DRAINAGE BOARD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4666, 25 February 1924, Page 4

DRAINAGE BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Hauraki Drainage Board was held at Turua on Friday last. There were present Messis It. H. Heappy, .1. Mules. R. Baker, and D. G. McMillan. In the absence of the chairman Mr Heappy was appointed to the chair. The clerk reported that he had met the Under Secretary of Lauds and the chief drainage engineer, and briefly discussed the work to be done on the dual control drains. It had been agreed that the drainage engineer should inspect the outlets before the speclieations wc(c drawn up for submission to the department. SUBSIDY. The Minister of Land's, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie, wrote with reference to the Board’s letter handed to the Hoh. Mr Nosworthy while on tour, advising that from a report obtained from the Chief Drainage Engineer it appeared that the Board was under a misapprehension in regard to the payment of the subsidy of £7OO on account pf £l5OO. Vote No. 66. item 9, was available as soon as the chief drainage engineer was satisfied the work had been properly carried out. The Board had perhaps confused this with item No. 8, £750. This item was included in the estimates, upon th a recommendations of the chief drainage engineer, and was departmental money and not available for expenditure by the Drainage Board, having been appropriated to provide for additional floodgates and outlets in the area between the Piako River and the Board’s area. TENDERS. Several tenders were received for the work of cleaning the Board’s drains. These were considered at length, but most of them were con-, sidered too high. It was therefore decided that in view of the fact that the tenders received were not satisfactory members be empowered to make the best arrangements possible to le’t the contracts in their areas. FENCING. Mr Heappy reported that a landowner on the Pekapeka road had removed the wires on a drainage fence. It was decided to inform the settler that unless the fence was replaced immediately the Board would have it erected at his expense and all the damage done to the drain would be charged to him.

ACCOUNTS. Accounts totalling £1 8s 6d were passed for payment.