Page 1

OUTER HA RBOR SCHEME.

DISCUSSED BY HARBOR IiOARD USEFUL INFORMATION SUBMITTED.

Tlio Gisborno Harbor Board mo yostorday afternoon to deal with tin Enabling Bill in connection With tin . outer harbor schomo. Present: Mos srs Townley (chairman), Harris, Hep burn, Lysnar, Clark, Matthowson vi:11 if ay, teuovwrigln:, ami (Jnptnu Tucker. The Chairman said that ill tin . limited time since last mooting ai milch information had been obtained as possible. He ivolild read thjo lettoi sent by the Board and the replies. Mr. Lysiiar: I thollglit we met tc discuss the Bill. The Chairman : Allow me, please, to open tlio meeting. Mr. Lysnar: But wo decided to confine ourselves to tlio Bill. The Cha’irnian: I intond to read these letters. EFEECT UPON CHARGES. . Continuing, the Chairman said the following had been supplied for tlio information of members : 111 reply to inquiry as to whether the vessels would make Gisborne a regular port.of. pall and use the .breakwater, harbor when completed, instead of. discharging in the Poverty Bay roadstead, the Tyser Lino head office stato .that. it is impossible to give any, definite reply. Generally speaking they have no doubt that tile steamers will make uso of the breakwater harbor if it is advantageous to do so, which mainly dopends ,dn : —(1) The works when completed providing a safe harbor in all weathers for large steamers of heavy draft; (2) the wharf accommodation and appliances for loading and discharging being sufficient to deal with several large steamers at the same time; (3) provided that the cost of lying alongside the wharf at your breakwater harbor, as well as all charges payable by the steamers, are reasonable. These matters can only be determined after the proposed liarbor'works are completed. A similar reply from Messrs Dalget" and Co. . Cost of lighterage, frozen mutton, eto.—ln answer to an inquiry as to the cost of lighterage made to Messrs. Nelson Bros., Taruheru, I am informed that the cost of lightering meat and produce, coal, wages, oil, repairs, etc., for the 12 months ending September 30th 1906, was £2170 15s 3d. A similar inquiry addressed to the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ Company elicited no replv. . Cost of’railage, frozen,meat, etc.— Messrs Nelson Bros, have kindly supplied the following information on this subject with regard to Tomoana: —Frozen moat 6s lOd per ton,' tallow 7s 8d pier ton, wool lid per bale, manure 2s 6d per ton. Home goods on which lighterage was paid in Gisborne. —As’ per manifests from January Ist, 1906,t0 December 31st, .1906: Total tonnage 2225 tons, at say 5s per ton, £556. Cost of loading frozon mutton, etc., and railway charges at Timaru. — From iriquiries kindly made at' my request by Mr. Marehant from the secretary, harbormaster, wharfinger, and traffic manager at Timaru, the answers are. as under: S.S. Athenic Worked two days at Timaru, loading 500 tons of frozen meat and wool. Total' harbor charges, pilotage, etc., amounted to £122 for the two days. In the two days she Could have worked double the amount of cargo if it had been . available, arid in that case the'charge Worild have been 3d per ton more for the extra'quantity only, or £122 plus £7 7s 6d for two days’ stav arid 1130 tons of cargo.

If any vessel returns'to Timaru on the same Toyago for more cargo, then no charge is made for pilotage on the return visit. ’S.S. Co'rintliic worked two days at Timaru, loading 616 tons of - frozen mutton and. wool. Total harbor charges amounted to £153. S.S. Papanui worked two days at Timaru, loading 724 tons frozen meat. Total harbor charges amounted to £7l 4s_6d for the two days. S.S. Paparoa worked two days at Timaru loading 624 tons meat. Total harbor charges £6B 12s 7d for the two days. If the Papanui and Paparoa had worked the' same amount of cargo at Lyttelton, their charges there would have been ‘£l2o Is Id and £124; 6s lOd respectively. The.' maximum rate of loading ; frozen mutton carcases ' beside the Timaru wharf is 1000 per hour- through the vessels’ ports. If they have to be slung—as sometimes happens——to be put down hatchways, then the' .maximum rate is only about 500 per hour. The maximum quantity taken from Timaru in any one vessel was 47,000 carcases of mutton, of an average dead weight of 501 b each, say about 1000 tons dead weight. About 8000 carcases a day lias been : about the. greatest quantity loaded. Two freezing works exist here—Smithfield, two miles distant, and Pareora, bight miles distant. Railway haulage rate is'4s per torn for the first-named and 5s 2d per ton for the . second. The wharfage rate is Is 6d per ton here. This is charged by the railway and handed over to the Harbor Board by the Railway Department, less a commission for collection. Taking .the average number of carcases to the ton at 44, then the cost of haulage and wharfage from the Parefoa works on to the vessel would bo about 2d.each. Under the new Gisborne by-laws the above-mentioned vessels, for lying in the roadstead and lightering cargo, will have to pay port charges and harbormaster’s fees as under : —Athenic £97 18s 3d, Corinthic £97 18s, Papanui £52 0s 6d, Paparoa £53 Is 6d.

