DRAINAGE BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2212, 29 March 1881, Page 4

DRAINAGE BOARD.

A meeting of the Ohristohnroh Dißtriot Brainoge Board was held yesterday afternoon. Presont—Mr B. J. S. Harraan (ohairmau), and Messrs Hall, Hobbß, White, Cuff, Boss, and J. K. Brown. An apology was made on behalf of Mr Blakiston, who was prevented from being present owing to a prior engagement. Mr Fletcher, of Eiocarton, waited on tho Board asking for permission to drain into the Biver Avon from his residence. The Board informed Mr Fletcher that they would consider the question as a whole and The Board then prooeeded to the consideration of the oommittee's report on the proSosed reduotion of salaries in the engineer's epartment. Mr Hall suggested that before proceeding with the report he thought the Board had a right to ask for a few words of explanation from Mr 8011, their engineer. That gontleman had stated at a former meeting that he would recommend the assistant-engineers to resign rather than accept the reduction. Now, this plaoad the Board in a very awkward position. If they proposed to make those reductions and the engineer was in a position to act antagonistically to them and appoint hie assistants, the Board were actually powerless. The Chairman —He has only the right to recommend.

Mr Hall—That was very muoh the same as appointing. In point of fact, the appointment remains in the hands of Mr Bell, and if that was the position Mr Bell was likely to take up it was perfeotly useless this Board going on with the proposal to make economical changes in the working of the engineer's department. Mr Bell said Mr Hall must be under some misapprehension as to what he had said. He oertainly did not reoolleot saying anything tantamount to a threat that he would recommend the assistant engineers to resign. So far as his right " to recommend " was concerned, ha. thought it was well known that in all public works of any importance that was the inevitable stipulation, and the Board would no doubt see that without some suoh provision it would be almost impossible to oarry on suoh works at all. If the Board or other authority under whioh the engineer was oarrying out a work were to force men upon him with whom he oould not co-operate, then the work oould not be oarried out, and somebody else must do it. Tho engineer was always allowed to reoommend his assistants, and that was in his (Mr Bell's) agreement, as in most others. It was, after all, only a nominal power. The Board would of oourse have a number of applications sent, one or more of whioh might bo recommended by him, the engineer. Supposing that those he recommended were not accepted, there was no reason why ho should entertain any objection to the selection of the Board; if on the other hand the Board foroed upon him a man to whom he had a decided objeotion, and oould not work with, then the connection must be brought to a conclusion. There was nothing unusual in that. It was a common circumstance all the world over. Mr Hall denied that he was under any misapprehension as to what Mr Bell had said. His recollootion was perfeotly olear, and he would appeal to the memories of the members who wore present on that ocoasion. Mr Boll—l have no recollection of saying I would recommend the engineers to resign. The Chairman understood Mr Bell to say praotically that he did not intend to interfere in any way with the prerogatives of the Board.

Mr Boll—Not in the least. I only claim thu right to recommend aa given to me by (he torma of my agreement. Mr Hall expressed himaelf as satisfied with this explanation. Mr Brown aaid he wished to say on behalf of the committee whose report thoy were about to consider, that they had no evidence before them that Mr Anderson had not discharged his duties properly; on the contrary, they had every reaaon to believe that that gentleman had served the Board most faithfully and well; their reoommendation touching his office was based upon the conviction that it was unwise or inexpedient that anyone engaged on the Drainage worlia as engineer should be allowed to tender for works and carry them out under the Drainago Board. At the same time, speaking for himself, he believed the Board could obtain the services of a thoroughly competent engineer at the salary which the committee proposed to give. The first clause in tho schedule was that the salary of the first assistant engineer be reduced from £350 to £250 per annum. Mr Hall moved that the oluuso be adopted. Mr Hobbs moved aa an amendment that the reduction bo to £3OO. He agreed with the necessity of economy, but to the end that ft good and responsible man might be obtained ho thought £3OO was the lowest they could expeot to get a man for, who had good ability and good oharaoter, to see that the oontracts under the Board were properly carried out What was £5 a-week for a professional man who had to keep up a certain ■ppearanco, and whose eduoation had to be of a special character. Mr Boaa seoonded tho motion. He thought £SO reduction on £350 was reasonable, but he was not prepared to go further. When it was a question of getting good men a pound or two hero or there was nothing. Mr Brown pointed out that other engineers as compotent as Mr Anderson were employed at a less salary. The revenue of the Board would not stand such reoklesa expenditure as they proposed. In leas than twelve months, if they expended more money, they would have to go and borrow. He knew that of two of the best engineers in Canterbury one of them was employed at £5 a week, and the other at very much less salary than that given by tho Board. Mr White supported the reoommendation of tho committee. It was the business of the engineor-in-ohief to see that bis officers were not bought over. Besides, a question of £6O •woo not a sufficient inducement to make dishonest men of those who were likely to apply for suoh situations as tho Board had to offer. If a man were naturally dishonest, even £SOO would not make him honest. Engineers at present were a drug in the market. He would even go aa Far as to say that they might do with one assistant-engineer. The amendment was then put and negatived, and the original resolution was carried. Tho next item in the sohedole was that the aeoond assistant-engineer's salary of £3OO per annum should be reduoed to £2OO.

