LAKE ELLESMERE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20648, 10 September 1932, Page 9

LAKE ELLESMERE.

DRAINAGE BOARD MEETS. At the monthly meeting ol : the Ellesniere Lands Drainage Board, sympathy was expressed with the relatives of Messrs Henry Neale (a former secretary), H. E. Peryman (a former member), and John MacKenzio (father of the present clerk and engineer). The members present at the meeting were: Messrs It. M. D. Morten (chairman), H. J. Macartney, F. Miller, John Sharp, F. Coop, 11. Pickering, and W. Downey.

The Paparua County Council forwarded a letter received from a number of ratepayers at Broadfield requesting that a. road culvert should be enlarged and that other improvements should be made. It was decided to reply that the Board did not recognise any liability, and that if there was any obstruction to the drainage it was caused by the existence of the road. A request was received for work to be done to improve Minchin's creek, but the Board did not consider it practicable to make the deviation suggested. It would, however, effect all reasonable improvements to the creek. Attention was drawn to the condition of floodgates on Blackler's drain, but the matter was held over pending the receipt of a report on the legal position. It was stated that the total wages spent by the Board on unemployment relief amounted to £3201 Is 3d. Reports* on the work of cutting an outlet for Lake Ellesmere were received from the engineer and foreman. The dragline excavators had worked very satisfactorily, a conservative estimate of the quantity of shingle shifted being 9780 cubic yards. When the channel started to scour successfully the height of the water was only 2ft 3in, and it was very satisfactory to have succeeded with the water at such a low level. The chairman remarked that the level of 2ft 3in was the lowest in the Board's records at which the lake had been let out with scoops, hut with the old culvert it had been let out at Ift llin. The total cost of the recent work was in the vicinity of £ll7. Tt appeared that a lower - level could lie managed in the late spring or summer months.

Mr Coop commented that it was satisfactory to know that the Board now had wlant which would do the .work so effectively. He asked that a detailed statement/should- be prepared sbowinsj the total cost of the work. . The engineer was instructed to orepar® .tho" statement for, and to appoint a '"custodian.' for the Board's property at the lake.