NEW TARIFF. Wharfages: An estimate based' on last year’s imports and exports shows that the-loss to the Board in ivliarf-, age receipts under the new tariff will be at least £3ooo'for the 12 months dating from the time the same camp into force.

Port charges and harbormasters feos.—What the increased charges on vessels will amount to it is impossible to calculate at all accurately, as. it depends entirely on the number and tonnage of vessels visiting this port during the next 12 months. Return showing amount of cargo lightered inward and outward at Gisborno during 12. months ."ending April 30, 1907: Miscellaneous • 20,333 tons, 342,055 ft timber, 110 posts, 1762 tons coal, 307 horses and cattle, 12,215 sheep, 23,633 bales wool, 261,871 carcases mutton, 76.363 careases lamb, 30,026 sheepskins, 3898 tons moat products and beef. Total, 39,618 tons lightered during 12 months ending April 30th, 1907. ’ Return showing amount of cargo landed at and shipped from Gisborne without lighterage: 5,322,715 ft timbor, 47,211 posts and . blocks, 9186 tons coal, 96 horses and cattle, 14,082 sheep, 1763 bales wool, 10,265 sheepskins, 693 tons meat products, 13,134 tons miscellaneous. Total, |35,567 tons without lighterage during 12 months to April 30th, 1907. - The following reply to the seerp'tafy’s communication was also read from the Gisborne Sheepfarmers’ Frozen Meat Company:—“Sir,—l am quite unable to give you any useful replies to your letter of -lltli inst. Whether or not a saving would be effected in shipping exports must turn upon facts, which are not before mo, such as: (a) The final cost of the undertaking; (b) the effectiveness of the harbor in all weathers; (c) whether lighters could be dispensed with altogether, or whether they would have to be kept for attendance upon the larger boats coming into these waters, or for use to save the great expense of delays -in unsettled weather ; (d) the cost, of and quickness of service of railway connection; (e) the cost of insulated plant and extent of such plant required; (f) who is to find the cost of the insulated waggons for the rail service; (g) the aggregate increase of charges proposed

to bo put upon shipping as a factor in raising tlio rate of freights. Your second question, as to this company’s action if such a harbor were built, is for my Board to decide when tlio occasion avisos, and I regret I can give no assistance at presont in precasting that decision. If supplied with sufficient data my company will bo glad to aid vour officers in every way to arrive at the results upon tlio cost of handling exports and imports if outer harbor construction is decided upon.” / Mr. Lysnar: I move that we go into committee on this matter. The Chairman: I quite agree to that. Mr. Lysnar: To deal with the Bill as it stands, and make what amendments as wo consider necessary. Mr. Matthewson seconded. He

thought the statistics quoted concerning tlio freezing works output were only hypothetical. They could not base five yoars ahead on the present figures. The first thing to do, in his opinion, was to amend the Bill to their satisfaction, and when it was laid before the ratepayers was tlio time to go more closely into the figures.'

Mr. Sievwriglit: I protost against any secret discussions. I don’t care about committee work—let all the discussions be public. Mr. Clark thought time should be given to digest the information just placed before them. He had not had an opportunity of studying the. figures, nor did he suppose other members had.

Mr. Lysnar: It was a clear understanding when we adjourned that the first@thing to consider was the Bill. The Chairman did not see how the question could be discussed without the figures. Mr. Sievwriglit said the Standing Orders Committee would have to he satisfied with the Bill before it would

have a chance of getting through Parliament. Therefore it should be as complete as possible. The member who had charge of it—Mr. Carroll, lie presumed—must also he armed with data and statistics.

