DRAINAGE CONFERENCE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5109, 1 April 1927, Page 4

DRAINAGE CONFERENCE.

PROPOSED CENTRAL SCHEME. WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN. A committee of the Hwahia Drainage Board comprising Messrs F. A. Kneebone, J. C. Miller, j. M. Thompson, and W. E. G. Willy (clerk), conferred with the Hauraki Board cn Wednesday in reference to the proposed work in the Orchard East- Huirau Road area for which the Hauraki Board had raised a loan of £lOOO and the Horahia Board had allocated £13 1 50-odd. SUBSIDY ON LOAN. Mr J. E. Green reported that he had interviewed Mr L. B. Campbell, chief engineer, Public Works Depaitment, Auckland, who had stated that there was £1275 of Government subsidy available to be lifted. This could be lifted by the new board. Plans and specifications would have to be submitted showing the total costs of the work, including the amount of subsidy necessary to complete it. For this purpose progress payments could be lifted. Of course a loan would have to be made from the general account to complete the work until the balance of the subsidy was lifted. There was nothing to prevent the new board lifting the 10s in the £ subsidy voted the Hauraki Board. The H rahia Board had been promised a subsidy of 0s 8d in the £•

Mr J. C. Miller pointed out that the Horahia Board had raised its loan of a sufficient amount to complete its works without the subsidy. When the subsidy was lifted it would be expended on cleaning up and completing the scheme, for there were bound to l)e odd jobs not foreseen.

Continuing, Mr Green said that the advice received was to proceed quickly and have the work done.so that the subsidy could be lifted soon. The specifications should include all the work intended to be done with the money contributed by the Horahia and the Hauraki boards, together with the subsidy. The 10s in the £ subsidy granted on the Hauraki Beard’s work should be lifted as long as available on the work which was to be paid for by the money contributed by both boards. It would be foolish to endeavour to pick up the two. subsidies, i.e., the £1 for £2 of tlie Hauraki Board and the £1 tor £3 of the Horahia Boa' - d. The fact to be borne in mind was that from April 1 there would be one board operating over the whole area instead of two boards, as at present. Mr Campbell had pointed out tnat it was very undesirable and very uneconomical to endeavour to dig a drain having a 28ft or 30ft top by hand labour. Formal application should be made to the Lands Department or. the Public Works Department tor the loan of a dredge of tire dragline type which could make a battered drain. Such a machine could dig tlie drain in from eight to ten weeks. The Government would lend a dredge if one could be made available. In regaj-d to the flood-gate, Mr Campbell had urged that the work be put in hand as quickly as possible. The plans and specifications should be sent forward for approval as soon as possible. It was decided that Mr Green, clerk to the Hauraki Board, should forward the documents to the Public-Works Department for approval for the purpose of accepting a tender at an early date. Mr W. E. G. Willy stated that three

tenders had been received for the construction of the concrete floodgates on the Thames Valley outlet.

Mr Kneebone urged making,the application for the use of the dredge as quickly as possible. It was necessaiy to know whether the machine would be available so that an idea could be gained as to the amount of money which would remain for expenditure on other works.

It was decided that formal application for the use cf the dredge be made at once. It was agreed that the drain should be 30ft wide at the top frun the flood-gate to just past the bend, and thence a 20ft top to the road, and thence an average depth of 17ft to the willow drain.