DRAINAGE BOARD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4532, 26 February 1923, Page 3

DRAINAGE BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Hauraki Drainage Board was held at Turua on Friday last. Mr G. Gray presided, and there were also present • Messrs D. G. McMillan, J. Mules, RBaker, , and R. H. Heappey. WORKS REPORT. Mr J; McConnell reported having “thommed” the flood-gates in th~ Northern and Turua areas op November 29, and in the Central, Te Kauri, and Mongonui areas on November 30, and- December 5. He could thorn onlj one gate in the Mongonui area owing to the amount, of water. He cleaned out the gratings on all flood-gates. On December 9 he filled in the dram on the western side of the road to prevent water coming in from the Orongo drains. He reported that ''three gratings had been removed and two flood-gates had been broken, and 'he ) suggested repairing them. It was decided, on .the motion of Mr R. Baker, seconded by Mr D. G. McMillan, that all the repairs as suggested by Mr McConnell should be effected; also the gate at Towers’ outlet, the grating in the boarding-, house drain, and the flood-gate at Carter’s corner. Mr McConnell was authorised to do the work as soon as possible. The clerk reported that Mr Aberhart had asked that a drain into*the river should be closed and the water diverted to another drain that has a flood-gate, so that the tide would not come up into his garden. After inspecting the drains it was decided ■ that if a small pipe floodgate were put on the present culvert it would overcome the difficulty. TAMPERING WITH GATES. As a certain settler was continually tampering with a flood-gate, thereby causing this and otheT drains to become silted up, Messrs Baker, Heappey, and Mules were appointed to interview him on the matter. LOAN MONEY. After considerable discussion it was decided to approach the Minister of Lands and. ask for a subsidy of 10s in the £ on the Board’s second loan of £5OOO. from the State Advances Office. It was pointed out that a subsidy was promised some time ago, bm it could not be drawn until the loan money was expended. Steps were taken to appoint a classifier for the land in the Board’s area. REQUEST FOR GRANT. Mr G. Mclntosh waited upon the Board and asked for a grant, to assist him to put. in a drain. Between 40 and 50 acres of his farm had no drainage, and the only way an outlet could be obtained would be through private property -to a Government drain. At the present time he was paying rates, and his land was getting no benefit. After discussing the matter in committee the Board decided to make a grant of £7 10s towards the cost of 15 yards of drain at the of Mr Mclntosh’s property. The chairman remarked that the Board recognised that Mr Mclntosh was in an unfortunate position, as the land had been cut up since the classification, and that actually he held most of the “D” class land in the block, but had been paying rates on 32 acres classified "C.” The grant would' be equal to the difference in rates if the classification had been *‘D” for the last three years. CLEANING OF DRAINS. It was decided to call tenders as ■soon as possible for cleaning all the drains under the Board’s jurisdiction.