RIVER BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6282, 13 September 1898, Page 4

RIVER BOARD.

An ordinary meeting cf the South Waimakariri River Board was held yesterday afternoon ; present — Messrs R. W. England (chairman), R. M. Taylor. T. Wilson, E. Smith, C. F. Money, J. C. Atkinson, G. F. Carpenter and H. W. Peryman. Mr Smith, a resident near White's Bridge, waited on the Board with regard to sand drifting on to his freehold land irom the Board's reserve. He had waited on the Board two month's ago, but the Board, had not sent him a reply. Mr Jeal, the surveyor, reported that the sand was en the north side of Section 534, and it had drifted from the Board's reserve, No. 25, across the road, on to Mr Smith's land. To remove the sand would cost about £2 10s, and to prevent any further drift it would be necessary to cover the sand with branches or clay. The cost of dcing this would be at least JDIO. A fence would have to be erected to keep Mr Smith's cattle from disturbing the branches. Mr Smith said there, were about three acres of land affected by the' sand. It was resclved that the Board could not be responsible for the drift. A letter was read from Messrs Garrick and Cowlishaw, . the Board's solicitors, giving an opinion as jto the position of the Board with reference to the termination of the contract for the supply of water ta the resei-ves of the Board. They advised that the existing arrangements could not be terminated or altered by the Board, but that the matter rested solely with the Selwyn County [ Council. The letter was received. The Surveyor reported that there had not been any floods in the river during the past month. All the planting for the season had been completed on August 25, and the cost for planting during the season had amounted to £125, made up as follows: — One hundred and twenty thousand basket willow stakes at a cost of £80 ; about onethird of these had been planted at the new bank at Mason's Flat, and the othe r s at Stewart's Gully. There were 10,000 silver poplar stakes and 7000 silver poplar trees, which had been planted, at a cost of £".0, on a large sand drift ati the north f-ide of the Board's reserve, Lot 14, and had been fenced in from the sheep, at a cost of £3. The sum cf £15 had. been spent on planting marram grass during the season on reserves, Lots 12, 13 and 14, where the sand was drifting into the water-race. A small willow plantation had! been fenced in at the end of No. 2 embankment, where the willows had been cut, to put m two floating groins, between No. 1 and No. 2 embankments, the work costing £2. The report was adopted. An extract from Mr Joynts report to the Selwyn County Council, m connection with the dispute as to fl* 5 , maintenance of White's Bridge, was read. A long discussion ensued, and it was decided that no action should be taken in Sf "£ £ • V ,e ne 5. fc meetin g the Board. The New Brighton Borough Council wrote, asking for a remittance of the rates, to the amount of 9s 6d, of several residents in the borough The request was granted. Accounts to the amount of £136 18s 6d were passed for payment and the Board rose