COPENSATION COURT.

Evening Star, Issue 12767, 21 March 1906, Page 4

COPENSATION COURT.

,;,' v\pTm MOMONArCLATMR.vi.-A^^ . (Before * r The bearhigvflf th£ *ciajp) pf ! Janiie§C l t>Jptia}J , ?. the; ; Qtakis 'Drairiage Board •at the Mpfcgiel ■ 'this v 'mprnpig.-- ; ;^Jr.' J;-"F/ M. appeared for the claimant,. Mr J- :G. 'Stephens ori : behalf;of 7 the SchooV Cp v and Mr > John Mac" Gregbr for t^e^defendani'Bbard.' Osborne Bekl, : 'further ftniin>| • by Mr "Ffawr, : that the nieasurements. oftbeMOmona; sluice "box given on the plan produced were correct. He did Dot consider' it necessary to take' a section of the box. It was a fact that there was a well-defined depression on each side of the box.' It was a fact 'that those depressions i Fonld facilitate the flow of water at flood i only to an infinitesimal extent. On that account he had not considered it 1 to show, the depressions, on the plan. 'His answer was to ; a great t extent ! based on the; supposition that in tune of flood tie.-water flowed down the natural basin at • Momdna. The quantity; of water in flood tune that got away oyer the bank on top of the. Mpmona box., was very slight indeed, because the height .of the depression of that bank ivas on an average ojprs than one foot higher than the.lowest' ground in Momoßa. Wjtness here calculated (3}'e heights of the depressions alongside the top of tie JiipmonaTbox. The congestion of tha box EWjiaffit a serious, congestion/; pf. the' water. : Alter, the point-of free escape down its natural, basin, th« congestipn of the box was hot serious. He saw! the water ! getting away at the level of the "natural basin the other day. As the box was so small, ifc was important to keep the outfall clear. He admitted, he was wrong in saying the box was not full on the 26th, the occasion of his visit. His memory pri that point had been at fault. Judging by his he wpuld think the water hi the depressions would be at about the same level as the water in Duck Greek. He understood that the Momona box was put in by the Government some years ago—that is, the money was found *by the Government and the box was put in by the Board. The levels he took were not taken with the assistance of any other professional man ; consequently, if there were any errors on his plan, he alone was responsible for them. He did not consider the system upon which Messrs Paterson and Wilmot had worked provided an independent check, and he considered there was in it a liability to mistake. He saw Messrs Paterson and Wilmot working together. He thought he had done more levelling than Mr Wilmjt and Mr Paterson put together. He knew Mr Wilmot was recognised as one of *h<* most careful of suryeyprs. So far as lie could see in the plan produced he did not think he would find any serious discrepancy between Mr Paterson's levels and his own. The main difference seemed to be that Mr Paterson njade the dam raised two incites more than witness did. As far as a great many important features were concerned, wjtness took a number of levels, where Mr Paterson had only taken a few. Witness went to more trouble and detajl than Mr Paterson. Levelling was not surveying, and surveyors did not do much leyellLig." (Left sitting.)