During a meeting of the Harbour Board, a letter from Mr John Swift, a timber merchant from Dublin, was discussed. Mr Swift had acquired a significant amount of timber from the Mount Shannon estate, much of which was intended to be shipped from Limerick port to destinations other than the regular steamer routes. He requested permission to use a loading berth equipped with a portable crane to facilitate the timber’s transfer from railcars to vessels. The timber shipment was estimated to be approximately 10,000 tons, and it was necessary to load 200-ton vessels over a week.
The Engineer pointed out that the Harbour Board had its own cranes available. However, the board decided to grant all reasonable facilities to Mr Swift for the loading of the timber, provided that he made arrangements with the board’s officers regarding vessel berthing and timber placement on the quay.
Additionally, an application signed by sixteen of the board’s employees was submitted. They requested a loan of £1 each, with the understanding that it would be refunded under the same conditions as when the employees visited the International Exhibition in Cork.
The Chairman questioned whether the employees had received the money for the Cork Exhibition, and the Secretary confirmed that they had. Mr Cleeve expressed reluctance to grant the application, while Mr Russell and Mr Roche also expressed skepticism about the request, implying that the money might be misused. Mr Meany, on the other hand, argued in favor of granting the application, suggesting that the employees deserved some recreational funds. Mr Roche ultimately proposed to grant the application due to the precedent set previously, but it lacked a seconder, and the Chairman marked it as rejected.
In another matter, Mr Goodbody submitted a motion requesting the renewal of paving between the sheds and the coping, which was accepted.
The meeting concluded by agreeing to summon another meeting for the following Monday, should any business require it, in order to avoid scheduling a meeting on the day of the Munster-Connacht Exhibition’s opening on July 9th. Additionally, at Mr Roche’s suggestion, the board decided to install extra seats at the dock pier.
Limerick Echo – Tuesday 26 June 1906
