HAWKE'S BAY RIVERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 14

HAWKE'S BAY RIVERS.

CENTRAL; RIVER. BOARD. PROPOSAL,

.- When the CouncU- met- 1 su Thursdaiy afternoon ' the-; Hon. J. tD. .Ormond' moved: "That; it; is- of vital importance to'' tho .Hawke's Bay!-: that a;i Bill , should be passed 'this session ..to. .establish' v-a. Central; River Board,; empowered to' deal .with .the' control of, ;the ..rivers -' flowing V; the.;, Hawke's i-plains,.^and [that,'as such "a. Bill,.;,at* this;, stage :of : tho ■session, ;'cah - only /be-.'intrbd-ucedi-hy. the'. Government, . the- Government, 'is; respectfully. requested;to bring^iiit-'^a'Bill;,for .the'purpose." -.-t'. -■ .y' .> Speaking to.' the', motion,. the;, Hon; jMr. Ormoiid rcniarked". tliat ,the .was "of" great . importance- 1 ;; to .' his',-.district. ■ Nearly .tlie whole'. district, was unanimous" in,its i'equest.to have-such a Bill.brought, 'down by the'.Governmeht.; Mr..Ormond. "proceeded ;to giver . aU 4 outline of. ■ the position .'which gave. rise, to the -original Bill which' he had .brought.;down,; and; which liad been'thrown out by tlie Com- ■ mittec, which i rocohimended . that, a Bill be;'brought in'; by the .'Gbvernmeht. "As tliu.' country-' behind ■ the. plains. through, which, the rivers .flowed became .-'settled, slips- occurred,; .and enormous..quantities of-.jdeadi wood , were [brought ;down. : Rivers which onco had banks 20ft.. high ;:.were no|v running: level—the beds, haying been filled . with debris, bvo-ught - down, by the 'floodsl' As; the beds" filled 'up' the; rivers becaiiio more and .'more 'dangerousitoV the. j settlers. Four 'River; Boards' had ;'grown up in the' endeavours of the people to iput :up( protective- .wOrkS;., to ' oheck the ■ iilevastating effects of the .watersi These boards each ; helped themselves,but shunted water on. to tlieir .neighbours; .and- made matters, the; more difficult'.-.; Tho result. was 'the. 1 rieedi'for'. a Central River .Board. ■' The; late. Mr.;' Seddon had sent, an)' engineer, to . report-,, on. tho . whole 'position;, and the; engineer :■.'urged' 1 ; that a. ;Cehtrdl''.River ;Board'.'was. essential.. The Minister .''for.-. Public - Works and ; .thepresent Prime. Minister were both of the sa:m'e; opinion' after .having seen .the dis-; trict. .- He had' had . a fresh-Bill prepared, in. the . terms of the' recommendations of . the . Local 'Bills'Committee's'report; and. this Bill had;been feferred'to the! Crown Law Office by the Attorney-General.;. The difficulty had been to get the; .various, bodies: Jnterested . to. come- together,, but ho thought this had been done how, with, the exception that the.-Pokuhu; ■ Board claimed,- exemption.; He,- hoped., the .Attorney-General. !wo'uld /bring in, l a; Bill, and if'.this were.. done he., .thoiight- .it . only v ifair■'•' to '..give ,: 'a '• reasonable ,'flme. ;to enable any:objectors ', to 'express their disseilt. after , the . printing, of tke Bill., He would suggest that about ten days, should be allowed. " .. '.

The Hon. \V. C. Smith (Hawke's Bay)« urged that; it- was;, important; that " from local . bodies in ! favour of . the? course' suggested, lie had ihad- po ; resolutions against 'the, proposals. ' The" Kon. Dr. J'indlay 'remarked that' tho'hpresent "position illustrateii 1 . ; as strongly ;>is anything' could the absurdity of/ the .present -system 7 of local . government in j-Tew Zealand. 'There were seven local' bodies • interested in this) matter, and. they; came before .the' Council, at.-this stage of'the session'; with , a/ lamentation,; and- urged, the .Government, to] step: in and do their work for'; them. In J1897 they, had. warning that.remedial .measares-weire, required,, and now, - after... the. '• local., bodies had'been wrangling; and; carping against each other, the 'Government \r;as asked to give' the. Bill precedence over other important; measures. ' This .-was typical of' New 'Zealand. .'There- was a similar ; deplorable.: state;, of ■ ■ - in other parts of ..New Zealand. In all there were. CBO local' authorities ; and boards in New Zealand, and he thought something .should 'be done in. the matter' of welding a gi-eat'many'of these, small local bodies. ;into. one, and extending the' powers : findduties" of the remainder. He frankly admitted that Mr. Ormond had j made out a strong case, but tho session, was half over, and- a . great many. ;j important ' matters had yet to be considered. . He, had sent , the Bill brought; to i him by Mr. • Ormond ;to . the Crown Law ' pffice, and asked'them to use expedition in reporting on'it, hut they had their hands full of mattors of greater importance ;at present. After the Bill had been perused, he would hare it considered hy: Cabinet.' He was much impressed by the need and by the , neglect of the local bodies of the Hawke's Bay. J : .r K' ; ". i.

The Honi .J. Anstey stroiielv sup-' ported tho motion; and congratulated Miv Ormond on having brought < the parties together. The hoard that claimed exemption did so unfairly, as it had 'turned its water into 1 another However ,\ when' this board/ saw; tho Bill' arid the light burden it 'imposed on'them, I he did not think they , would object. ' Anyway, it would be no hardship if they.; were; forced to agree. There, was an urgent' need for the Bill. J . ■ . ' ' The Hon. W. Beehan : thought the Pokuhu Board should be compelled to come in. He. hoped a Bill would!;be brought in ■ this session. , ,'<i ; The Hon. J. B. Callan thought the Government should bring in a Bill, and tho Hon. 0. Samuel:.urged the importance of the matter, as. compared: with other legislation in hand.:. The Hon. Dr. Tindlay said; it was impossible to say whether the Government would, adopt the Bill sent forward by Mr. Ormond, hut he could say that he was in favour of something being done. (Hear, hear.) i The Hon'. Mr. Ormond: "I hope the Government will take up the Bill, and strain a point to get it through." Tho Hon. Dr. Findlay remarked that nltliough his hands were • very full at present he would peruse tho Bill himself if the Crown Law Office had not the time to do it.''.(Hear, ;hear.) . , . . . The motion was caxriod.