PUKAWA LAKE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2203, 16 July 1914, Page 8

PUKAWA LAKE

TO RECLAIM A RICH AREA. Taking advantage of an opportunity afforded him in jho House yesterday of referring to drainage operations, Mr. G. Hunter spoke of tho need for tho drainage of. Pukawa Lake. Part of tho area which would-bo reclaimed by the drainago of tho lake would, he said, he somo of the richest in Hawko's Bay. Tho surrounding country was of excellent quality, and the area to bo improved would be very large. If the land covered by the lake'were reclaimed numbers of families could settle on it, whereas, as now it .was used only, as a fishing _' ground by Maoris. Ho hoped the Prime Minister would use his utmost endeavours to have this very valuable area of country occupied and put to use. Mr. Brown: Was not a Bill passed? Mr. Hunter: Yes; but it was never pnt into operation. It was passed five or six years ago, before' tho present Government came into office. . Mr. Massey said ho could hardly say that ho had taken the Pukawa drainage works in hand, but he had arranged for tho drainage engineer to visit the lake, and the engineer had reported to him that there would bo no difficulty about draining the swamp. Tho difficulty would be that the, drainago area was very largely Native land. He thought that some arrangement woud havo to ho made by which the Government, as owners of Crown lands 1 i-.i the vicinity, the Maori owners,. and certain other private owners, should becomo partners in tho scheme. ' He add<id that the Government were considering tho advisability of draining other areas, and he mentioned tho. Waihi swamp, and the Rangiriri swamp- between Mercor and Hamilton.