Hungahunga Drainage Board.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43083, 18 April 1907, Page 3

Hungahunga Drainage Board.

A meeting of the Hungahunga l Drainage Board was held at Te Aroha on Saturday last. Present: Messrs T. Hanna (chairman), T. Stanley, H. Magill, D. Waghom, W. Lockyer. Mr Otway, the engineer," was also present. Minutes of previous meetings were read and confirmed. A letter from the Piako County Council was read stating that a temporary bridge would.be placed at Baker’s-road, and stated that it must be understood that it would be the Board’s duty to enlarge bridges where the widening of drains necessitated this being •^one. The foreman reported on willows in Coleman’s Creek, stating that a great block was being caused by ten chains of willows near Mr Lusby’s. It would take two men ten days to clear them. Mr Lockyer thought the willows would protect the hanks from being washed away. ; The Chairman said the willows in question /ere growing in the centre of the creek. ■ -It was decided that some of the members should visit the spot and investigate. Tenders for contracts Nos. 1,2, 3, and 4 were then opened, but when the lowest of each were added together, the aggregate I was found to exceed what it was considered the Board would be able to afford for this preliminary work, as a further twenty-two miles of drain will still remain to he cut before the scheme is compbted. It was thought that considerable difficulty would be experienced in raising additional money should the .65,000 be found to be insufficient. On that account the general opinion seemed to favour lowering the cost of the whole contract by slightly reducing the width of the drains along most of their length. It should he understood that these drains are considerably wider ai the lower end than at the top, widening hostages towards the outfall. Mr Waghorn proposed that none of th< contracts be accepted, as here was an expendituie of £2OOO. and at that rate tin swamp would never be drained. Be thought the drains would have to be reduced in size. The engineer said that allowance had to be

made for the drains “pinching in ” one-third in ahont twelve months. Mr Stanley said he considered that making the drain from the river to the road ten feel wide was the most ridiculous waste he ever heard of. His experience showed that the bottom of a drain would not “go in although the top might. The Chairman and engineer pointed out that Mr Stanley was probably speaking of hard country. - Mr Stanley maintained that he referred to both hard and soft country. f&*L r Lockyer did not think the tender for s -the Waihekau excessive. He did not see the use of cutting wide bottoms to run into parrower outlets. The district was getting full of ditches that were merely roan-traps along the sides of the roads. Mr Stanley objected to spending money so much out of proportion to the rates that would be obtained from the drained land. Mr Lockyer produced a list of suggested sizes of drains that had been handed to Mr Otway. He thought the sizes indicated should have been adhered to. 1 The Chairman said the sizes had been left to the discretion of the engineer. Messrs Lockyer and Stanley questioned this statement. Questioned by Mr Magill, the engineer said he thought that if the present tenders were accepted, the scheme could not be completed for the £5,000 available. The question of reducing the size of the drains was discussed, and the engineer said it hast to make the drains smaller further up, tut not to reduce them near the outlets. The' engineer considered the tenders were low. * Mr Waghorn again proposed cutting down the size of the drains to save money Mr Stanley was also in favour of reducing the sizes. He pointed out that the tenders Were nearly double the estimates that had been supplied to the Government. Mr Stanley proposed that Hughes dram be reduced two feet, that is to seven feet at the

dot tom, this was seconded by J>|r wag- 1 horn gnd carried. Mr Stanley spoke in favour of reducing either every drain or none. He proposed 1 that the Waihekau drain be reduced by eighteen inches. This was seconded by Mr Magill and carried. I Mr Lockyer proposed that No. 2 drain bo five feet at the bottom instead of seven feet. This was seconded and earned. Mr Lockyer proposed that No. 1 drain be to eight feet at the wide end and five ’ ,et at the top. Seconded by Mr Magill and "carried. 1 On the motion of Mr Magill, it was decided that fresh tenders be called, returnable on Saturday next, 20th inst. ; - A few accounts were passed for payment. S