Mr. Lysnar: We must agree on the Bill first and arrange these blatters subsequently. The motion to consider the Bill in committee was carried. Messrs. Clark, Sievwriglit, and the Chairman were in the minority. THE DRAFT BILL. The text of tlio Draft Bill, as submitted by the Board’s solicitors ’Messrs. Clirisp and Coleman, was at follows: Whereas the Gisborno Harbor Board are desirous of constructing an outer harbor to afford accommodation generally to shipping of liirge tonnage. And whereas the said Board obtained a report upon an outer harbor scheme from Mr. F. W. Marclinnt.. M.1.0.E., and such report being favorable, it is expedient and necessary ■Vor the due advancement, of Poverty Bay that a harbor should be forthwith constructed, and whereas flic estimated cost of such harbor works jfs £350,000. And whereas the said Board in the year 1885 under the provisions of “The. Gisborne Harbor Board Empowering Act, 1881” (No. 4 Local) borrowed a sum of £200,000. and it is estimated that when the •time for repayment of such loan arrives the sum of £50,000 (with the accumulated sinking fund and other ‘.moneys) will ho required to pay off the same and whereas the said Board (is desirous of borrowing sufficient money to construct the said. outer ,'harbor and provide for tile balance of tlie old loan—namely a total sum of £400,000. Be it therefore Cnaetcd by tlio General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled and by

1. The short title of this Act- is “The Gisborno Harbor Board Enabling Act, 1907.” 2. This Act shall be deemed to be a special Act within the meaning ol “The Harbors Act, 1878,” which Act is hereby incorporated with tills Act. 3. In this Act if not inconsistent with the context “Board” means the Gisborno Harbor Board as const Anted under “Tlie Gisborne Harbor Act, 1906.” , . . “Chairman” means the Chairman of the Board. .. . “Harbor District” or “District means the' Harbor District established under this Act. “Returning Officer” means the oni cer appointed by tliG Board to conduct’elections and polls within the Harbor District. . i,...,, 4. “The Local Elections Act,; 1904 shall apply to every poll taken under tills Act’ and the Board slial appoint some person to be returning officer for the conduct of the poll hereafter authorised throughout the Harbor District. 5. It shall be lawful from time to time as the money shall be required for the Board to borrow upon debentures for a period not exceeding thirty years a sum not exceeding four hundred thousand pounds (£400,000) at a rate liot exceeding, five per centum per annum as the said Board may require. , 6. Such sum of four hum red thousand pounds shall be expended as lollows: Namely the sum of three hundred and fifty thousand pounds upon the. construction of an outer harbor upon the lines, advised and suggested by the report- and plan ol Mr. F. \\ - H a reliant as aforesaid, and the sum of fifty thousand pounds, together with sinking fund and balance ot .loan, in and towards repayment ol .the original loan of £200,000. 7. The said debentures togetliei with interest shall bo secured upon the rents, profits and dues chargeable and receivable by tlie said. Board as harbor or other dues or in respect of the harbor works of the port of Poverty Bay and upon the rate's hereinafter mentioned by virtue 6f this Act to be made and levied. 8. A harbor district is hereby constituted for the purpose of this Act and si'ioli district and shall comprise the whole of the Counties of Waiapu and Cook and the Borough ol Gisborne. * .

9. Before the loan authorised bv this Act is raised the consent ’of the 'ratepayer shall first be obtained in the mn'iuicr following:;—

(1) A notice shall be published in a newspaper circulating in the district and shall specify the time and place in the Borough of Gisborno and in each riding of the •Counties of Waiapu and Cook at which meetings are to he held to consider a proposal to raise such special loan of any part thereof, and the following particulars namely:— (a) The particular work proposed to bo undertaken. (b) The sum proposed to be borrowed for such purpose. (c) Any special rate or rents, profits and duos chargeable and receivable by the said Board which it is proposed to pledge as Security for such loan not being lfioncys, rents, or fates theretofore' pledged as security for any previous loan or appropriated to aiiy special , purpose. . 10. The Chairman shall call meetings of the ratepayers to be held within the Borough of Gisborne and of each riding . within the Counties of Waiapu ancl Cook upon a day not Tiiore than fourteen days after the last publication of such notice to consider the said pfpposal; and shall appoint one of the members of the Borough Council or County Council elected for the riding as the case may be to preside at each meeting if such member shall be willing to act,; and if no such member is willing to act or become incapacitated from acting from any cause, then such person as the Chairman ‘thinks fit. The member or person so appointed shall preside at the meeting to be held in tlie Borough or riding for which lie has been appointed. After due consideration and discussion of the proposal the person so appointed to preside at the meeting shall give notice that a poll will be taken., 11. It shall be the duty of the Town Clef!? of the Borough of Gisborne and

the County Clerks of the Counties of Waiapu and Cook at the request of the Chairman to prepare separate rolls for the Borough of Gisborne and Counties of Waiapu and Cook setting forth all ratepayers within'such Borough and Counties and every ratepayer within the district shall he entitled to vote according to tlio following scale, that is to say:— (a) If his rateable property is valued on any valuation roil at not more than one thousand pounds lie shall have one vote. (b) If such property is so valued at more than one thousand pounds hut not more than two thousand pounds he" shall have two votes. (c) If such property is so valued at more than two thousand pounds hut not more than three thousand pounds he shall have three votes. (d) If such property is so valued at more than three thousand pounds but not more than seven thousand pounds lie shall have four ' votes. (e) If such property is so valued at more than seven thousand five hundred pounds he shall have five votes.

