CLEVEDON.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 303, 21 August 1917, Page 3

CLEVEDON.

PROPOSED DRAINAGE £ ARD CONFEREE. .A ccnrereiice arrangea >y tne Wairoa and Papakura Roac'Boards to consider the formation of i joint Drainage Board was held ys f erday at the Papakura Town office. Among those present were Mssrs J. Luke, J. McOonoughy ane A. E. Bailey (representing the Wairoa Road Board), E D. McLentin and D. A. Reid (representing tfa Papakura Road Board) and the flowing setilers Messrs ,D, McGinM H. Hanch and H. Henderson. Mr Luke presided and Mi A. E. Bailey acted as clerk.

The chairman, in his tpening remarks, pointed out that thi meeting was called to consider th< formation of a joint Drainage Bo?d. If doing so he said that the drainage system of the district would jeverbe satisfactory until some corip'relxensive scheme was formulated As a member of a Road Board he was acquainted with the difficulties which local bodies had to contend with in keeping the roads drained. Ratepayers, said the chairman, iid not always afford a Board the assistance required to obtain an outlet and he was afraid that until such a scheme as suggested was carried out matters would remain unsatisfactory. In addition there was often friction between adjoining owners which he ventured to predict would be obviated to a great extent when a Drainage Board was the controlling authority. After consideration of the matter he was strongly in favour of such a Board as he believed it would serve a useful purpose over the district in which it operated. Mr Bailey, at the request of the chairman, then read a letter from Mr W. J. King (Clerk of the Aka Aka Drainage Board) giving information as to the steps to be taken towards the formation of a Drainage Board. The letter in question was appreciated as it contained particulars helpful to the proposed Board.

In order to test the feeling of the meeting Mr McLennan moved and Mr Hanch seconded the following resolution " That in our opinion it is desirable that the necessary steps he taken to formulate a scheme to submit to the ratepayers with a view to forming a Drainage Board."

Some informal discussion then took place and on the motion being put to the meeting the resolution was carried unanimously. Mr Hanch, who was in favour of a Drainage Board being formed, said that it must not be overlooked that such a Board would be a controlling authority and in the interests of the district personalities would have to be overlooked. . The proposed Board would be managed by business mea and the benefits to be derived would be in proportion to the amount levied over their re-pective areas.

The chairman emphasised the fact that it would be a district and not a small local scheme and as such should receive every support Mr McLennan as a strong supporter of tie scheme suggested that the area to be covered by the Board should include the whole of the wet area of the Papakura and Wairoa Road districts. The defining of the boundaiies and the formulating of the scheme would, he presumed, be left to an Engineer who would also advise as to the location of the various culverts to be used in the Board's area. Some owners would, said the speaker, have to be compensated for the taking of their land. The classification of the various rating areas would entail a certain amount of careful* consideration and adjustment, and Mr McLennan expressed the opinion that there would be no injustice. It would, ho felt sure, when the scheme was in working order be a great uplift to the district.

A sub-committee was then appointed to draw up and define the area of the proposed Board and to submit a scheme at another meeting as follows: Messrs E. D. McLennan, J Luke, D. A. Reid, Alex Bell, J. McConaughy, J. Enabling and D. McOinnes. It was decided to hold the ne*t Committee meeting at Papakura on Tuesday the 18th September next at 1.30.