Makerua Drainage Board

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 58, 9 March 1945, Page 6

Makerua Drainage Board

The Alakerua Drainage Board met yesterday with Trustee J. D. Aitchison presiding over Trustees S. H. Claridge, H. Sames, I. Croad, W. McWilliams, W. Jackson and N. B. Gibbons. The engineer, Air. O. J. Dolan, read a letter received from the Public Works Department with regard to the poisoning of an area of willows. The letter stated that the department was anxious to experiment with arsenic pentoxide and requested the board to find a suitable area for the experiment. The letter concluded that the area must be fenced off to prevent access of stock owing to the poisonous contents of the mixture. The board decided that expenses for fencing would be large so the matter was lelt in the engineer’s hands to go ahead with creosote poisonin'l- in conjunction with Air. A. Seifert. He was also to negotiate with the Public Works Department for further particulars of arsenic pentoxide poisoning. With regard to a petition to the board by several settlers along the Tokoinaru River as to creating a special rating area for a new pumping plant installation, the chairman stated that the board was definitely tied to a definite income and it would be advisable to wait until the next financial year before any definite arrangement was made. How r cver, Air. Dolan was instructed to communicate with the settlers and make the necessary survey. The engineer reported that levels had been taken for the past month on Seifert’s drain and ho had found that the bottom was on an even grade. The overseer, Air. P. V. Tucker, reported that Seifert’s drain outlet had been cleared of silt and the drain

cleaned to the lagoon; also from tlio lagoon for 40 chains towards the intersecting channel The outlet of Ross s drain was also cleared and the drain cleaned throughout. Kemp’s lagoon drain was being cleaned and it was almost completed. Repairs were carried out to the cantilevers and the winch bracket on the vegetation drain floodgate and the outlets of that drain and of tho subway drain were cleaned and deepened. A start would be made with the cleaning of the intersecting channel when Seifert’s drain south was completed.