DRAINAGES AND SEWERAGE BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12739, 12 August 1903, Page 7

DRAINAGES AND SEWERAGE BOARD.

Tho ordinary meeting of the-.Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board was held Vst evening at the "board's offices,')Vater jtreetj ' 'present—Messrs R'.- , Gleiidiriing (chairnjMi), J. Hazlefctj 6. .L. Denniston, , W. Burnett, j. pkracpc'k, E- : M. Clark, Ji Gore, and Dr Coughtrey. . ~

The Town Clerk, Dunedin, wrote asking the board to confirm the following clauses in the agreement between the board and fte.City Counoil:-(1) The;-board waiveseoinplianco: \ratK clause ,13a of *h© proposed authorising order for. ;constructipi> of the iii tho citjr.so regards irfiativer las already'beea done.iii the.\yay of construolion; (2)' 'the Pity ''Council undertakes Mo make good any damage that has already- beea <lono, and: to pay the cost ,of constructing new mantoles to the sewers in 'i place of those interfered with -bjr the track alreadr .laid; -(3); if any drains or Bewera of.vrorke'liereaf&r.to be conatruoted byjtne board shall fail of faulty or insufficjont ,construction or negligent failure, properly to maintain and repair the same, end damage shall ensue- to the tramways of the City Corporation, whether Bituated in the City of Dunedin or in any suburban boroughs, the board shall be liable to .make good such damage or pay compenBatio'n therefor,— said', this was exactly as had been agreed.—The board agreed,to confirm the:clauses. ; , ■ The .Town Clerk. St.' wrote asking ■ the board to reconsider its ehargo for superrisioh of nipe-laying'(lo per .cent,), as the. -ounpil.-considered-.' -SI/ 5s 2d excessive.— ThB■'-letter,', vra's referred';to the. Enanoo. Committee to act., ! .: . ' The' Toto Clerk,.Momington, wrote calling attention toiilie pressing necessity that existed foismalcing provisioii to,sewer,the mahi water, courses, of thevboroiißh, C 3 .the arainape -would.■■otherwise .probably cause an epidemic. The council asked the board to , construct sewek In the Glen Creek and tributaries, and also the.creek flowing'down toKaituna. into Serpentina >venue, and to connect direct-with ;tl» ■channels -of Belle : knowes and ; tlio: to?vli6hip of The letter also pointed out tint .the population was becomittg s6 derive that in. hot, dry seasons" the niiisance/ was a. menace to health, and ailfar oick -as 1f.94 ,tlio .council was compelled to start the Echeme out- of : private contributions anil ■ preneral ' hind.-The letter refei-red to the Works Committee to report., :"<■■:"■■ -. •■'

Tho Town G'mi, Maori Hill, wrote drawing nitration, to ,a nuisance caused .'by .the discharge of sewage into Drivor'e paddock.— The.'mat&rwasßeferred: to,,the Wor£s.Com'mttteo/jt'Q.'aot.''.,'' ■ v' '• ■ ,■• ; ' '.' The- BorougS: •Council, of .North-East Valley forwarded a Cheque for £20, fates collected.—Received; ".■ ;' ".,'', DrlOgston wrgto'stating that, having oeen requested to examine thft. drainage of the lower side of Hmvry street! Maori Hill, he had done so, arid .found that what appeared to be a naturaUwaier channel ran through the property reoently purchased by Judge. Ward and thence through the Town Belt and Cosy Dell, 6p receivinir this drainage of many houses in, Maori Hill, «nd b«com.irig 'more '6r ; 1e63 stagnant and-causing a nuisance. ■ The : same water channel lower down, where it ran between Regent road and Queen'street rae im; open ctonnel, irreirulai- in character, and the culvert beneath '■ Qiioen street appeared it be too email for its work. He requested the board to convert this oTOn, dirty ditoli into a. covered, drain,/;or have it thoroujMy "leaned out .in 'tho meantime —The letter was. referred to the- Works Committee lo ronort. .-...'.' .

The Board's Engineer called attention to the i contract advertised for. three detritus tip carte, saying that owing <to Hie apathy of local firms the tenders would havo to be idvertised in Christcihuroh arid Wellington. Hβ requested, that tho. two received, should not be r opened, as .the local iron fl-rtne seemed to have "'overlooked-the matter altogether. He recommended further advertising in Christoli'uHi and .'Wellington, as well as Ijimedin.Hrhe l-oard'agreed' to the recommpndfttipn. • The Finance Committes rerorted flw* (cenunts amounting to £522 Is 6d.. certified to by thn Worlp Committee, had been passed and cheques signed, ond accounts as p»r fiiianoe book, amountine to £251 18s 9(1, had Wen similarly de'altwith. Tlie iiinlf piss hook showed a credit balance of £6555"4s 4d on.July 31i."antfithe bank trust account a credit balance of £355 15s 10d on .Tuly 31.—Th« report was adopted. £he Works'Committeo reported as fols;— '.•.'■■.. ! '