Mr 801 l said this official was engaged as a draughtsman, but was employed in other kinds of important work. Mr Hobha moved that the reduction be from £3OO to £250. Mr Boas seconded the amendment. Mr White considered the £2OO sufficient. When the appointment was originally made the salary was something like £l6O per annum. Mr Boas—lf the Board could get a draughtsman to do the work that was a different matter. Mr Bell remarked that the original appointment was of a different character, the situation being occupied by a very young man. Mr Boss—Was the work now no different. Mr Bell replied that it was absolutely necessary to have a draughtsman ; but, at the aamo time, the gentleman now holding the office was employed largely as an engineer. Mr Hall said the question was whether £2OO was sufficient to secure as good a man as the Board required. Mr Hobbs submitted that Mr White had raised a false issue by introducing a comparison between past and present employes of the Board. Mr While begged to bo excused. He was perfectly justified in asking why the position of this actuation had mysteriously changed. Mr Brown said all the work done by their BBeiotant engineorn oould bo dons by a simple olerk of works. It appeared, however, there was an idea that it was neoessary to have engineers, and ho would be willing to fall in with tho views of tho majority, but let them not pay moro than was necessary to get good men, of whom they could obtain plenty at at tho rates recommondod by tho committee. The Chairman put the amendment, which was lost on the voicos. Tho original resolution,namely—"Thatthe assistant engineer's salary bo reduced from £3OO to £2OO per annum," was put to the meeting and carried. The remaining Items of tho report were oonsidered seriati'm. With regard to tho wages of laborers a disoussion took plaoe. Mr White proposed—" That the wages remain at 75." This he considered quite little enough for a working man to receive. He oould not keep bis family on less. It was too

juit an necessary to provide for hi* comfort and decency as it was for that of a professional man.

