‘Dry’ pictures sought

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 4

‘Dry’ pictures sought

The news media concen-| trated too much on persons: who had flooding problems I during rainstorms without] showing “the dry side,” said] a Christchurch Drainage’ Board member yesterday. “What is wrong with photographs of people benefiting from board works?” asked Mr Newton Dodge, who said that that side of the story was always left out. If reporters did not do it, the board should take photographs of residents not being [flooded because the board’

!had spent money to improve < their lot. | “That may not be news,! |but it is fact,” Mr Dodger isaid. For example, recent flood-1; relief work had meant little or no flooding in much of Sumner, Waltham, and other 1 areas. i But another board mem- ; ber, Mr M. J. Dobson, said that making such a compari- , son during flooding could • “stir up more difficulty than ! ; just one side of a story.” , I Those who were wet would i

demand to know why they j were not as dry as the others. ] In some places, such as ] Burwood, the March rainfall ihad been equivalent to what could be expected once every 50 years. But there had been much less rain in the hills, and no major flooding of the Heathcote River because of little hill runoff. Burwood had had the highest 24-hour rainfall since continuous recording had started in 1962.