MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 929, 10 December 1910, Page 3

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD

The monthly meeting of the Moutoa Drainage Board was held in the Board’s office last night. Present:—Messrs B. G. Gower (chairman), F. S. Easton, W. S. Carter, and O. R. Robinson. An apology for absence was received irom Mr H. G. Hammond.

The clerk reported the amount to credit of the general account at 3s sd. Since last meeting /16 17s iod has been received on account of rates, leaving £ 1 14s still outstanding. Wages amounting to 19s 6d were paid on November 26th.

A letter was read from the Superintendent of the State Guaranteed Advances Office in reply to the Board’s application for the additional ten per cent, on original loan of ,£6OOO, forwarding a declaration form for the required particulars to be inserted. He also pointed out that it would he necessary to make a fresh special order, making a special rate as security for the further loan. —It was decided to let the letter lie on the table until next meeting.

Accounts amounting to ,£llß os 3d were passed for payment against general account, and £6 8s against loan account. The engineer reported on the progress of the work since last meeting as follows “ Dredging : The dredge has worked for nineteen days up to the Bth instant, and has done eight chains of completed drain 40 feet wide. One day has been lost in overhauling the machinery and washing out the boiler, and a further half-day was taken up by washing out the boiler. On account of the state of the water, the boiler requires washing out twice a week. This is now done by overtime work so as not to interfere with the ordinary working time. For some time yet this method must be followed, when it will probably be found economical to connect with the artesian water. The number of yards of finished drain per hour is 1.11 ; the last leturn was 1.3. This difference is occasioned by the increased depth of excavation and the necessity of lowering the bottom of the present drain by over eighteen inches in order to conform to the true gradient. The expense of this eight chains, labour, coal, etc., is £64. xos Bd, The total distance to the diagonal drain yet to be dredged is 207 %. chains. Assuming, therefore, that the present depth of dredging continues for the whole of the length yet to be done, and that the width of 40 feet throughout, the money required to complete will be 17s qd. The amount of money in hand including the 10 per cent, on the original loan of is /2127, which leaves a balance in the Board’s favour of ,£449 2s Bd. The present depth of excavation will, however, only extend to the deviation, a distance of chains. The depth through the deviation will be about three feet, and the average depth to within one mile of the diagonal drain is four feet, and the average depth of this last mile Is sJ-j feet. The approximate number of cubic yards of excavation this last mouth was 2640 yards, and the cost works out at about sixpence per yard. With reference to the last clause of my former report, wherein I slated that I proposed to interview the agents with a view of ordering a casting from England of the weak part of the present grab, I beg to inform you that I have done so and have been informed by them that this casting could not be landed here within two mouths. In view, therefore, of a possible breakdown shortly I am of the opinion that it will be better to ordei the casting locally as the delay might seriously interfere with the favourable summer months dredging. Cook’s drain : The side connection of this drain with Mr Saunders’ property was laid out by me in accordance with the signed plan which clearly shows that it is opposite to Oldfield’s drain. I find now, however, that some 2 % chains further on is where this should probably be’ as the existing drain here leads to a fence which I presume is Mr Saunders’ boundary. I therefore recommend that the contractor, Mr Algar, be at once written to and instructed to continue Cook’s drain 2 '4 chains and then cut the side drain to the widths and depths mentioned in his present contract. Very little work has been done on this contract connection. He will, of course, require payment for the extension of Cook’s drain at his present rate. I accompanied the contractor on the ground and pointed out the work I yet considered necessary to be done to complete his present contract, and he informed me that he would commence this next Monday and do the work himself. Duck Creek embankment: With reference to the suggestion by the Board that the width of this could be reduced, I beg to point out that I refrained from absolutely fixing this width as I wished before doing so to inspect' the bank that had been erected near Mr Smith’s, and also the other banks in that neighbourhood. My report merely gave the contents assuming certain widths were adopted. In the discussion on the report, Mr Ward pointed out that in calculating the cost of the eight chains of drain completed since last meeting, the hire of crane had not been included. This was 16s iod per day. After allowing this, however, the cost of the drain would still be under the amount of the loan. It was also pointed out that this estimate was worked out on a width of 40 feet throughout, whereas the intention was to reduce the width further on, and was also based upon a depth of five feet, which was above what would

be required as the work progressed. From present appearances, the whole work could easily be carried out within the sum estimated. The engineer’s recommendations in the report were agreed to. The proposed embankment at Duck Creek was discussed at some length. The engineer stated that to reduce the size of the bank as suggested by the Board would mean a saving in the total cost of something like a third. It was eventually decided, on the motion of Mr Carter, seconded by Mr Gower, to invite the ratepayers to meet the members of the Board in the Council Chamber on Friday, the x6th instant, to consider the matter of banking and rating in connection therewith.