MAKERUA DRAINAGE BOARD.

Shannon News, 16 January 1925, Page 2

MAKERUA DRAINAGE BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Makerua Drainage • Board was held yesterday, when Trustee J. Liggins occupied the chair. Other members present were: Trustees A. Seifert, H Akers, H. J. T. Hume and R.- Tippler. Overseer’s Report. Th<j overseer (Mr W. H. Miles) reported that he had been on the protection work in Williams’s l property and the work would be finished in about three weeks’ time. He intended to repair the section on Coley’s property where the recent flood had damaged it just after its completion. During the last flood another erosion had taken place may the boundary of Coley’s and Whitanui and this would require some protection. The river was encroaching rapidly at the point where the dredge put up a ba’ak acros® the point in Ross’s property, and this w r ould also need attention. The outlet of Akier’s drain was filled with timber and silt by the flood, this would be cleared as soon as the water was low enough to work the bottom. Work had been commenced on the raising of Barber’s flood gate. The work of raising the bank had been completed and it was in no danger of further floods.—Adopted. Works Committee’s Report.

The chairman of the Works Committee (Mr A. Seifert) reported that during last month the holidays had prevented the work being carried forward at the usual pace. There had been difficulty in getting the dams to stand to hold up the water for th 3 dipper dredge and the dragline dredge was working in extremely^hard material. The dipper dredge had almost reached the e’ad of its Journey in the Tokomaru-Linton main drain. He proposed turning this dredge at the corner about 10 chains further than where it was at present. During the mo'ntli, it had travelled 53-chains and excavated 40,939 yards. The average yards per hour for time worked being 130. The dipper arm broke and it would take about two -weeks to repair it. The dragline, dredge had got 39 chains to finish on the right bank Of the Tokomairu stream. It had been digging very hard spoil lately, therefore it had ’not been able to excavate at the usual speed. He estimated it ;would take about four weeks to finish on the right bank. It would then have to cross the stream and sstart at some point on the left bank that could be decided upo'n later. The length of main bank ‘erected was 25 chains, and the total yardage, . 22,241, per hour for time worked, 108,62. The contractor hacl finished the flood gate for the vegetation drain near the Makerua railway station, aUd he was now constructing another gate on the drain about half . a mile lower down. As soon as he had finished this gate he would construct the . gate for Lough'nan’s vegetation drain. They were unvious to erect this this latter gate during the dry weather, which was usually experienced -between now and” the end of March. A contract had been let to clear the left bank of the Tokomaru stream, from some distance above - the Makerua railway station, 4 miles IQ chains, to the boundary of Mr Riggins’ and Ashlea Company’s properties, a distance Of about 2 miles. This work was to be completed by April 15. It was hoped to lure a pile-driving winch for bridge work but so far they have not succeeded and he was afraid that the Board would have to buy one. Mr Brown, in the meantime, was completing the flood gate alongside theOkuku road , but directly a few more piles came to hand, he wanted to get with the work of erecting the Okuku road bridge over the Tokomaru stream. Outside of the pile driving winch and a few piles that were still to come to hand, all the other timber and gear was on hand. — Adopted.

General. It was resolved that the members of the Board inspect the necessary protection work at Whitanui and Coley’s property.' The matter of purchasing a pile driver was left in the hands of the management committee. Accounts amounting to £1636 18/3 were passed for payment,