DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 11891, 20 May 1903, Page 7

DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE BOARD.

o The ordinary meeting of the Drainage and Sewerage Board was held last evening, and attended by Messrs R. Glendining (chairman), J. Hazlett, G. L. Denniston, W. Burnett, J. H. Han6ock, R. Map's Clark, J. Gore, the Hon. H. Gourley, and Dr Coughtrey. —Correspondence.— The Town Clerk wrote enclosing a statement showing the amount paid by the City Council for competitive designs for the drainage and sewerage of the district, and stating that he would be glad if the Board would have the same settled, as provided in subsection 8 of section 63 of the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Act, 1900. The town clerk detailod the expenses incurred from January 25, 1895, to September 30, 1895, amounting to £1,135 19s 4d.—The Chairman: We have never been able to get the plans or any information from the City Council about them. Mr Gore, perhaps, could give some information on the point.—Mr Gore: These designs were advertised for and received when Mr Fish was mayor. I cannot see that we are liable for things we have not used. Had we taken the plans and acted on them we might have been liable.—The Chairman: We applied for these plans in the early stages of our existence, and we were told we could sot get them unless we paid something like £l,ooo.—Mr Gore: The City Council have received a great number of reports from Mr Miller. F.S.A., downwards.—On the motion of Mr Gourley it was decided to decline liability in the matter.

The Town Clerk wrote acknowledging receipt of„ the Board's letter in reference to the correspondence which had passed between the city engineer and the drainage engineer, and intimating that the correspondence was accepted as official. As, however, the letters which were submitted to the Board were not considered as the whole of the correspondence dealing with the matter, he was instructed to request that the Board would supply the Council with a copy of the whole of the correspondence. He was also instructed to call attention to the following extract from Mr Anderson's letter to Mr Rogers of March 27 : —"That your attitude was the same as the uncompromising attitude adopted by your Council to the Board," and to ask in what manner the Council had adopted an uncompromising attitude towards the Board. —The letter was received. Dr Ogston wrote again regarding the drainage in Tho Glen. Mornington, and in respect to which the Board had stated they had no power to take any action. The Health Officer complained that the gutters in the road above the ditch, which was said to be on private property, required attention.—Referred to the Works Committee. —The Works Committee.— The Works Committee reported that the engineer submitted drawings of the types of earthenware pipes that would be required by the Board in their future operations, and these were now open for the inspection of local manufacturers. With reference to the letter from the Dunedin and Suburban Conservation Society, the engineer had been instructed to put in three chains of 4in drain pipe. The Committee recommended that an aerial tramway connection between the Bird Islands and the mainland be constructed, in accordance with the engineer's recommendation in report No. 18 of the 7th of February, as follows:—"The work of surveying and locating with the present want of facilities will be difficult, expensive, and more or less unconvincing to the local residents. Before this work is und.rtaken I therefore recommend that about £6O be expended in making an aerial tramwav connection between the mainland and the islands, so that the islands may be accessible during the .greater part of the tides." The aerial tramway is a wire rope connection, and would be s"o constructed as to form a portion of the works which will be necessary for such constructive operations as will subsequently be needed. The engineer submitted the actual cost of the Monier work he had already done for the Board, and it showed that his original estimate had not been exceeded. The Committee further recommended that an advertisement be placed in the papers notifying the various local authorities and propertyowners within the .Board's area that they must comply with by-law No. 1, clause 3, regulating: construction and repairing of drains.—The report was adopted. —The Drainage Operations.—

Dr Coughtrey, the mover of the report, nis.de the following statement:—ln starting large drainage and hewerage constructive operations for the district it must be borr.e in mind that it is built up bit by bit en a methodical and defined basis. It is l:ko building a house—the foundations are to be first laid before the superstructure can be superimposed on them. The first object is to get rid of the sewage and drainage of the district- at whatever points it has been determined under the scheme that has been adopted to discharge those effluents. With that view in end, our engineer (as he foreshadowed in his report to the Board in September last) proposes to start operations at the main outfall, and the aerial rope to-day advised is the first stage at that part. ' The fencing of the suction well and pumping station site will be promptly followed by operations there. The designs for the suction well have been slightly modifid, so as to enable it to be covered in if it was later on found necessary. By the 16th of next month the engineer expects to have the specifications for the engines and boilers laid before the Board. And he has already written to Europe to ascertain more data about the auxiliary engines (the Diesel oil engines), so as to give ample time to the Board to call for tenders for them. It is proposed early to call for tenders for the outfall section of the large intercepting channel, which will ultimately extend from the Glen to the Southern Ocean near Forbury Head. The plans and specifications for this are nearly ready, and our engineer has so designed this work that in the meantime the polluted water will- continue to flow through the Flat areas as it does at present, and so will temporarily all ordinary rainfalls. This will enable this important conduit, until such time as the other parts of the scheme are developed, when sewage will be separated from drainage over the areas served by this channel, to act at its inception as a relief or safety valve during times of heavy flood. To facilitate and hasten the economical carrying out of important works of this character our engineer suggests that the contracts for this outfall section be divided into three sections. This will afford greater opportunities to contractors of moderate means to tender for these works. He does not anticipate that any of these contracts will exceed £2,000 in value, and, so far, he has no doubt but that the whole work will be carried out for considerably under his original estimate. The Sun printing apparatus, already passed by the Board, is now well in hand, and all the necessary prints for these contracts can be turned out within three weeks from now, so that tenders for many of these import' ant works can be returnable by the middle of next month. Within the City the first of the detritus tanks designed by the engineer is to-day recommended to be put up to tender in connection with the Frederick street sewer. These detritus tanks will have the effect of at once mitigating the offensive condition of the Otago Harbor, and the sooner this is done the better for the health and comfort of the City community. For although they are technically called detritus tanks, they are, as designed, more strictly a combined septic and detritus tanks; but ultimately tney will only be used as detritus tanks. The Frederick street one will soon be followed by similar tanks at the other storm-water conduits eiyptvin? into the harbor. Tidal flaps have been. recommended, for which tenders can at once be called for the various harbor outfalls. Pari passu with these operations there are many; parts of the district, more especially within the hill suburbs and the North-east Valley and the City areas where reticulating work can be in places undertaken. These reticulations will practically be part of the permanent work, and will alleviate grievances that undoubtedly cxist in various places. At the same time care will require fco.be exercised that these' works' of reticulation in advance ;irc proceeded with cautiously, bavin" a due regard, to the economical expenditure of our moneys and to watch that we do not by

precipitancy create greater nuisances than those already existing. —The Engineer's Report.— The Engineer reported as follows:—" (1) Steps have been taken to comply with clauses Nos. 37 and 38 of the Amended Act, 1902. (2) It will be remembered that the annual- contracts for bricks and cement were held back until the Board Lad decided on their line of policy. I recommended that these be altered, and instead of the Board calling for tenders for these materials for the supply of an indefinite quantity during a definite time, that the Board call for tenders for a definite lot from time to time. (3) This, system will be necessary should the Board decide on the line of policy I recommended in my first report, from which the following is 'extracted: 'Questions of Policy: There can be no question but that you Mill secure the best work at the lowest rost by purchasing all material, instead of leaving tho responsibility and weight of such purchase to the contractors. From almost every point of view this policy will commend itself.'" The engineer then explained in detail the above points. Some discussion took place on clauses 2 and 3, which were eventually referred to the Works Committee for a report. A month's leave of ahsence was granted to the'secretary, Mr S. H. Mirams.