MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2277, 17 May 1921, Page 3

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

A meeting of the above Board was held on Saturday. Present: Messrs F. S. Easton (chairman), King and W. E. Barber. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs Wm. Ross and J. Chrystall. The audited,balance-skeet for the year ending March 31st was received, and adopted. The Treasurer reported as .follows: —The overdraft at the Bank of N.Z. on general account is £496 10s sd, and credit to interest account £l3 11s 2d. The £496 10s 5d practically covers the whole cost of the season’s drain cleaning, and £l2O 15s 6d wages in connection with the new flood gate. The estimates for the year.are as follows: Overdraft at Bank of N.Z. £496 10s sd, accounts in connection with gate, say, £251 13s 7d, attention to main gates £35, clerk £4O, rent (say) to £53, contingencies £2O; total, £856 4s. A rate of 9-16 d (which is Jd more than last year, and an increase of £140) gives £627. A rate of id would give £696 13s Gd, an increase of £2OB 18s lid. Under the present acute financial conditions a rate of 9-lGd might be levied for the current year, and the usual Id in the .6 special rate collected. The balance-sheets for 1920 and 1921 have been returned from the Audit Office, certified. The year 1921 closed with a debit balance of £9l 18s lid against general account, and £l3 11s 2d to credit of interest account. The debit £9l 18s lid included payments on account of the current year’s drain cleaning of £SO 16s, and freights on cement and metal for flood gates £lB 3s Gd, at total of £6B 19s 6d. Re flood gate: So far as accounts paid and to be paid, the estimate of £3ll 10s will be exceeded by about £6B. This may be accounted for by the under-estimate of the cost of timber and labour, and may be reduced by, say £3O, bv excess of. timber, etc. The report was adopted, and the Clerk authorised to take the necessary steps to notify the intention to levy a general rate of 9-10lh of a penny in the £ on the unimproved value, and collect the usual one farthing in the £ of special rate.. The new Hood gate on the main drain, on the Buckley principle, is completed, and cost £379, This amount may be reduced by the sale of spare material by about £25. The opening on main drain will lie 16 feet more by llii> work, making the opening now / s(i feet wide. All drains have been cleaned, and the diagonal drain put in thorough order.

A comparative statement of cost for the years 1920 and 1921 U as follows: —

Total Cost for 1921 £333 2 » £333 2s 0d against £312 18s Od for 1920 without the Diagonal.

1920. Ordinary Drains .0204 Hi (1 Main Drain 105 in 0 Diagonal, at Mouth' 2 1>5 0 312 18 0 1921. Ordinary Drains 199 13 0 Main Drain, 92 chains 78 4 0 Main Drain, through 8 10 0 280 7 0 Difference 20 11 0 312 IS 0 Ordinary 280 7 0 55 ch. Diagonal, @ 17/- • 40 15 0