LOCAL BODIES' ENGINEERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 21 March 1914, Page 2

LOCAL BODIES' ENGINEERS.

AN AMALGAMATION. By Telegraph.—Press Associate-. Auckland, Thursday. Engineers from every quarter of New Zealand assembled this morning on the oceasion of the third.- annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Local Government Engineers. Mr. Jickcil, of Palmerston North, presided over some sixty delegates: The result of the ballot for flection of ollicers was an-" flounced as Follows:—President, Mr. R. S. Kounthwaite (Wellington); general council, Messrs Armstrong (Palmerston North), Hanks (Waitaki), Basham (Eltham), Bremner (Waimate), Dillon (Pajhiatua), MeGuinness (Paparoa), Mci Curdy (Dunedin), Paterson (Welling[ton), Roche (Lower Hutt), Shannon I (Rodney County), Williams (Dunedin), I Wright (Patea County); vice-presidents, I Messrs S. A. R. Mair (Hunterville), W. Ferguson (Wellington); treasurer, Mr. R. Harding (Feilding). Tfce annual report showed that nine members and one associate member had been elected during the year, and eleven applications had been declined or adjourned.

Assuming the presidential cliajf, Mr, Kounthwaite pointed out that amongst other matters which would be placed before the meeting was the proposal made by the Wellington members of the English Institute of Civil Engineers to form one society of engineers for New Zealand, to include the Institute of New New Zealand Local Government Engineers. He thought that the proposal would be an immense advantage to the members, for a combination of all engineers in the Dominion would make a strong and influential society. The conference proceeded to consider recommendations of the council with regard to the proposed absorption of the | Institute in a New Zealand Engineers' Society. These provided that a soI cicty be formed, to be incorporated under the Incorporated Societies Act, 1908, •to be called the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers; that the members, associate members, officers and council of the present Institute occupy a similar status in the new society, and that the council be empowered to wind up the Institute, which should cease to exist, and transfer all its property to the new society. After* a lengthy discussion, a motion by Mr..F. W. Williams (Dunedin), seconded by Mr. W. Ferguson (Wellington) to adopt the recommendations was carried.

"Shingle action in Hawke's Bay" wa3 the subject of an able paper by Mr. C D. Kennedy, of Napier. The heavy rain on the Hawke's Bay hills, the article said, scours the- shingle into the rivers, and carries it to the coast, where it blocks river outlets and causes flood ing of the low-lying land. The paper contained much valuable information 'about the work being done to counteract the movements of the shingle. The next meeting of the Society is fixed for March, 11)13, in Dunedin.