POROPORO FLOODING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 1, 28 August 1945, Page 4

POROPORO FLOODING

Sir—l see in your issue of August 17 that Mr Souter residing in Auckland wrote to the Whakatane County Council on behalf of the set-» tiers ,of the Poroporo area, I would like to know Sir on what authority and on who's behalf this Mr Souter writes on. I can go further by refuting his claim on behalf \of the owners and settlers of the abovesaid area. Perhaps I could help this long-range advocator out of his illu-> sionment and baseless claim that lands round Poroporo are of a ponding nature and unproductive. The Maori owners and settlers were growing maize potatoes, kumaras and other crops over 40 years ago on this area before ever a drain was put in. Surely we who lived here on this land year after year are better qualified to judge the after effects, of flooding of our homes and lands than Mr Souter who I believe lives in Auckland. There, are as many as 20 boys di«rectly concerned in the said area who voluntary gave their services for God, King and Country. Fourmade the supreme sacrifice ! After an absence, of over four years service I return home to find all this flooding of our homes and lands going on and the raising of Statioii Poad without consulting the owners and settlers. Are we to accept the arguments of a man who sits in an: office in Auckland and claims to know more of the subject than those who are directly involved.

The result of the raising of Station Road level will I am sure cause more? damage to our homes and lands-

I therefore on behalf of both Maori and European owners and settlers of the Poroporo area make this appeal to the County Council of Whakatane for an equitable effort in the. rationing of all their undertakings and the equal solving of problems caused by flooding. f Yours etc.,. 'SERVICEMAN.*