DRAINAGE BOARD.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20421, 16 December 1931, Page 13

DRAINAGE BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Christchurch Drainage Board met la.Bt night. Present: Messrs W. J. Walter (chairman), J. W. Bean land, 5. .H. S. Hamilton, Chas. Hill, J. S. Barnett, H. G. Livingstone, W. C. Large, H, J. Otley, and 0. S. McCully. Apologies were accepted from Messrs S. C. Bingham and W. R. Carey. The finance Committee reported the receipt of a letter from the Controller and Auditor-General stating, in reply to one from the Board, that the Riccarton Borough Council had advised the Audit Department that the matter of the payment of 10 per cent, penalties on rates was under discussion between the Board and the Council. The secretary had been instructed to reply that the matter had been discussed informally some time ago, and the Borough had agreed to advise the Board of the amount due, but up, to the present this information had not been forwarded. The report was adopted. Works Committee. The Works Committee reported thai the Christchurch City Council had approved of the diversion of the Heathcote river at Cashmere, and the Board'd engineer had been instructed to put the work in hand under the No. 5 Scheme. The offer of Messrs T. F. Parks and W. W. McClelland to cover in a portion of Hunter's drain through their properties, and to provide all material if the Board carried out the work, had been accepted, and the work would be carried out under the No. 5 Scheme. The work done by the unemployed consisted of deepening and widening Heathcote river from Barrington street to the bridge at Cashmere estate, and the men had been transferred to the portion of the river between Colombo and Barringtou streets. Other works Deepening and widening Spelling's drain; re-grading Barker's and Corsor's (Trains; deepening Papanui creek; and sand filling .if water-logged ground, improvement to -drainage of milking shed, and digging corners of paddocks recently ploughed at the Farm Reserve. It was recommended that tenders be called for the renovation of the Board's cottages og

the Farm Reserve. The Board was recommended to take over the length of the drain from St> John street to F. C. Seyb, Bromley road. The engineer reported on inspection of plumbing and drainage, and set out that during the period of greatest activity in the making of sewer connexions the inspection of the sanitary work in t6e old sewerage area had fallen into arrears. There were 10,000 of these installations that were 20 or more years old, and probably many major defects existed. He was convinced that there was work for the present staff for two or three months. The committee had approved of the report, and recommended that the matter be reconsidered at the expiration of three months. The report- was adopted. *"■ Sewage Farm. The secretary (Mr C. F. Champion) reported that tenders for the lease of the sewage farm had closed on December 7th, but not one tender was received; only one person had looked at the conditions. The sum of £9l had been received during the past month » .for grazing, and if that continued it would equal the rent. They had been offered £lO for ten acres of hay. The matter of the disposal of the hay was left in the hands of the sub-com-mittee set up to deal with matters connected with the farm. •