MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LII, Issue 4783, 16 July 1932, Page 3

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

monthly*’ MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Moutoa Drainage Board was hold in the Board’s office on Thursday evening, presided over by Trustee J. Chrystall (Chairman). Also present were Trustees W. E. Barber, B. G. Gower and D. Purcell. TREASURER’S REPORT. The treasurer reported as follows • The bank balances are as follows : Bank N.Z. No. 1 Account, credit, .€590 12/1, No. ,2 Account, credit, €225 2/3. P.0'.5.8. credit, £SI Ci/-. The balances of the ledger accounts arc as follows: General Account credit, €520 18/-, Interest Account credit, ,€217 14/1, Contractor’s Deposits Account, credit, £2, Floodgate Loan Account credit, £75 2/3. RATES COME IN WELL. The clerk reported that the amount of rates paid to date amounted to £llß9 19/2 which left a balance outstanding of £283 12/10, of this amount £233 IS/7 being general and £49 14/3 special rates. The rates outstanding last year totalled £74 17/8, hut of this the Board was certain of recovering £OO 8/-. Members expressed their satisfaction at the manner in which the rates had come in and the report was adopted. Accounts amounting to £392 5/9 were passed for payment. FOREMAN’S REPORT.

The foreman (Mr. T. A. Robinson) reported that during the month the following has been carried out: Deepening 12 chains of Cook’s drain and 4 chains of Carter’s drain. Owing to the recent flood the deepening operations had to be suspended for an indefinite period and the gang of men under No .5 scheme finished up on June 30th, i after cleaning most of the weeds out of Smith’s and Carter’s drains. At present I'am working on,a number of slips in Smith’s drain and if the water gets a little lower I will take up the bottom of the two drains, as the water was too high when the hulk of the weeds were removed. I have been over the whole drain area removing the flood debris from bridges and . fences. During the two recent floods the main drain floodgates worked very satisfactorily, there being only a small amount of silt up against the doors during the first flood. I will grub the gorse on the Board’s stop hank at Moutoa when conditions arc unsuitable for draining. I also find it necessary to do some willow planting on both sides of the main drain outlet on the river side of the floodgates. The Chairman reported on an inspection made of the TCari North drain and stated that the roots of the swan grass taken from this drain had been deposited on the banks.and there was a danger of them spreading. The sides of this drain had been treated with a weed killer last year with very beneficial results and he would not like to see the weed given a chance to spread again. He suggested that the sAvail grass roots be shovelled or dragged hack further from the drain. The report \A r as adopted and it Avas decided to have the Aveeds attended to at an early date. THE MAIN DRAIN FLOODGATES Trustee Purcell reported that the wafer Avas cutting in on the south side of the gates, and suggested the remoA r al of some stumps in front of the doors. Trustee Gower also reported on an inspection of the gates and suggested the removal of the stumps with small charges of gelignite. The time was also opportune for removing the clay bank. The matter Avas left in the hands of Trustee G o Aver to confer with the foreman; The Chairman referred to the necessity of remoAnng all surplus timber from the floodgate site and this matter Avas left in his and Trustee Gower’s hands to arrange. The Clerk reported that the cost of Avidening the Main Drain floodgates had exceeded the estimate by approximately £l2O, the cost being in the vicinity of £ll2O. Trustee W. E .Barber considered that the Board had got a £2OOO job for its monev.

Trustee Gower expressed the op-inion-that some minor adjustment AA*as required to one of the doors but members agreed that the work carried out had been a credit to the engineer and all concerned, and the engineer (Mr. H. V. Bond) was voted £2O as remuneration for his services. GENERAL. Notification was received from the Unemployment Board Insurance Company that the premium on relief Avovkers had geen reduced to 25/-. A letter Avas received from .Mr. J. Cameron, of Moutoa, thanking the Board forMhe assistance it had given him in the matter of drainage and banking Avork. , It AA-as decided that notice be given under section 27 of the Land Drainage Act to Messrs Stevens, Austin and Easton to remove all AvilloAvs overhanging and growing in the Diagonal Drain and all overhanging AvilloAvs in Lean’s Drain.