LAND DRAINAGE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 170, 19 June 1936, Page 9

LAND DRAINAGE

MAKERUA BOARD. Tlie Makerua Drainage Board met. yesterday, Trustee H. Seifert presiding. Also present were Trustees T. D. Lynch, "NV. J. Ross, G. Larsen, W. Jackson and J. D. Aitchison. The statement' of finance to June 18 showed the amount of the intersection channel loan to ho £1350 and the pumping plant loan £350. There was £9B 19s credited to the former account and £315 debited to the latter. In the general account it was shown that the overdraft at the bank on May 14 had been £3997 2s. Items of expenditure had been: —No. 5 scheme wages, £9 15s; drain maintenance, £125 14s Id; river maintenance, £4l 12s; motor truck, £5 13s; pumping plant, £598 10s 4d; Mukapai floodgate, £325 14s lid. Lodgments to date had been £2363 5s 7d, leaving' a bank overdraft on June 18 of £2232 6s 9d. In the arrears of rates statement the amounts outstanding on March 31. 1936, were : —For 1934-35, £443 17s 2d ; 1933-34, £428 2s Id ; 1932-33, £4B 15s lid; 1935-36, £1421 14s lOd; a total of £2342 10s. A resolution was passed confirming the general rate struck for the year 1936-37. The special rates were also struck. The clerk reported that the total expenditure to date on works covered by the flood damage loan of £SOOO had been £lOlO 17s. Various amounts had been :—Coley’s bend, £230 16s 2d ; Seifert’s drain outlet. £lB3 Os 3d; Mukapai floodgate, £597 0s 7d. The clerk reported that no objections had been received to the proposed raising a loan of £I2OO for the purpose of deepening and widening Akers’s, Lynch s, and the old Main Drains, the rate of interest to be 31 per cent., with a sinking fund of not less than 3 per cent., for a period not exceeding 20 years. It was decided to apply for the loan.

The chairman, in his report on an inspection of Coley’s bend temporary bank and the action if any to be taken in the matter of fencing, etc., contended that action could he deferred and a motion was passed to this effect. OVERSEER’S REPORT.

The report of the overseer (Mr P. V. Tucker) which was read and adopted stated: —The cleaning of the old Main Drain north of Campbell’s Road has been carried out, also Ross’s and Wall’s Drains. A break in the projection at Upper Whitanui has been repaired with a light brush groyne and willow fascines. Willows have also been planted where necessary on this length. The erosion at Lower Poplar will next receive attention.

CORRESPONDENCE. A reply was received from the Department of Internal Affairs concerning the 10 per cent-, penalty on unpaid rates, stating that the Government had given consideration to the matter and had decided to bring down legislation for the purpose of authorising local authorities’, if they so desired, to postpone or remit the 10 per cent, penalty on unpaid rates for the year 1935-36. —Received. In replv to a letter received from Mr P. F. Wall asking if the outlet from the creek on Mr Seifert’s boundary had been cleaned out this season, the clerk reported that ho had advised Mr Wall that the drain had been cleaned immediately after the meeting of the board on May 14. Mr A. Cave, in reply to a letter received on May.2B asking him to name drains that' he alleged the board had cleaned, said that he did not know the names of the drains, except that they were, not on his side of the Tokomaru River. He understood that the board was raising a loan for the cleaning of Akers s, Lynch’s, and the Main Drain, which he knew were not on his side of the Tokomaru River. He stated that he wa.s willing to clean the road drain if the board would prevent water from the stopbank flooding his farm. Though his farm was supposed to be in A class of farm lands it ought to be in D class, he contended. He stated that he derived no benefit from his rating and' he hoped that one of the members of the board would inspect the posi-

tion and have something done before the wet weather set in.—Received. The Minister of Finance (Hon. IV. Nash), in reply to the letter of May 2 addressed to the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple), in connection with the proposal of the board to borrow £SOOO for the restoration of flood damage, stated that he had now had an opportunity of discussing the matter with his colleague and desired to set out the Government intentions of assisting local bodies with the repair of flood damage. The Minister stated that the attitude of the Government in this respect was that a subsidy would be made' available where necessary up to the maximum of £3 for £l, and if the local body could not borrow through ordinary channels the Government would give every assistance. Such action would be taken, however, onlv if the local authority had exhausted every effort to arrange the finance itself. He stated that it was obvious from this that the Government was doing its best for local bodies and it was the duty of these bodies to do their best to help themselves. —The letter was received, appreciation being expressed of the Government’s assistance in connection with the repairing of flood damage resulting from the storm on February 2. It was decided to apply for a subsidy on the £lOlO 1/s already expended of the £SOOO loan for repair work.