MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4450, 10 May 1930, Page 3

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD

MONTI TLY -M EE TIN G. The usual monthly meeting of tho Mouton Drainage Board was hold in 'the secretary’s office on Thursday evening - , presided over hv Mr John C’hrystall (Chairman). Also present were Messrs B. 0. Gower, W. E. Barber, D. Purcell and the secretary (Mr G. V. Eraser). ETNA NOT A L STATEMEXT.

The treasurer reported as follows —Bank of X.Z. Ac. in deb. £ll7 Is. P. 0.5.8. Ac. credit £6O 15/1. The balances of the main wnt'kiug acoounts were: General Ac. debit £l3l 16/9, Interest Ac. credit £l7 12/9, Worker’s Dwelling - Loan Ac. credit £6O 15/4. Accounts amounting- to £238 12/5 were passed for payment. FOREMAN'S REPORT.

The Foreman (Mr T. A. Robinson) reported as follows: — During the month 20oh. of the Main Drain was cleaned. Owing to the heavy growth of swan grass and the quantity of silt in the drain, the work had been of a heavy nature. On account of the weather conditions prevailing during the spring tides, he had been unable to carry i nt the concrete work on the river side of the Main Drain Floodgates. He had been successful, however, in filling in another blow-out on the land side of the Gates and another attempt would be made on the river side when the tides were suitable. A bad leak had.oecured in one of the bottom doors of the Diagonal tioodgates, from where the contractors, when cleaning the drain, had removed a large log. Upon examination it was found that the sills of the doors had been lifted up from the old wooden foundations and il had been necessary to put in new timber.- Following upon Hie cleaning of Look’s and Saunders’ Drains bv the Contractor, he •had taken the opportunity to remote the timber from the bottoms. This work was most necessary as evidenced bv the fact lhat. in some places the water had to rise fifteen inches to clear the obstruction. Fortunately, most of the stumps were of pitketea and the 11 miles of drains had been completed by the two men in five days. The last two drains in the Board’s area, jvi/.. Smith's and Carter’s, are now being cleaned by day-lab-our. Both these drains arc in a very bad state. About 30 chains of Carter’s and seven chains of Smith’s have been completed. He stated that explosives would ho required to shift the yellow-pine stumps in Carter’s drain to enable the necessary ‘‘fall” to he carried through. During the month, the following drains, cleaned by contract bad been passed:— Diagonal, Lean’s, Upper Section of Kart North, Cook’s and Saunders’. The cleaning of Will's outlet and Langley’s South and Seifert’s was just about completed. The report was iidopted and the secretary was authorised to procure the necessary explosives for deepening tC'arter’s Drain. The Chairman said he had inspected Kari Kari drain during the month and found that the contractor had done excellent work there (‘Specially in view of the previous Dei(l state of the swan grass in the

locality. Tile Chairman submitted a report. on the recent conference held in Palmer.ston North to discuss the proposed amendments to the Land N Drain a are Act. He said that possible a deputation would wait on the Minister’'in this connection at some future date as members agrce'd that such action was very necessary. When flic Board drains were under discussion Mr Barber asked that the foreman be instructed to carry . the fall from where he was working in Carter’s drain right through m the end. The Board had never peviously had an opportunity of doth is work, he said and he thought it should he undertaken now as ratepayers in that area were entitled to some relief. Mr B. 0. Gower endorsed Mr Barber's suggestion, and it was decided to instruct the foreman accordingly. The Chairman said that Dr. Wall had put a man on in Wall's Outlet' drain to worlc in conjunction with the contractor, and very good work was being carried out, and the drain was being deepened considerably. Mr B. G. Gower mentioned the fact that serious damage was being done to drains in the Board area by cattle in the hot weather. Legally, he said, owners of stock were liable for any damage done by stock to Board drains, hut he did not think that stock owrfers realised this, or the seriousness of the damage. It was certainly not fair to the Board that owners should allow their stock to tramp in the drains, as it added considerably to maintenance costs.