THE RIVERS COMMISSION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 308, 22 September 1908, Page 2

THE RIVERS COMMISSION.

EVIDENCE IN FEILDLNG,

(FROM on a SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

Feilding September. 21. The .Rivers Commission .sat. in Feilding to-day to hear local witnesses'. .'„Mr. A. D. Thomson, chairman, presided.'' . The first witness called was .John Rankin, town' clerk.' Witness said "the Orou'a River • directly affected £12,156 worth of"', land in" the borough. There were about twelve rater payers affected by the; river. Some time ago —in 1902—the Council took some steps tp form.a river board, and a report was,pro-; cured from Mr. Robinson, Government engineer. Tho report recommended the formation of a river board to protect'land affected: to put in groynes, keep the river free of timber, and plant willows, etc. -Were a river board formed, it would be necessary to raise a sum of £500 to commence works!- The land on the opposite side of the river was Clown land, leased under perpetual leases to the Aorang: settlers. These settlers-had refused to join the. proposed river, board because they did not own the land. Local residents along the river had asked the council to form a local river board for. protective purposes, but nothing came.of it. ' To Mr. Stubbs: The Feilding Borough Council is averso to joiniilg in one largo river board extending from away up the rivers to the mouth. '

S. W. Fitzherbert said that 'so 'far as . Feildirfg was concerned there was, no neceesity to join in with a large board.- After referring to the general question of . river coih trol, witness said the benefit of large control' ; would be the. appointment of a good engineer. ' There was danger of the river breaking over the bank at Rocker.'s and flooding the Kairanga county, and even Palmerston. This", danger to Palmerston might' streugtheu' a : , proposal that that district. be called on to'' protect the river. ' p To Mr. Wheeler: Ho advocated, a . board . operating from Cheltenham to Kopane, rating , according to benefit. ... Mr. Wheeler: Who should pay the cost of. ~ , the protective work? Witness! I think the Government; should pay half. l)r. Johnston . stated ho had a block of, land abutting on the river, owning it for the,, last twonty-livo years. About twenty, years , ago ho planted willows and put up groynes, . i a't an expenditure of £4S. The result had been to cover a shingle bed with two or , three feet of silt. Ho believed that tho iii« I elusion of Feilding in a largo aroa. under a A big river board would be one. of the . great- ./ est curses Feilding ever suffered, from. The '■ owners of land abutting ,on the river could ' do all the necessary work, themselves. W. J. Roche (Feilding resident engineer)said as far as protective work for Feilding " was concerned, a few groynes along the bank, with, willows, and keeping '.tho river. '. bed dear of debris, was all that was re* .. quired. A. H. Atkinson (councillor of the-Feild-ing borough) opposed Feilding's inclusion in a large rating area for protecting two rivers. Only those liable to damage should . bo rated. _ 7 ; , Edmund Goodbehere (councillor of the borough of Feilding) said the ratepayers of Feilding and tho borough council were.', strongly opposod .to being included in any largo board. To Mr... Stubbs: The, expenditure of £300,000 to £500,000 below- Jackeytown - and Kopane would not benefit Feilding in any way. .