DRAINAGE BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 12163, 6 April 1904, Page 6

DRAINAGE BOARD.

The members of the Drainage Board present at the regular meeting last night wereMr R. Gkndmng (chairman). Dr Coughtrey, the Hon. H. Gourlcy, Mr T. Soott, Mr J. Hazlett, Mr It. Maris Clark, Mr W. Burnett, and .the engineer (Mr J. T. Noble Anderson), —General.— On the motion of Dr Coughtrey a month’s further leave of absence was granted to Mr J. Gore. It was stated that Mr Gore was not seriously unwell, but was forced to keep to bis bouse for a little while, Mr John W. Mullin wrote complaining of a nuisance on the Town Belt opposite his Royal terrace property.—Referred to Works Committee to act. The Dunedin town clerk sent word that the Board’s application for permission to open up York place for sewer repair purposes had been granted. It was agreed that the liquidated damages, amounting to £24, deducted from Messrs W. Duncan and Sons, in respect to the Frederick street sewer, be remitted as a compassionate allowance. The Board regretted that they could not see their way to further increase the salary of Mr W. Aitcheson Smith, the chief assistant engineer. —The Plans.— Mr M. Cohen, editor ‘ Evening Star,’ wrote under date 25th March :—“ I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday’s date, and have to thank your Board for their courtesy in agreeing to submit ‘the eompPte plans’ for the sewerage system of the City and suburbs for my inspection. I do not profess to have the technical knowledge that would enable me to say whether tiny plans that might be presented to me disclose a ‘ complete ’ system of drainage, therefore I do not purpose availing myself of your offer unless I am to be at liberty to bring with mo a professional adviser. May I be permitted to suggest that in my humble opinion the purpose that your Board evidently have in view would be better served were they to ask either Mr Robert Hay or Mr Mestayer (of Wellington) to make a definite declaration as to the completeness or otherwise of the aforesaid plans. I am confident that either of these gentlemen will satisfy the bulk of the public, and a pronouncement by either will prove generally acceptable to the community.” The Chairman said the Board had already bad three engineers reporting on the scheme and on the plans, and he did not see why Mr Mestayer or anyone else should now be asked to report on the plans. Mr Burnett: But this is not to report on the plans. It is simply to see if the plans are complete. Mr Scott said that the Board might have completed plans, but if so he had never seen them. There was a good deal in what they called completed plans. The Board might have a completed scheme, but that was different to having completed plans. He. took it that plans could be called completed plans when they were such as those, which Sir Mansergh supplied to Melbourne. As a member of the City Council he (Mr Scott) could say that that body had never seen completed plans, though they had asked for them again and again. He did not deny | that there were such plans, but if there were they should lie on the Board’s table, where every member could see them. He for one was not going oat to Anderson Bay to see them. The plans should be in the : Board’s office in town. He thought they ; should agree to Mr Cohen’s proposal and let [ Mr. Hay decide whether there were com- : pleted plans. Ho did not suppose that the I editor of the ‘ Star ’ wished the Board! to | pay Mr Hay. 1 The Chairman said that the plans would fill the Board chamber ten times over. The Board had asked the City Council for plans, ( but those had not been produced, Mr Scott: You were told months ago * that yon would receive them as soon as you asked for them. The Chairman: We have asked and never j got them. | The Hon. H. Gourley said that to put i an end to this question he would move that Mr Cohen be given permission to bring Mr Hay to see the plans with Mr Anderson. | Mr Burnett seconded the motion, and said he was sure the engineer would have 1 no objection. ! Mr Hazlett thought that the remarks that had fallen from Mr Scott were out of place Mr Scott tried to represent the City Council at the Board’s table, whereas the’ Board were no* confined to representing the City, but represented all the smraaading boroughs as wdL If Mr Scott were sincere, instead of coming to the. Board and making such statements as he had made he teobH caJl ut Jhe see

the planp imd ascertain if he -was correct That was what he (Mr Hazlett) wotdd do if he wanted to see the plans. Mr Anderson was <juite prepared to show them TTa (Mr Hazett) was not against the motion. At the same time he was not sure that it would be wise to call in another engineer. Where , would it end? There had been three engineers already, and no end of amateur engineers as well as the Ratepayers’ Association. The , Board would consult their dignity, he thought, by supporting the engineer and going on with the work.

