MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1092, 3 May 1913, Page 3

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

;v The monthly meeting ‘lie Moutoa Drainage Board was hH.‘ ‘ on Thursday night. Present Messrs Gower (chairman), Barber, " Easton, Hammond and P.obinson. The clerk reported that the* ; overdraft at the Bank of New

Zealand on the general account at > 6s jd and that the works ■i; construction account was closed. The year finished with a debit of ’ £22 os 4d after the payment of in ’ finishing the first section of drain from the river as left after the scoop work. Since the previous meeting the sum of for office rent and £4 4f f° r ex- ' plosives : had been received and placed to credit. Referring to the vrork in connection with the construction of the main drain the clerk reported that this work was started in March 1909, with horses and scoops and continued through June, but was found too expensive and consequently was discontinued. Arrangements wefe 1 then made with the Railway Department for the- hire of a crane and grab. Work was started with, the dredge in- April 19 1 i; and it was used until the completion of the work. For carrying out the work a loan of £6600 and an additional £s9° igs 6d, .being about ten per cent, of the original loan, making a total of 19s 6d was raised. From Jhis amount was al- . located for connecting drains leav* ing £6090 19s 6d tor , the ' main work. Of the ,£SOO allotted for connecting drains .£496 19s gd was spent. The £6090 19s 6d was ' expended as follows : Wages, explosives, bridges and repairs to ' machinery £4622 6s xod, Railway - Department hire of crane £514 2s 7d v engineer £474 xos id, and timber and erecting flood gates £4BO. In addition to these amounts a sum of, £73 4s was paid out of the general account to complete the first section of the drain and making the total cost of the work £6164 3s 6d, vyhich works out at £l6 17s 8d per chain.

The balance sheet for the year ended March 31st, 19*3, was .submitted and adopted subject to audit.

, Accounts amounting to £7l 3s id were passed for payment. The estimates for the current year were submitted, and it was decided to strike the same general rate (p-ifiths of a penny in-the £) as last year and to collect a half penny in the £ of the special rate.; ><The chairman reported that a section of the mile drain and about 70 chains of Lailgley’s drain had been, let aUd that the overseer and

had completed the 94

chains at the top end of the main drain and were now working ou the lower section of Langley’s.

The question of by-laws to regulate artesian water was discussed, and it was decided to deal with the matter at the next meeting : of the Board.