MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 950, 4 February 1911, Page 3

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

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

The Clerk reported the amount to credit of loan account current at ,£390 4s 3d and to general account ,£24 8s 2d. Wages amounting to £26 8s 6d were paid on the xoth instant and with the amount due for the past fortnight £26 6s make the total wages for the mouth £52 ns gd. Accounts amounting to £6g 8s yd were passed for payment against loan account and £S 10s against general account. The matter of having the Duck Creek stop bank constructed was left in the hands of the Chairman with power to act.

Correspondence was read from the State Advances Department in connection with the extra £6OO being additional ten per cent, on the original loan of ,£6,000. A resolution for gazetting in connection with the same was passed, subject to the approval of the Department.

The engineer reported as follows :—“The number ot days worked on the dredge up to Thursday evening has been 17. The dredge was idle for six days out of this mouth, four days being taken up in repairs and re-erection and two days holidays for the races. The dredge is now 193 chains distant Irom the diagonal dram, and a quarter of this is fairly deep dredging. The total number of yards dredged has been 206, and the total number of hours worked which gives an average per hour of 1*54 yards. The average last month was I*l9 yards per hour when the width was 40 feet. This month the width of drain is 30 feet. I understand your Board has decided to clear out the main drain next summer. I suggest, however, that some of the bad places be removed before the wet season sets in. It will be necessary to order a new main chain, as the present one cannot last much longer. I will make full enquiries on this matter when I reach Wellington. I trust that satisfactory arrangements will be made with a contractor so that the Duck Creek embankment is completed this summer.’’ Dealing with the report it was decided to get a new chain as suggested by the engineer, and the overseer will be instructed to remove the bad blocks in the drain as opportunity allows.