Dr Coughtrey supported Mr Hazlett’s remarks, anti would add that the Board’s plans were more complete than those prepared by Mr Mansergh for Melbourne. From absolutely authoritative information, he could say that the Melbourne Board did not possess anything like the detailed plana this Board did.

The Chairman: As far as I know, and as far as I am concerned, we have nothing to fear. We are here to do our dutv° whether Mr Soott thinks it wise or not. He is a member of the Ratepayers’ Association— Mr Scott: Ivo, lam not.

The Chairman; I beg your pardon. I thought you were. Anyway, we are here to do the best we can to save the ratepayers’ money, and we are not going to be dictated to by certain gentlemen here. If we did we would let the ratepayers into awful expense. The motion was then carried.

—The Marine Department's Demand.— The Engineer laid on the table copies of correspondence between himself and Mr G. Allport. Secretary of Marine. The letter from Mr Allport stated that in addition to plans and information supplied re sewage outfall at Bird Island the Board should deposit in the Public Works Office for approval of the Govemorin - Council plans in duplicate showing position and alignment of proposed outfall culvert from high-water mark on Tomahawk Beach to its terminus on Bird Island, together with longitudinal section showing proposed culvert and details of its construction, as well as of inlet well of siphon and outfall works on. top of Bird Island. To tins the engineer had replied that he was willing to supply all details as asked, but only out of courtesy and without prejudice, and he forwarded a communication in duplicate showing in detail the works, which the Board proposed to carry out on Tomahawk Beach and on Bird Island. Scott asked if the Board had dealt with this correspondence in any shape or form. He, as a member, knew nothing of it except what he had seen in the daily Press. The Board should have been consulted about it before its despatch. There were one or two remarks in the engineer’s letters that be (Mr Scott) did not agree with. The language used was not of a conciliatory nature, and he thought it should not have been used.—(Dr Coughtrey: “What language?”) He referred to that in which the Government’s right to interfere at all was not admitted, and it was stated that plans were sent merely out of courtesy. Dr Coughtrey: That is according to cnr solicitors.

Mr Scott said it was not co rt cilia torv langiiage, and before these answers were sent the Board should have been consulted. This correspondence had been going on without the Board, as such, knowing anything about rt. fcuch a thing would not be allowed in any elective board he knew of. Dx Coughtrey said that when this matter was brought up it was relegated to the Beard s solicitors to settle the reply, and had Mr Scott been present at last meeting he would have seen that. fßurnett - Surely the Government have a right to ask for these plans. Dr Coughtrey said the plans were practically the same as had been tornished in Juiy, only they were on a larger scale. The correspondence was received. —The Outfall.—

The letters between the Crown Solicitor , and the Board’s solicitors with reference to the work at Bird Island (said letters appeared in last night’s ‘Evening Star’) having been read, Mr Hazlett asked if it was the case as stated in their solicitors’ letter that no work had gone on since that time, j The Chairman : That is the case, as far j as I know. j Dr Coughtrey said he had asked their tn--1 grp.oer time and again if the spirit and :n----1 teuton of their reply of February 18 lad Been carried out, and he had assured him i th'it it had been. One matter in that cmi- ; nection he (Dr Coughtrey) held it his public ! <Bity to call attention to. Their solicitors had communicated with them, .aid raid that the Crown Solicitor Lad gone out there with i a public official, a member of the Public Works Office, and seen the Board’s men working. Now he felt more emboldened I to speak exactly his mind when he found ! that kind of thing going on. He felt that if ■ the Board were going to be treated as if , they were guilty of Sunday trading or sly grog-selling or keeping an illicit “tote” j shop, things were coming to a very pretty ! pass. They had honestly as a Board been [ guided by their solicitors (originally ter Chapman, and later by Messrs Moody" Sim, and Stephens) to do their work fairly and squarely according to the spirit of their Act. In speaking of the prerogatives of the Crown, there was no doubt that every one of the Board’s members was desirous of obeying the law. But there were also the ; prerogatives of the people and of the mem- . oers of the Board. It was a very seiious matter, indeed, when a gentleman cruld go and act in that manner who in the past had written letters to their Board and actually printed letters in the Press showing personal animus to the Board and especially towards j their engineer. As a ratepayer and a trus- | tee of the ratepayers, he felt it his duty to j protest against such improper action, and he would, he felt, be wanting in manliness did he not do so.

