CONTROL OF DRAINS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4855, 20 July 1925, Page 3

CONTROL OF DRAINS.

■HAURAKI AND HORAHIA AREAS. COMMISSION APPROVED. The clerk of the Hauraki Drainage Board has written to the Horahia Board? as follows :— “Your letter of June 23 was read at the meeting of this board on June 26 and fully considered, and I was instructed to reply as follows: The Board much appreciates the manner in which you propose to deal with any urgent work on dual drains, and agrees that the minor maintenance matters on same can be dealt with as they arise from time to tiriie. . “This Board did all possible to keep the outlets and gates clear and in working order during the recent heavy rains, and had gratings removed to give the utmost clearance for the flood waters,.

“As to Suggested Dual Drains.—i This Board regrets to say that it cannot agree to the creation of any further dual drains in this area on the terms you mention, either from a constructive or a maintenance point of view, other than those which are already recognised as dual drains, these being as follow : Ngataipua roadside drain (shown as Towers Outlet) ; two Piako roadside drains ; Willow drain, from river to your eastern boundary at back of H. Brown’s section; Te Kauri No, 2 drain; two Wha'repoaKerepeehi Roadside “As to the Te Kauri No. 2 drain, this has not formerly been recognised as a dual drain, but this Board promised the settlers in the special ratingarea who raised the loan for the improvement of thijs drain, and Mr Taylor, the Government lands drainage engineer, before your Board was formed, that when the improvement work on this drain was completed the drain would be recognised as a dual drain for maintenance only on a fiftyfifty basis.

"In view of this extra dual drain being added, which is .a very large one, being nearly two miles in length wholly in this Board’s area, the Board feels it cannot recognise that portion of the Willow Drain running along the eastern boundary of your Board’s area as welt “If you wish this Board to take over this portion of the WiH° w Drain, then it must drop .the Te Kauri No. 2 as a dual drain. “As to suggested dual drains, namely, Oroiigo southern boundary drain, Taylor’s Drain (through Kaipaka), Jubilee Drain, and Te Kauri No. 1 Drain, this Board does not desire these di uns, and therefore . regrets it cannot accept your Board’s suggestion as to their being made suggested dual drains on a fifty-fifty basis for maintenance. "If it is your Board’s intention at a later date to c.pen up any or all of the drains mentioned . above,- except the Orongo south boundary drain, this Board instructs me to say that it will be willing to contribute onethird only'of the cost of the annual maintenance work on these drains for that portion of same as is in this Board’s area only. As to the No. ITe Kauri drain, this Board does not de 7 sire this drain made a dual drain, and therefore cannot consent to pay anything towards any constructive work thereon. “If your Board is prepared to accept the above, then this Board is prepared to agree .to these drains being made dual drains with the exception of the Orongo south drain and the Te Kauri No. 1 drain. “It iseems hardly reasonable or equitable, however, to this Board, that your Board should want to come into some of this Board's main outlet drains to link them up , with drains you desire to construct without- giv- 1 ing this Board credit for the amount and value of the construction work already done by it on those drains, and the above offer is made by this Board without prejudice to its rights as to it being entitled to compensation for same. "This Board quite recognises that your area may require additional outlets to the Waihou River, but, as pointed cut to you in my letter of the 15th, this Board considers the present outlets are sufficient to effectually drain its own area.

“I am also instructed to say that ir it is the opinion of your Board that any or some of the present dual drains are of more service to this Board’s ratepayers than to yours, this Board does not share that view, and is quite prepared to consider abandoning some ef them, as this Board -can conveniently- make provision for its waters through other drains more economically to its ratepayers than is now the case with its half cost of the maintenance of all the present dual drains, and if it would better, suit any scheme your Board may have in view to abandon some of them this Board would be quite agreeable, more particularly the roadside drains, as these must .always prove the most expensive and inefficient. “I have also been asked to respectfully point out. to you that whilst it is within the powers of any drainage board to raise loans for ; very large sums of money for the construction of drains, etc., and strike the necessary special rates to the amount required to pay interest and sinking funds on such loans, a drainage board has a limit to which it can go in striking the necessary general rate for annual maintenance and cost of administration, and it would be useless for this Board in the circumstances to attempt to further extend its present drainage system, as it would be quite impossible to strike a sufficiently high general rate to provide for the additional maintenance, as the limit has practically been reached by this Board now. In these ■circumstances the Board is concentrating on increasing the efficiency of its present drains as far as possible, and finds it very hard to bring about a reduction in the general rate.

"If it is not possible for your Board to be able to come to some agreement •bq the basis set out above, then this

Board feels that the only satisfactory way of settling the differences between the two boards will be by thci setting up of a Commission. As thei more important requests come from, your Board, this Board will leave iti to you to take the necessary steps! whenever you think it most desirable! to do so, and to give this- Board au opportunity of considering the order of reference when same is being pre-j pared.” ! I The letter was discussed in detail./ 1 Mr J. M. Thompson pointed out thaU tlie Hauraki Board’s settlers were us-| ing the Willow Drain extension, am] that board should be made to contribf ute towards the maintenance. It was pointed out that the Horahia Board could not force the Hauraki, Board to contribute. Mr Thompson moved, and Mr Hale seconded, that the Horahia Board insist on the Hauraki Board contribute; ing on the Willow Drain extension. Mr J. C. Miller suggested including i in the resolution all the drains affected. the clerk pointed out that for the suggested new drains the Hauraki Board had offered to contribute onethird of the maintenance. Members expressed the opinion that this proposition was a very fair one. The chairman advocated that the clerk ascertain how the board had power to insist on a contribution. The motion was amended to read that the clerk write to. the Hauraki Board pointing out that its settlers were using the outlet and asking that board to again consider a 50150 basis for maintenance.—Carried. Mr F. A. Kneebone suggested that a round-table conference be arranged with the Hauraki Board. In regard to the Orongo southern boundary drain, it was agreed to leave the matter in abeyance for the time being. Reverting to the question of a Commission, members urged that a conference should be held instead, as this would be cheaper and possibly produce; better results. A conference should be held whether a commission was deemed necessary at a later- stage or not. It was agreed that the letter be replied to. in general terms, and that a conference be asked for to discuss the several matters in particular.