WATER-SUPPLY BOARD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIII, Issue 12160, 26 March 1900, Page 2

WATER-SUPPLY BOARD.

The ordinary meeting of the WaimakaririAshley Water-Supply Board was held on March 15; present Messrs O'Halloran (chairman), Horrell, Dalziel and Dixon. Tenders were accepted for the construction of thirty-six and a half miles of races. Mr T. Powell was the successful contractor. Mr Horrell proposed that ten day's official notice should be given of the Board's intention to shut off the water altogether for clearing purposes. This was seconded by the Chairman, who took that action because of disloyalty to the Board on the part of many ratepayers who would not help to keep their races in order. The motion was lost, and, after a long discussion, it was unanimously . resolved that the engineer should take steps, after the necessary legal notice had been given, to stopthe water from such races as were, in his opinion, in most need of repair, and failing those races being cleared by the landowners and occupiers, that he should have the races cleared at their cost with 25 per cent added for supervision. It was also decided that the engineer should be authorised to prosecute the owners with a view of enforcing the penalties prescribed under the WaterSupply Act. The Board authorised the engineer to make arrangements for luncheon for those who were invited to inspect the headworks on March 31, and to see about conveyances from the Oxford Railway Station. The Engineer reported that there was only two feet of water in the river at the intake, and he expressed the opinion that any work in. the river sufficiently substantial to raise the level of water in. the •channel by damming it, would cause a deposit of shingle in it, and would block the water from the intake. Mr Lugar was granted 10s towards the construction of a suitable culvert. A letter Was received from the Ashley Road Board by the Chairman, as Chairman of the local bodies interested in thirds, asking him to call, at an early date, a meeting of the local bodies with a view to pressing their claims for thirds upon the Government during the next session of Parliament, and to forwarding a monster petition of ratepayers for this purpose. The Secretary was instructed to reply that some of the members of the Local Bodies' Conference would be in Oxford on March 31, when no doubt a date could be arranged.