Mr Hazlett said that if the Board had complied with the Government's request ard stopped the work, although the cbairm-n had not pledged his word for it, he look it that what the Government had asked for had been complied with. Jle ires red there would now he no further e;m-e of friction between the Government and the Board.

The Chairman said the repast of the Government had been complied with. Their engineer was present and ecu Id ted the Board so definitely liimself. The Engineer said that the reply sent to Messrs Mondy, Sim, and Stepaens was that no works were being carrie 1 ant at Bird Island within six feet of high-water mark. The reply also stated that work was going on six feet above high-water mark. They were not splitting Straws as u> where highwater mark was, bnt were keeping a fathom above it. There were six men v.a rking there, and each of them c,mld swear to this. The correspondence was mrentc-i a? receivel. —Anonymous Letters.— Mr Clark said he wished to bring up a personal matter. He had received an anonymous letter recommending him to resign from the Board, and saying if be did not do so the writer would visit him with seme financial loss. The matter was really trivial, bnt when one received a letter of that kind it was best to mention it. Dr Coughtrey said that he also had received an anonymous letter, i hough not altogether of as practical a eJiar.ierer as that received by Mr Clark, but it was a nm-i singular thing, he thought, that tne langnage and the sentiments tbit pervaded Mr Clark’s letter were identical with sentiments that had been expressed by an important public official in this district. The Chairman said that he also had been warned that if he did not retire from the Board he wonld be ruined.—(Laughter.) It was an infamous thing to write 'letters of this kind. The person who wrote to Mr Clark said: “If you do not retire you will lose yonr billet,” He (the chairman) knew where the letter came from—he knew the writing in the letter—hut he had this to say : The Board would do what they thought best in the interests of the people, and at the same, time they would stand by Mr Clark. Those who were customers of the business with which Mr Clark was connected would also protect him He was sure the directors of the South British Insurance Company were not going to lose Mr Clark’s services. Mr Scott had also received an anonymous letter, which was in a totally different strain. He put it in the waste paper basket. He desired to take exception to one remark made by Dr. Coughtrey, who referred to the letter-writing as beino- fhe work of some prominent public official

Mr Scott said there was an insinuation to that effect, and it was not fair to the public officials in Dunedin that such a statement should be made without naming the individual. If Dr Coughtrey intended the remark to apply to him (the speaker) he knew how to characterise it. Hie Chairman: No; he did not refer to you. Mr Scott said there was no knowing where an insinuation of the kind might stick, and very often it stuck in the wrong place. For himself, he always signed his name to letters. Mr Hazlett thought the Board were wandering from their business. It was a mistake to take any notice of anonymous letters. He would not trouble to if he received a bushel of them. That was • not the business for which they had met. The Chairman said it was as well to ventilate the matter. —-Works 6ommitt.ee.— Dr Coughtrey, chairman of the. Works Committee, reported as follows: Remitted matters.—(l) The engineer has been authorised to accept Mr Calling’s offer for the surplus soil from the work on the Board’s Musselburgh property. (2) Fresh tenders are to be called for express hire. (3) The Committee have agreed to the recommendation of the engineer for the drainage of a house in Queen street, and he has been authorised to deal with the matter, (4) The date of hearing of tbe Colonial Fecro-Concrete Syndicate’s application for patent rights in concrete work has been arranged for April 26, to allow of the engineer’s attendance at Wellington. Works.— (5) Two mud tanks are to be placed in Rankeillor street, Cavershatn. (6) A bad .break on the Caversham main sewer on the Main South road is receiving attention, i't) The engineer having’reported the dangerous condition of a section of the York place sewer (103 ft Sin), it was decided to nave the matter attended to promptly. (8) It wap recommended that the engineer be authorised to put in hand tbe Monier work for the main intercepting sewer, and to give notice to the Assets Board and other authorities. Routine.—(9) The reports of the officers in charge of the various authorised works are laid on the table. (10) Accounts amounting to £2,240 8s 7d were examined and passed for payment. The report was adopted. —Finance Committee.—

