ORARI-WAIHI WATER RACES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2748, 8 December 1894, Page 3

ORARI-WAIHI WATER RACES.

Tha annual meeting of ratepayers in the Orari-Waihi Water-supply District was held in the Orari Bridge schoolhouse, there being a fair number of ratepayers present. Mr Thatcher was voted to the chair. The chairman read the following report :—“ Gentlemen, —As your committee retire from office to-night,:and before won commence to elect a nejv one I shall briefly give you an account of our . stewardship before retiring. As I have b heH the position of chairman since a .committee'was formed for the district, I have always had the minutes of each meeting published in ''the Geraldine Guardian, bo that one and all could see what we have been about. I can conEitulate the district on the way things ve worked the past year, and I can safely My that your retiring committee have done their very beat, both financially and otherwise, to promote the interests of the water-race district. Your committee held its first meeting on December 11th, 1893, and held its last on November 2nd, 1894, having held twelve meetings, monthly during the year. Your comnpttjwd called for tenders for the post of ranger. There were three tenders sent in, namely:—W. Scully, £29; J. Colloty, £33; and W. Gould, £3O. We accepted W. Gould’s tender, and I think I may vilely >ay he has given general satisfaction to,all concerned. Of course you are aware there has been some expense incurred besides the' ranger’s salary. Owing to the excessive growth of vege- ' tation last 'summer we had to put the ranger on eight extra days to give the k races a thorough cleaning out, which \incnrred an extra expense of £2. The "next trouble we had to contend with was the river leaving the .filter box. Three of ns visited the head-race works, and we r came to the conclusion that we could do nothing without the engineer’s opinion. The result was that the extra work had to be done up there, which cost us £2 10s. Timber had to be got for constructing the culvert on the catting, ‘ which amounted to £1 6s fid. Bent of school ' was £l. During the month of July a very awkward slip occurred in the cutting, entirely blocking the water and causing great inconvenience. 1 had to put two me" on, one of whom was the ranger, to clear it out... It was very difficult work, as it required a stage to be thrown out . on the bank. This job cost the district £4 9s 6d. The total expenditure for the past year is as follows:—Banger’s salary, £3O; extra work cleansing races, £2; extra work at head works, £2 10s; timber for catting, £l. 6s fid; rent for school, £1; cleaning out catting, £4 9s 6d; atamps and advertising, £1 ; total, _ £42 fis lid. These amounts are only as far as the committee are concerned. 1 hope this report will give you alh satisa faction, and that now you will elect five * men who will manage your affairs for the ensuing year without fear or favor. 1 the outgoing committee for the support they have given me in the past. “John Thatcher, “ Chairman.” After the report was adopted, the meeting proceeded with the election of a new committee, the following being :—Messrs A. Maclean, J. Thatcher, C. Hewson, K. Mackenzie, and W. HewBOD. At the meeting of the committee held afterwards Mr K. Mackenzie was elected chairman. . It was resolved to call for tenders for the post of ranger for the ensuing year; Specifications of his duties to be seen with the chairman. It was agreed to bold the meetings as usual—first Friday in each month. The meeting then closed.