12. The roll for the Borough of Gisborno shall .be signed by the Town Clerk aiid tlio polls for’ the County •)1 Waiapu and the County of Cook sliail be signed by the respective County Clerks and shall he delivered to the Returning Officer and shall he rolls upon which the poll shall be cakcii. 13. The poll shall bo taken as follows :- (1) At the written request of the Chairman: authorised.by ordinary resolution of the Board the Returning Officer shall publish a notice setting forth the day not' loss than oiie week nor more than four weeks from the day ol the aforesaid meetings on which the poll will he taken.

(2) A separate poll shall, he taken in the Borough of Gisborne ana in tiie Counties of Waiapu and Cook. . (3) Ail file provisions of “The Local Elections Act 1904” as regards taking a poll shall so far as they are applicable and except as by tiiis Act is otherwise provided apply to the taking of the polk on the proposal to raise the spe cial loan.

14. If the total number of votes at all the polls given for the proposal represent an absolute majority of the votes exercisable within the whole Harbor District the resolution shall he deemed -to he carried, and the

Board may proceed with the proposal accordingly; but if there is not such a •majority in favor of the proposal the resolution shall be deemed to he rejected, and the Board shall not so proceed.

15. As soon as conveniently may be after the result of the poll has been ascertained the Chairman shall give public notice of the number of votes recorded for and against the- proposal as above, provided, and shall declare the resolution to be carried or rejected as the case may he. 16. When such resolution is carried the Chairman shall send a notico thereof to the Colonial Secretary, who shall publish the same in the Gaette; and such notice so gazetted shall he final and conclusive that the raising of the loan to which it refers has been duly authorised under the provisions of this Act, notwithstanding any omission or irregularity in any provision, matter, or thing required to be done hereunder or urider “The Local Elections Act, 1904.” 17. The Board after the. passing of this Act shall if the resolution in favor of the proposal be carried as aforesaid make and levy a special rate in the proportion in the different parts of the district hereinafter mentioned not exceeding one penny in tlio pound upon.the capital value of all rateable property in the harbor district. Such special rate is in addition to other rates provided for the* aforesaid special loan of £200.000. 18. Tlie proceeds of such rate shall bo applied towards payment of the annual charges to accrue in respect of any loan or loans to he raised under the provisions of this Act. The amount to he levied by tlio Board in each year shall not exceed such amount as is required to provide for the payment of interest on the aggregate amount for which debentures' shall at. that time bo issued, find in addition l per cent, per annum on such aggregate amount to be appropriated for the purpose of a sinking fund.

19. Tho rate to he levied under this Act on the rateable property in the Borough of Gisborne shall be double the rato to be levied on tho rateable property in -the Counties of Waiapu and Cook comprised in the harbor district. ~

20. For the purpose of making, levying, and recovering the said rates the Board shall have and may exercise all the powers of making, levying, or recovering rates in the said Borough and Counties comprisng the harbor district which any local body having rating powers within such Borough or County has or may have under the law for the time being in force regulating the making and recovery of rates therein respectively. 21. No rate made under this Act shall be capable of being set aside or of being quashed by any proceeding of any Court or otherwise, and no defect in the same shall be set up as a defence to any action which may be brought to recover, the same. 22. When and so often as the Board shall fail to'pay at the proper time and place for so paying aiiy sum either of principal or interest which it ought to pay under this Act then immediately or at any time thereafter any person to whom such sum is owing may apply ex parte by petition in a summary way to a Judge of the Supreme Court for relief under this Act/ and the Judge may, if satisfied of the truth of the matters alleged in such petition, appoint upon such terms as to security and remuneration as he shall think fit, a receiver of the rate liable for the. payment of such sum.

23. The beforementioned special rate shall from the date of the said order and upon its being publicly notified by the receiver vest in the receiver and shall cease to be vested in the Board.

