HAURAKI DRAINAGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5330, 24 September 1928, Page 3

HAURAKI DRAINAGE.

MEETING OF UNITED BOARD. The Hauraki United Drainage Board met at Turua on Friday, Mr S. S. Murray presiding oyer Messrs J. C. Miller, F. L. Hamilton,, J. M. Thompson, H. H. Hicks, W. McDuff, F. A. Kneebone, and the clerk, Mr T. D. Wallace. BAGNALL’S DRAIN. On behalf of the committee appointed to inspect the- proposed Ansfqrd Extension drain, Mr Hicks reported that- the flood-gate seemed satisfactory, - but below the road there were about 20 willo.w trees which might have to be removed. Above the road, through Bagnall’s, a slight deto.ur would be advisable to avoid so-me of the trees, water troughs, windmills, etc. No compensation was asked for by Mr Bagnall, who, however, expected this agreement with the committee to be carried out. The specifications for the work, as prepared by the lands drainage engineer. were read and approved. Eight, tenders, ranging up to £786 Bs, were received, and the lowest, that of p. Lusak, at £637, was accepted. The offer of Mr. R. L. Davies to erect bridges over this drain ;a,t certain places at £5 each was accepted. JUBILEE FLOOD-GATE. It was decided to call tenders, returnable at the next, meeting, for the installation of a flood-gate f.qr the Jubilee outlet. , SUBSIDY APPLICATIONS. The chief drainage engineer wrqte pointing out that applications for subsidy on £2500 for the improvement. of Bagnall’s drain and a new floqdand later a further application relating to an expenditure of £B5O, both'proposals being part of the £'5500 loan, had been received’. As it was inadvisable to have a series of small applications in respect, of the same loan, the board was asked 1 to prepare a complete schedule covering the whole of the loan. KOPUARAHI ROAD DRAIN. Mr G. H. White., Kopuarahi, wrote asking when the drain on his road frontage, would be improved. It. had n.ot been cleaned for two years, and was now top shallow, while the outlet at the end of Piako Road 1 had been blocked. His internab drainage system had been designed to take advantage of. the rbadside drain. £ The chairman stated that an improvement could be made at. a cost of from 8s to 10,s a chain. He would suggest that the board! impnoive the drain, and then abandon it. On the motion of ; M r McDuff it, was agreed to improve the drain provided Mr White took over the maintenance. RACECOURSE DRAIN. The Elstow Drainage Board advised acceptance of the board’s offer to contribute up .to £25 to-, wards the cost, of the Racecourse Drain flood-gate and fttie-third up to £2O towards the cost of a stop-bank it is found necessary. This, acceptance was provisional on the Lands Drainage Department finding oneithird of the cost. KOPUARAHI OUTLET. The chairman reported batt together with Messrs Hamilton, Kneebane, and E. Taylor (lands drainage engineer), he had inspected the site of the proposed Kopuarahi flood-gate. Mr Taylor had agreed to the. .installation of a flood.-ga,t.e near Abbot’s. Considerable discussion ensued on the merits of this scheme to provide adequate drainage for the Kopuarahi district. Finally the chairman moved that, a new i flqod-gate: be installed half a chain from the factory outlet, and that ;a,IL available depth be secured. ''

As an amendment Mr Kneeb'one moved that. ~the Or.ongo roacfekte drain, •including the deepening of Hale’s drain, be tried out before constructing the flopd-gate. • This was seconded by Mr Hamilton, but. o.n, being put to the vc ; te was defeated and the motion was carried. WAIHOU STQP-BANKING. The chairman reported having met the desident engineer of the Public Works Department and a number of settlers in connection with the continuation .of the Waihou River stopbank to join up with the bcjard’s bank, a.s desired by the settlers. Mr McDuff moved that the board support the representations of the settlers. It was decided to write to Mij, AM. Samuel, M.P., and the .Public 1 Works Department ” . TENDERS FOR WORK. . ” It was decided 1 to gall tenders for the proposed drain through. McLaren’s, Kerepeehi, an.d the Kioptia-rahi-Oronga road, and a committee comprising Messrs Murray, Miller,, and Thompson was set up to deal with the matter. HUIRAU STOP-BANK. It was reported by t!he chairman that a pipe had been placed through the stop-bank on Mr Tasker’s property Huirau Road, but as no flap, had been installed the tide water was getting in and rendering the board’s stopbang useless. Accordingly he. had given instructions to block the pipe. Mr Hicks reported that. Mr. G. BroWn’s farm had been flooded o.n acc6unt of water coming over the stoi-bank. It. was decided to spend l up to £lO on (raising the stob-bank. I FOREMAN’S REPORT. rhe foreman, Mr J. A. Bennett, reported that during the month the nii tiin dra.ins had beeir dragged and S( jnie slips had been re-nwve.d. Satisfactory work had been done by cqht/actors with the exception of the v lillow improvement job. He recoup Jiended that 30' chains of the Scottijjrquhar.t drain be deepened and 1 .chains laid back. The estimated /was £2O. The Huirau Road drain {should be improved after fencing, but. .■the gate at Sutton’s was too shallow, i With reference to an outlet. for G. {Dagger’s section, a. nejw d'rain nine I chains Iqng would be necessary. ! On the motion of Mr ’HBcks it was | to seek legal advice on the i question of whether the board was | bound to provide drainage for sufodi-

visions, and whether it was not possible to prevent subdivisions until drainage provision had been provided. The matter of improving the ScottUrquhart outlet, was left to the foreman to have done, and on, an undertaking to. fence being received, .the Huirau roadside drain would be improved. FINANCIAL. The clerk reported that, the ordinary account stood at £995 9s 6d' debit, the £15,500 loan account at £BO4 credit, and the No. 2 loan account at £55 8s 2d credit. The general rates collected during, the month totalled’ £256, and special rates £l2B.