The proposal was nogatived on a division, Mr White meeting with no support. The report, as adopted, was as follows : That tho following reductions ho mado :—■ Salary of first assistant engineer, from £3M) to to £-&> ; salary of socoid assistant engineer from £3i'o to £2OO ; inspector of main towers, from XI perweekto £\ per week ; inspector of south btlt. from £3 12s to £X per week ; inspector of connections and rep»ira, from £1 lua to £3 15j ; and that the offices of storekeeper and inspector of rivers and drains be amalgamated, and that the salary bj £ I per week. The saving effected in this way will amount to J 3493 16b. Tho committee further recommend that the wages of the gangers be fixed at 8s per day; laborers. 6s 6d; pipe layers, 7s 6d ; carpenters, Bs. Tho last reductions aggregate) no very large sum, as tho greater part of the future work will be let by contract; but iho committee is deeply impressed with the importance of the most rigid econon-y being exorcised in the disbursement of the remaining part of the proceeds of tho .£200,001) borrowed money, and if the Board concurs in the opinion it will bo necoasary to give the requisite notices of reductions as soon as possible to the several persona interested. On the application of Mr Hall, seconded by Mr Brown, The Board resolved—" That applications for the post of assistant engineer, at a salary of £250 per annum, be called for, applications to oomo in by April 11th." The Engineer reported as follows : I have again examined the subject of the complaint of Mr J. Cuff. There is much standing water in the bed of the old creek on his section, which the drain laid through adjacont properties to Bingsland Creek is too high to carry off. There is a considerable depression across all the properties through which the old creek ran, and it wonld be nlmOßt impracticable to raise them high enough to drain to the side, ohannel of London street. An efficient drain through this low ground is, therefore, necessary, and the present drain being an old wooden box drain, badly laid, is not efficient. I would recommend that a 9in. pipe be laid from Biogsland Creek to the corner of the road, where a sump would be reqaired to receive water from the side channels. From thence a 6in. pipe should be laid at a regular fall through the different sections, and terminating at the old bedoi the creek in Mr J. Cuff's section ; this pipe should be provided with small brick snmps with gratings for the drainage of each house, and to carry off the rain water from the properties. When the standing water is drained off from Mr Cuff's section the creek bed should be filled up, if only to cover the mud at the bottom which will become very offensive when laid dry. This new drain would improve the drainage of all the sections through which it is laid, but will be principally for the benefit of Mr Cuff, there being no stagnant) water on anyof the othersoctions in which the old bed of the creek has been filled up. Levels must be taken before this pipe can be properly laid, and if the proposed sewers for Bingsland should be built it might then be taken up and re-laid at a greater depth than would be practicable at present, thus securing a better fall and under drainage to a greater depth. I beg to refer the Board to my report on this subject, dated October 20th, 1879, also to clause 7 of the report of 11th August, 1879, which is a similar case to this. 2. The pipe draining the creek at St. Luke s church iB found to be filled up with leaves, branches, and sand ; tho branches must have got into it, and choked its flow by the grating, which protocts the end of the pipe, having been removed and laid aside several times. I have to take the pipo up in order to clean it out, and a large sump and fixed grating must be provided to prevent a recurrence of this difficulty. 3. The South belt sewer from Madras street to Antigua atrcot causes much trouble and expense, on account of the accuinulationsof sand which have to be removed from it. This is chiefly attributable to the small and shallow gullies with which it is provided, and which fail to stop the sand washed off the road from getting into the sewer. To remedy this about ten new gullies are necessary, of the size of those which have been built by the Board. These would cost about £5 each, complote with iron gratings. The accumuhtions of sand removed from the sewer about ton months ago cost more than .£SO. 4. The works on the main sewers are progressing fairly, oonsideringthe difficulties which are encountered from quicksand and water; many breaks occnr in the sewers from this cause, chiefly in places where pumping has loosened the sand below the work; the taking out and repairing of these breaks entails considerable delays and expense to the contractor. The boilers and pumps have been set in place, and the erection of the engine house is proceeding. The suction pipoa from the pumps have been built into the tank and everything made watertight.—C. Napieb Bell, Engineer. With regard to the first clause of the above report, the Board resolved that the engineer be requested to prepare an estimate of the cost of the work, with a view of giving the residents the opportunity of having it carried out under clause 38 of the Drainage Board Act; clause 2, that the work be done and charged to rates. The report as a whole was adopted. The question of draining the locality known as Deans" land and that of Mr Craig was introduced by Mr Hall. In this matter Mr Fletcher's application at an earlier stage of the meeting was involved. The engineer was requested to report upon the most effectual temporary means of draining waste water from the land in question at Eiocarton.

The following letters were read : From Mr R. H. Willis, complaining of offensive exhalations from a drain in his immediate neighbourhood, Merivale lane. Referred to the engineer. From Mr Thos. Pillow, drawing attention to a nuisance caused by the open drain runsing from St. Asaph street, Phillipstown, to the Drain road, such nuisance being highly detrimental to the lotting of cottages in the neighborhood, for whioh he (Mr Pillow) is agent. Referred to the engineer to report. Accounts for the past week were presented, and duly passed for paymont. Mr White gave the following notice of motion for next meeting :—" With a view of determining any doubt or difference of opinion as to the terms of agreement between the Board and Mr Bell, and of entering into a definite arrangement with him, that the requisite notice be at once given him to cancel the present agreoment." This concluded the business before the Board.

Mr Brown took occasion to suggest with respeot to the Tuam street sewer that it would be best that it should be understood that the sewer would be on one side of the road. The Board then adjourned.