HUTT RIVER BOARD.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 65, 14 September 1906, Page 2

HUTT RIVER BOARD.

A meeting of the Hutt River Board was held last evening. There were present : Messrs. W. G. Foster (chairman), A. Peters, R. Stevens, and O. Stevens. Before proceeding with the business of the meeting, the chairman proposed that a letter of condolence be forwarded to the widow of the late Mi\ D. Sloddcn, the first chairman of the board, and a short adjournment was made out ofr respect to his memory. A letter was received from Mr. M'Fadgen calling attention of the board to the action of the river in threatening the protective works constmcted on property formerly belonging to Mr. Caverhill. The foreman reported on the matter, and it was referred to the engineer to deal with, Mr. Kingdon wrote asking that the drain might be completed from his property to- the river. The foreman stated the work would be carried out on the pipes being supplied by Mr. Kinijdon. The monthly report of the foreman was read, in which it waa 6tated that_ tho protective work at Jones's camp was well advanced, and that the planting of willows and poplars had been successful. He also mentioned that he had measured up tho whole of the protective work, and ■ about 148 chains had been carried out. He futher mentioned that tho river bed had been considerably deepened from the pipe bridge to Jones's camp. He complained of the following acts of wanton trespass and injury to the board's property: — A scwt monkey had been thrown into the river near Jones's camp, together with an iron rail ; the winch had been disabled ; a boat had been taken away, and the locks injured. So far all efforts to find out the perpetrators of this mischief had failed, and the police had been, unsuccessful in tracing the offenders. The clerk had been instructed to advise the Inspector of Police in Wellington of what had occurred, and to ask that steps be taken to prevent a further recurrence. Attention was also drawn in the report to the action of a number of people trespassing on the stop-bank. It was decided to publish a warning that persons so trespassing would be prosecuted. The engineer was instructed to prepare plans and specifications as soon as possible for the protective works authorised to be carried out on Gear's Island, and a committee was appointed to confer with the engineer and niake arrangements for shifting the buildings ot the board's tenants where required. .A petition was received from a number of ratepayers requesting the board to select a site and erect a shed for bathers. The board approved of the scheme, and agreed to provide a site, . hut was unnble to erect the shed, as being outside its powers. General rates of l-ssth, l-9th, and 2-45tht. of a penny, and special rates of 99-200ths, 33-120tns, . rtnd 11-lOOMis of a penny, were authorised to be struck.