The Finance Committee reported that accounts amounting to £2,240 8s 7d, passed by the Works Committee on the 24th ult., had been passed for payment and cheques signed; that accounts amounting to £435 5s 3d had been passed for payment and cheques signed; that the sum of £4,591 13s 4d had been paid into the bank since the last meeting of the Committee for rates, this amount including deposits accompanying tenders for second issue of debentures; that the bank pass book, laid on the table, showed credits as follow:—Aggregate fund, £12,516 Os 9d; trust account, £212 19s 4d. —The report was adopted, —Criticisms and Corrections,— I>r Coughtrey said the statement had been made that the Forbfiry drain, as carried out by the Board’s day labor, was 2in too high. When that allegation come to his ears fire or six weeks ago he asked the engineer to investigate it, and as a result of the engineer’s inquiries he was now quite certain the statement was not true. The error was not made by a Drainage Board employee, bat by the contractor. The engineer reported that the contractor in transferring the levels supplied him from the surface to the bottom of his trench had made errors varying in parts from half fin inch to an inch and three-quarters. Obviously all that could be dare was to ease off the grades by cement-plastering the invert, and this had been done at the contractor’s cost' He (Dr Cough troy) had also to report that a bib of damage had been done on the works at Tomahawk Beach, A little of the staging between the large posts which ran across from the mainland and the trestles above high-water mark had been pinned together by sin nails, and the very reason these were washed away was that the Board had desisted, in loyalty to the Marine Department’s request, from making anything of a permanent structure of the work. The engineer, on the sth inst., reported on the matter as follows:—"The equinoctial tides brought up heavier seas last- week than any which have occurred with high tide on the Tomahawk Beach since November, 1892. The result has been that the usual currents which came in from Bird Island, and are deflected by the Tomahawk Beach to seaward, came in more on the Ocean Beach, and swept strongly past the Tomahawk Beach, with the result thatthe hulk of material carried by the current from the south was deposited on the Ocean Beach, and in the first- instance at St Clair, and the full force -of the current from the south-west on the Tomahawk Beach, especially the second Tomahawk Beach, was such that not only was very little material deposited, but the great bulk of what was already there was swept away, and the level of the sand at and above high-water mark was reduced by the fretting of the waves from 2ft to 4ft. As occurred on a similar occasion when I visited these beaches with you, there is a large quantity of old seaweed exposed to view. ” I called the attention of His Worship the Mayor and Mr Allan, who visited the beach yesterday, to the fact that the bulk of the seaweed at Tomahawk Beach was old seaweed that had merely been displaced by the recent waves. Practically no damage of importance has been done to any of the Board’s works. (A list of the disturbances made by the waves was enclosed, the damage being estimated at £9 10s).” All the timber, washed away was recovered. There was this fact, too: There waa a wire rope that was intended to stretch from the bluff to the island that had I been lying on the beach for a time, the object being to take the kinks out of it. It had never been put up, and the rumor was that it had been washed down. Then, at the end of the main set of trestles there were certain posts which were deflected in a certain way to take the strain off, but people seeing these posts for the first time said : " Lock how these have been knocked over by the waves,” but it was nothing of the sort. The Board rose at 9.15 p.m.