ACCESS TO PROPERTY AND COMPENSATION

Chronicle (Levin), 16 July 1946, Page 7

ACCESS TO PROPERTY AND COMPENSATION

DRAINAGE BOARD REQUEST j i "That provision be made in Ihe Land j Drainage Act giving loca! authorities ■ adequate frcc access with inodern j inacliiiierv u[»on the banks oi draius and i water courses under tlieir control toi j the purpose of cleausiug', repairing, ! maintainiiig or iuiproviug the drains or j water courses, and that power be given ; local authorities to determine the dis- j tance nt which trees, hedges and ob- ; 1 structions of any kind be Uept clear of j : the banks of the drains or water- j courses, ' ' was the texl of a reiuit pte- J seuted to ihe second annual conference | 1 of the New Zealand Drainage and River Boards' Association in l'almerston Nortir yesterday, by tlie Aka Aka Drainage Board (Waikato). ' The "board 's delegate, Mr. R. A. : llull, pointecl out that lioards shouhl have some riglit to pre\ent people put- J 1 ting trees too close to drain banks. Mr. J. Callesen, drainage board meui : ber 011 the Soil Conservation and ! Rivers Control Council, pointed out : that the (piestion of boundary fences would come into the inatter. j Mr. J. D. Aitchison : To be fair you would ha\ e to pay coiiqieiisation for tany damage to jiroperty. The chairnian, Mr. L?.. G. Young (Taupiri), said that his board prohibited the planting of trees in tlie vicinity of drains without the prior consent of the board. The mattor was prima'rily oue of negotiation. The problem had : grow 11 with the development of meclianical e(|iiipment. The Soil . Conservation and River Control Council engineer, Mr. A. P. Gran-t, stated that being an integral ipart of Ihe Waikato Catchnieiit Board, tlie Aka Aka River and Drainage Board could get tlie catchnient board to pass a bylaw enabling it to enter property to clean drains with nieclianical equip ment, bul tliere would still lie tlie matter of rompensation. After furtlier discussion it v. as decided tliat tlie words "in tlie fiiture" be inserted into the remit after tlie 1 words "that power be given local J authorities.' ' The remit was then j carried.