Dear Sir,

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 57, 23 July 1947, Page 4

Dear Sir,

Letters to tire Editor must be clearly written on one side of the paper only and where a nom-de-plume is used the name of the writer must be included for reference purposes. The Editor reserves the right to abridge, amend or withhold any letter or letters. ALLANDALE FLOODING Sir, —Your report in the Beacon of July 16, 1947, re the above calls for a few comments.

In the first place it might not be out of pleace to recall the position when Allandale was first cut up for building sections. About 1918 three houses at the lower end of Salonika Street, and one in Douglas Street were built, very soon after those people saw the effect of flooding. If I remember rightly, an offer was made to take those people away by boat. Following upon that, in the latter part of 1922 or early in 1923, the Borough Council requested by letter, that all property owners construct the stream in question to a given width and depth, this to be paid for by such property owners. They would not stand for that to drain Allandale. The next step was taken by the Council itself by paying the full cost of such work, the 'job being done by contract. v-

It will be seen from the above that this is a very old.and outstanding question. It might be a good thing if our Borough Council could publish through- your paper, the total cost to the ratepayers up to date, such cost to include .timber used to protect the sides, to keep them from falling away. Being one of the persons using the timber I do know a little on that subject. It must be noted that was some 25 years ago.

On the above subject Cr Canning is reported ot have said: “Yes but that’s because of the Land Sales Court making it impossible for cutting up property.” Now Sir, Cr Canning ought to be the last person to make such.a statement, no one knows better than he the true position. Let him answer the following question then we might know how he stands with his remarks:— ' Is it not a fact that about 1917 the Borough Council made a bylaw setting out conditions re road formation etc., and from that time, we continued to get the following statement: “That it did not pay to open up a block for building sections.”

Why was it left to the Government to open up Soutars Avenue, Crete Street and the new section of Salonika Street, the latter being part of the Ramson estate?

Were those streets opened up and built upon before the Land Sales Court came into being.

What demand did we have for sections and homes before the Land Sales Court come into being. What property has been cut up, and how many sections have been placed on the market since 1923 (excluding Hillcrest) which required new road formations, up to the time the Land Sales Court Act was brought in? Yours etc., HARRY CARR.