A PARTY DRAIN.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 301, 15 August 1929, Page 1

A PARTY DRAIN.

NEIGHBOURS DISAGREE. Near Hetherington’s Road. A deputation of five ratepayers, Messrs. E. C. Litchfield, J. Kinnear, E. A. McGowan, K. R. Lichfield and W. M. Hetherington, waited on the Matamata County Council with reference to a drain crossing Hetherington’s road which had been .contributed: to by the parties interested and the council. They asked if the council intended to do anything to keep the drain clean.

The chairman stated the agreement was entered into two years ago and signed by the parties. Mr. Hetherington: If the drain was not cleaned out the council was to give fourteen days’ notice to the parties concerned and if not done then the council would do it and charge up the .cost.

The chairman: That is not in the agreement. Mr. Hetherington stated he did not read the draft of the agreement before he signed it, but there would be no use in their paying for a drain if it were not kept open through Mr. Wine’s place.

The engineer stated the agreement was drafted by the clerk and given to Mr. Hetherington to approve and show to the others.

| Mr. Hetherington stated it was net ' a drain but an old water course and had to be kept open. Mr. Wine, who was present, stated that he thought it was a party drain. The drain was of very little use to him as it only ran through a bit of swamp on his property. Mr. Hetherington disputed this assertion, and stated Mr. Wine received great benefit and could drain his property into the drain. Mr. Wine replied he had put a man on to clean the drain during the dry weather and there was only nine inches of water at the culvert by the road now. He did not think he was blocking anyone’s drain. Mr. Hetherington stated it wouldnot be an expensive job if done now, but if left, the grass would grow up and block the drain as bad as ever.

The chairman stated the council had agreed to pay one-seventh of the cost. The engineer stated that when the agreement was signed there was a lot of raupo in the drain, and some £4O or £SO was spent on cleaning it out. It would be a sin to let it go now. Mr. Morriss stated that Mr. Wine seemed to think the water was not dammed up now. The engineer pointed out their answer to that was that if not cleaned now it would silt up again. The clerk stated their remedy was under the Drainage Act. On the motion of the chairman and Cr. Cox, it was decided to inform the deputation that the council could do nothing ir. the matter.