That consideration-of Mr Jamca Aniiand's letter has been- deforred owing to tho illness of tho engineer and as.it is proposed to deal •with .other cases of a similar nature at the same lime; that the engineer Teported the:completion of the repairs to. the JVilkie road sewer within tho estimated time, a- cost of just half the irate paid for similar work at the Manor' street' sewer;'"that:at a : meeting held on the 30th July, 1903, accounts amounting to £322 Is 6d, a3.p?r finance book, were passed for payment'; that at a special meeting, held on the 7th Augiiet, , 'the'; engineer reported on the dangerous stato,bf theltaclDsgan street sewer,and'vras instruoted to report fully at next meating with eelimates; that the City Council had been adviaid r> Castle street find High street sewers; that in conseqaenpe of the engineer's ainess considonfiori of.tbe'progrcsß made with, coutracte Nos. : 6 and 19, and/ths action necessary to be taken, had bean' deferred;, that the engineer reported thatldurinir. the next week Ihe survey draughtsmen will "1)6 removed'from ■the city office, and that the committee had approved of Ma suggested 'rearrangements and sdterations'in the staff. '' ' • ;'■ ..

The report ivaa adopted, and it was^re-, i solved, ori the motion of T)r Coufhtrey, seconded by Mr Gore—"TilaHhe engineer's' plans (produced) of alternative sites of detri-tus. tanks-in Higlr street be forwarded to the City Council, and that '.he secretary v arrange a meetin'g--&etwMn. tho chairman . of'the City Tramways Committee, iht> twmways engineer, and,-the cliairman of tjie board, the ejigineer, and-the mpver, with a view to the selection of a site for the • Higli street sower tanks mpat suitable jn the interests of both nartiea.

.THE ENGINEER'S. BEPORT.

The'.- Engineer-, submitted Ills report as follows:—

■Routine:- Two gangs of pipe layers are at presenting employed—oue in the NorUi-East Valley and the other in the oily. So' soon as the second gang has been brought up to its lull strength tho amount of this class of work which the.board can cope with should be equal : 1o the demand. In tho meantime no steps aro being lost to train? as many men as- possible in ■ : ,thiß important work. Practical examinations, which are intended to be of the character of demonstration and instruction rather, than l«XDmra'ation,f have been commeneethon Saturdays.Tito first of "these, open'td. the'general , public, will take plaoe on Saturday, tho 16th ir.si, at tho board's Mysselburgh property. Observance,of by-law: In tho initiation of this accessary/work, your-phunbiiig inspector has . ftperieneatl: considerable difficulty, but themjority.of the architect and plumbers have , tried .to .'assist him as far'as possible in. giving effect to the provisions of your sanitary byiaw, jind I,have no dtmbt that so soon as the general principles are more widely appreciated, an j the manufacturers and importers have diseovered.the cheapest means of obtaining or. ' . making; the various sanitary fittings, this work ■will be carried put as-cheaply and efficiently in Bunedirt nt( anywhere. In the meantime there wilT bo some cases where tho by-)air cannot be .rigidly adhered to, or- where the adherence to the by-law might, under present conditions, ent|il a heavy expenditure. All such cases are . leceiying the.olosest attention so ns to avoid ' any individual hardship. On the, whole, however, eyen now the effect of the houce-to-houso survey and the drainage plans which the board have carried out is being seen in the laying 1 out of the drains in shch a way that householders are saved considerable expense by observing the board's by-law and advice. Contract:' Contract No. IS, the Forbury storni■water,.aqueduct, is being eitisfactori'.y carried ' out, by the contractors (Messrs Matheeoii Bros). -.-, In-the tunnel portion over'l2oft has been driven.to the full dimensions in one heading, ■ ■working with, only two shifts during the laet three weeks,-and concreting has atnrfed-in the cut and cover portion. I am .therefore pleased to £ay that I will bo able to recommend a. propress payment on this contract i-t the next Works ' Committee meeting. Clearing of ■ sewers: Tho .'cleaning ofiho city sewers has . ■ been, temporarily stopped because the ropliances for Temoving' detritus aie not sufficient tfl admit of the operations of cleaning the sewers and emptying the mud tanks being carried on simultaneously. In emptying the ' city mud tanke this wsek, the men report that the'caked tod cemented nature of much of the deposit shows that these tanks have not been thoroughly cleaned out in the past New works: The temporary wooden drains in tho Flat coh- • timie.to lje a source of expense for repairs.

The first of the contract documentefor the permanent works to supersede these is practically completed, and I- hope to have it, along ivith those for tho second contact Jor the Forbury storm-water, aqueduct, on ;tho table for'your next meeting.— J. T. Noble Anderson.

The report was adopted, and tJie board then went into and, ing, reported that a special meeting .would bo. held; pn Thursday at 5. p.m. for,the discuseirig of. special, business.. .. . ■ ,■