24. All powers for the recovery of such rate shall after the appointment of the receiver and upon its being publicly notified ceased to lie exercised by the Board and shall be exercised by the receiver. 25. All moneys received by the receiver shall he applied in : (1) In payment of the expenses of the application and order. (2) In payment of the receiver’s remuneration as fixed as aforesaid and his reasonable and necessary expenses. (3) In payment pro rata of the sums then overdue b- the Board which are secured by the said rate; and (4) The rps‘j,due after payment of the above to the Board. And the receiver shall account for all such moneys in such manner as the Judge directs.

26. When all sums of money then overdue are paid or at any time by an order of a Judgo of the Supreme Court on the application of the Board if such Judge shall think fit to make such order the powers of the receiver shall scase, and he shall forthwith pa- aiiy moneys in his hands to the Board, who shall again be capable of exercising the powers of winch the appointment of the receiver had deprived them.

AMENDMENTS' APPROVED. Thu Board spent close upon three hours discussing tlm Bill in committee, and a number of amendments were made. The amendments (other than mere verbal alterations) were as follows :

Preamble.—To facilitate the passage of the Bill, and in view of iiny possible alteration, the specific reference to Mr. Marchant’s plans was deleted.-

Clause 5, re borrowing, was amended to empower the Board to borrow “ such sum or sums of money ” for such “time or timps ” as required, with the right of renewal, providing that the term shall not exceed in the aggregate 40 years and that the sum borrowed shall not exceed in the aggregate £400.000. The fate of interest was altered to 4 per cent. . Clause 6.—The sjiecific reference to Mr Marchanfs plans, was deleted, as in the preamble, in order to give the Board a- free hand with "regard to modification or amendment. Clause 10.—Altered to read that meetings in connection with the poll shall be presided over by a member of the Harbor Board, and not- by a member of the Borough or County Council as suggested. Clause 11.-—lt- shall be the duty of the secretary of tlie Harbor I Jloard,

solely, to prepare the rolls. Voting Powers (clause 11). —Aniemlod in accordance with the Local Government Representative AcK>, 1899,. which provides for voting on tlio following basis :—Rateable property, not exceeding £IOOO in value, one cote : exceeding £IOOO, hut not ex--02000, two votes ; exceeding £2OOO, Hire;: votes; three votes to lie the limil one ratepayer can exorcise. Clause 12: The Chairman or two :riomhoi\s of (.lie Harbor Board to sign ind authenticate the lolls. Clause 10: The word “separate’’ was struck out of .section 2. As amended one poll will lie taken, with polling places’- in the Gisborno Borough, .Cook -County and Waiapu County. Clause 14: Altered to read that the poll shall be declared in accordance with a majority of tlie votes actually recorded, not upon a majority of the votes •“exercisable.” Clauses 17 and 19: Amended so as • o limit, the rate as follows: Gisborne Borough Id in the £; Cook County, Id ; Waiapu County id. Clause 18: Amended to provide for ( per cent sinking fund, making a total of 4}’per cent. JILL AS AMENDED APPROVED. On the. Board resinning Air. Lysnar noved that the' Bill as amended he approved, lie considered the comnittoe had done real good work, and iliat the measure would he a very satisfactory one. Mr. Matthowson seconded. ' The Chairman suggested that the Board adopt the same method of col■ection of tho Harbor rate as "that adopted in, Timaru.

Captain Tucker: To put it more plainly tho method shall bo exactly Imilar to that adopted here in eoleeting the charitable aid rate. The Chairman: Exactly. That' is ho effect. It simply means adding mother column to the rate notices “uid saves a multiplicity of notices. A member: What if any Council is ax in collecting it V The Chairman: Then the Qpuncil f, liablo for the amount out of revenue.

Mr. Lysnar’s motion was amplified o read that the Board approve of the hi! as amended in committee, and nipower the addition of a clause similar to that of the Timaru Board) hat the local bodies named collect -he rate in t'lieir respective districts, .hould such clause ho approved of by ( committee of the Chairman, Messrs uysnar and Matthcivson after eonailling with" the Board’s solicitors. Air. Whiiiray agreed with the latter lortion of-the motion, hut did not pprove of the Bill as amended, beau.se he favoured equal rating. ■ The -motion was carried, only "Mr. - Vhinray dissenting. Mr. Lysnar moved that the Board’s olieitors take the necessary steps to uvortise the Bill and to place it be'ore Parliament at the earliest possible moment. Mr. .Matthewson seconded, and the •<solution was carried. Mr, Whim-ay ecorded his vote against it. The next step will be to call meet'l’n* °* ra * e l >a J’ ers > as provided in the