DRAINAGE BOARD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4544, 26 March 1923, Page 4

DRAINAGE BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The regular meeting of the Hauraki Drainage Board was held in the Turua Buildings on Friday last. Mr G. Gray occupied the chair, and there were present Messrs J. Mules, D. G. McMillan, R. H. Heappey, and R, Baker, trustees, and the clerk, Mr J. E. Green. UPKEEP OF DRAINS. The clerk to the Hauraki Plains County Council wrote re the damage to drains, stating that the Council had decided to refer Newman’s Road drain to the engineer with power to act. With reference to the Ngatiapua East road drain the Council will subsidise to the extent of 5 s per chain, but the council cannot accept any liability with regard to Pekapeka Road drain. NGAT.IAPUA EAST ROAD DRAIN. Mr Gray said he was not agreeable to the Board cleaning this drain, as t.he Government was using it as an outlet for its drains. After prolonged discussion Mr McMillan suggested that a letter be sent to Mr Taylor, of the Lands Department, stating that the Board prohibited the deepening of the No. 2 Te Kauri area drain, as it was put in strictly in accordance with the requirements of the Department, and in the opinion of the Board the batter was not sufficient to prevent the sides slipping in. FLOOD-GATES. It was decided, on the motion of Mr McMillan, seconded by Mr Mules, that a new flood-gate should be put in on the No. 2 Te Kauri drain. Mr Mules moved, and Mr McMillan seconded, that the installing of a new flood-gate at Carter’s corner be left in the hands of Mr Heappey and Mr J. McConnell, with full power to actCLEANING OF DRAINS. It was decided that the area member should be empowered to make arrangements for the cleaning of all drains for which a tender had not been received. . FINANCIAL STATEMENT. The financial statement showed arrears at the beginning of the current year to be £56 9s Id. For the current year the amount levied was £1614 18s 9d, of which £lOB4 5s 7d had been collected, leaving £530 13s 2d outstanding. BETTER DRAINAGE WANTED. A deputation consisting of Messrs J. Hall, W. Craig, L. Fisher, G. Firth, and W. M. Barton, settlers in the Manganui area, Netherton, waited upon the Board and asked for better drainage. They suggested that the No. 4 drain be opened up again. Mr Gray explained that the area was well served by the Netherton Road drain and the Pekapeka Road drain, and he did not think the No. 1 drain could be, reopened and extended as requested, as it was abandoned because it became of less use after the Netherton road drain was enlarged. The whole of the loan money has been spent, and if this dr-ain was to be put in order it would be necessary., to create a special rating area. The Board had endeavoured to give every man an outlet, and in Mr Barton’s case, when the Board had been notified that the areS. had been sublivided an outlet would be provided, probably by putting pipes under thp Pekapeka road. ' The Board was endeavouring to have the whole of its area reclassified, and if settlers were not then satisfied they could appeal. Mr Baker suggested that the Board inspect the area, as the deputation had no concrete proposals to lay before the Board, and members were not conversant with the requirements of the area.

It was decided that the Board meet the settlers at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 27th inst., and inspect the area.

The average length of life in ths United States is 56 years—fifteen years more than it was in 1870. Life is longest in New Zealand, where the average is 60 years. It is shortest in India, where for thousands of years there has been no progress, except such as England has forced upon an unwilling race. India’s average of life is 24 years. Dr. Farrard, president of Cornell, supplies the statistics. Not so long ago the second biggest city in France had neither man nor woman past 50 years of age. Sixty was once very old, and seventy extraordinary. Montaigne speaks of his old age at a time when he was not yet fifty.

The Gisborne Hospital Board received at its last meeting from the Defence Department a memorial plaque in honour ofa soldier, Edward Brown, whose relatives could not b® traced (says the Gisborne “ Times ’). The secretary explained that the deceased soldier had left his pro perty, amounting to over £4OO, to the hospital, where he had been treated prior, to his death. This, with the Government subsidy of 24's in the £l, brought, the total amount by which the board would benefit to over £9OO. Thus he had not only given his life for his country, hut had given his property to it too.