A DELICATE QUESTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 70, 4 May 1945, Page 5

A DELICATE QUESTION

FORMATION OF CATCHMENT BOARD INCREASING RATE FEARED COUNTY COUNCIL'S REACTION Receipt of a letter from the Chairman of the Soil Erosion rand Rivers Control Council (as vminuted on from the Counties Association) gave rise to some •outspoken comment at the meeting of the Whakatane County 'Council last week. Councillors were adamant on the point of supporting no new move which .'made for increasing the existing rate burden while on the other ' hand it was realised that the work which would be undertaken by the proposed Catchment Board would be highly and' pave the way to substantial Government assistance and subsidisation. The letter stated that the principal requirements of the Council in connection with the setting up of Catchment Boards were as under: — (e) Every Catchment Board is required to exercise a general supervision with respect to the exercise and performance within the catchment district by local authorities of -any powers, functions and duties as to watercourses and as to drainage and may give such general or special -directions as it considers reasonable.

(b) No local authority shall construct or alter any watercourses or :any other work in a catchment district otherwise than with the conSent of the Catchment Board. (c) If any question arises- that a Catchment Board has unreasonably -withheld consent the matter shall be referred to tlie Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council whose decision is final. - (d) A Catchment Board may with notices, * exercise the powers of a local authority which is not performing its functions. * The foregoing would not apply to all local authorities at as only the following catchment districts had been constituted: Manawatu? Rangitikei, Poverty Bay ? Wairarapa t Hawkc's Bay ? North Canterbury South WestSouthland, Nelson. Cr JYleCracken said he dicl not think the Council should 'lie down Tinder the jjroposal' at the same time he realised that without the board's formation the ratepayers would not liave access to substantial Government subsidies which would be forth■coming. He wouid like to see the Whakatane Council co-operate with Opotiki. 9

"We are not opposed to the formation of the Board/' declared Cr Hunter, "but we are opposed to the levying of a new rate ? while we arc .still paying a drainage rate. We are still doing our part there., and if the Government could see its \va.v clear to wipe out the existing capital cast against this drainage it •would be a different thing. 1 contend that the costs of draining those plans has been paid over and over again by the settlers by way of taxation. and production. The operations of a Catchment Board should 3>e a national business.

Cr McC ready pointed out that there ha'd been three 'relays' of farmers on the Rangitaiki i before the swamp had consolidated and sweetened up. There were few ol the old pioneers left today. Many had .gone bankrupt in the process of trying to l'arm there (> yet it was astounding, the amount of produce which was now being taken off the plains by those who had done mighty little towards their development. The; suggestion of forming a Catchment Board with the right to levy unlimited rates was a small bait, but it might catch a pretty big rat if they were not careful. Cr Leslie said that the settlers of Otakiri was definitely against the formation of a catchment area. Cr McCracken: If the board was composed of reasonable men who were prepared to go carefully ; nto all the proposed expenditure and would co-operate with there would, be no. harm done 1 . We would then have, access to better subsidies from the Government. I admit that there is the danger of irresponsibles .getting into office and raising great sums by taxation but on the other hand if we are going to be perpetually faced with major floods what are we going to do.

Cr McC ready said lie. was afraid of the costly co-operation with the P.W.D. (he eallcd it the Puh'ic iWaste Department). Those who knew the puny efforts which this department was making lor .such Jiigh costs and so little results would -agree with him.

Cr Butler said that somethin

would have to be done, as the flooding on the plains was, a growing menace which had been increasing for years now. Unless preventative work was undertaken they would be letting themselves in lor a mountain of trouble. In. answer to a question as to the preventative work to cheek the erosion which was. taking place at the Borough boundary ? the clerk stated that the Council had paid over its share—£2so last August Tinkler the promise that the Rivers Control Council would get right on to the job. Since, then nothing had been done.

There were demands by other councillors that a refund should be demanded, and that the Council should be given the chance to do the j work itself. The chairman pointed out that the. District Engineer (Mr Ronayne) had informed him that the reason for the delay was the impossibility of getting workmen. The Council decided that the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council be asked to extend until the end of June the time in which the Whakatane County Council's reply to its propo.sai is to be given— that Opotiki County Council be advised of this Council's correspondence with the Hon. Minister of Works a asked if it would meet a committee comprising the Chairman and Crs Luxton Hunter and McCracken to formulate a joint reply