NO HARSH WORDS

Evening Star, Issue 20135, 27 March 1929, Page 3

NO HARSH WORDS

GUY COUNCIL ID FLOOD HELPFUL ATTITUDE iN NORTH END REMEDIES SUGGESTED FOR PROTECTION When the member* of the City Council, with the exception of the Mayor and Cr J. J. Clark, faced a public meeting- of flood sufferers in the George Street Hall Inst night, they had a very favourable reception. The purpose of the meeting, the chairman (Mr it. Ferguson) explained. was not to malign the councillors, who were present by invitation The conveners, he said, could not stop comments being made from the body of the hall. Only two men in any way criticised the council, the general expression of the most being that the council was as much harassed over tlio flood as the sufferers. The attendance was a little over lOt), a disappointing response to the convenors, lint there was a. free di>cnssion in which some i.ifonnation to assist the council in rectifying tin; flood outbreaks was given by sufferers. “ There is no need to introduce the councillors—you know them all, - ' said the chairman. A voice: Only 100 well. (Laughter.) So far as Ihe conveners of the meeting were concerned, said Mr Ferguson, liiey had no intention of saying harsh tilings to the councillors, it was their aim to cu-oporale with the City Council, and it would he wrong to invite gentlemen to sit on the platform and then malign them. But the convenors could not prevent those in the body of the hall expressing their views. Sumo people thought, that the City Council was to blame for the (lood, hut the ratepayers were equally to bianm. Voices: ,\u. Xii. ' After the J 923 flood a meeting was held, and they could take the credit lor some very effective work being put in hand by the. council. The same attitude was being adopted this time The Leith had to be controlled at anycost. The mental strain on people who spent sleepless nights when the rain was falling heavily, expecting tho Leith to flood, ronid not be assessed in money. If the local bodies were without the export knowledge to handle the Leith, then exports should be obtained. That was said without passing any comments on tho qualifications of the engineers. A suggestion hail been ' made Unit they should import an j engineer from Holland. There, they I had been able to hold back the sea, ' and surely they could hold back the ■ Leith. I Or W ilson : There are no hills in j Holland. ’ Mi - Ferguson said it had olden been 1 staled that in time of flood the Leith : for its short distance from Flagstaff to the harbour, was the fastest movjmg stream in the world. Was that i true? ! ‘‘ Hot' " was llie answer from Ihe half. | COUNCIL NOT TO BLAME. Xo one was dissatisfied with the protective works carried out on the nppoi reaches of the Leith since tho last (local, said Air George Gray. Vet. the flood had made con-ddc'-ablc damage. Tho flood was a visitation of Providence or an Act of God, and if the City Council were blamed lor it he did not know what the council would he blamed foi next. The members of the City Council and Harbour Board were men who devoted their time, energy, and ability for the citizens. In return, thev were ill-nsed. The City Council had i 1 - fimmeial limitalions. ‘ Vet they can build a Town Hall/' said a m,in The work in the city and north end since the last flood was stated hv Mr Cray, who said that the Hood would have been more serious last week if file work had not been earned out. There was not the slightest doubt that the Leith would have to be further controlled. The retaining wall above ’A uodhangli would have to be rebuilt more strongly, as the water raced down with tremendous fence. It was also imperative that a new bridge he built at Woodhangh. (“ Hear, hear."; The existing bridge was incapable of carrying the water. The lower reache., also required immediate attention. A good deal of criticism had been levelled at those responsible for the filling up of Lake Logan. Voices: That is the cause of it. “ Yet you can’t Maine them," replied Air Gray. \ oicOs: We blame tlm Harbour Board. Air Gray; The whole of the city was unanimous that Lake Logan should be Idled up and n*cd as a sports ground, i liter, lectors :' Yon are wrong. Mr Gray- If the filling nn of Logan Park has caused the damage, the citizens themselves are lo blame. ‘“No!" came the chorus “You arc wrong. - ’ There had been undue delay in raising, the wall, said Mr Gray. Tim local bodies which coniined the Leifli should provide protection for life, and property. He moved— That this meeting considers it is imperative that tin; responsible authorities should take immediate measures to deal with tho Leith Stream so as to protect the citizens Horn a recurrence of the misery and devastation caused by the recent Hood REMOVAL OF STONE. The motion was seconded by Air C. Wilson, who said there was no more disappointed body in Dunedin than the City Council. He sympathised with the council, which had spent large Minis of money. Its efforts had been nullill(d. Although the council replied that Hie people had claimed riparian rights, many complaints had been made against the narrowing of the channel. ■ A Supporter: Yon are right. Throughout Ids life he had lived on tho hanks of the Water of the Leah, and lie knew its changes. The narrowing of tho outlet had eaused the sewer* to be backed up at high tide. In his young days the City Council was continually removing stone from the. Leith for works purposes That eased the hod of the stream. Tho stones had been cleared away from the George street bridge after the 1923 flood, but since then the bed had risen 4ft. Xo one could take u load of stone without obtaining a permit. A Voice: Yon have to ask Mr Lewin for it Mr Wilson - I suppose they would ho only too glad for someone to take .'t out. now. « “You can have I,lm lot. now,’’ remarked Cr Scott. That something should lie done immediately at Woodhangh. was urged by Mr Wilson. Thu embankment and

bridge should bo raised. I'he corporatinn and its officials wore as mud) concerned over the flooding as the citizens, and thev should not he harassed. A ratepayer complained that the Maori Hill creek had flooded his property alter coming down the hill through Uishopscourt at least, ten minutes before the Leith had overflowed. t'r Campbell said the city engineer was attending to this matter. Mr La wide said Lindsay’s Creek should ho straightened through Mrs Glcndirming’s property. The creek was a bugbear to tho residents. Lor the work £SOO had been allotted, and he asked when it was to be taken in hand. Cr Mitchell: I should not bo asked to answer that question. J 1’_ Lire question was raised at the council meeting you would probably get u different answer than last time. This is .not the place to answer in detail, “ You are a councillor, and you should know,” replied the questioner. ‘‘ What aro \ r ou there fori'” (Applause.! Cr Mitchell; Y’ou asked me a question which does not personally concern me. Cr Douglas said he had been informed that if Lindsay’s Creek and the Leith were straightened the How would he faster, and more damage would be caused. Tho council felt very grieved that it had to face tho position and the suffering, when it was sure that it had given good service. The automatic recordings of the rainfall had shown an unprecedented rainfall, and even in Otago Central the creeks had caused damage. The Leith Canal would never have carried the volume of water. The Drainage Board and City Council intended to do their utmost to carry out their responsibilities. The rcsi- , dents on the hill suburbs should sec that justice was done the sufferers. LEGAL POSITION EXPLAINED. Cr Munro said he had made inquiries into the legal position. Many of the sufferers were inclined to blame the Harbour Board or the City Council. Lie had been wrong in his previous conclusion as to the legal position. Neither local body could pay out one penny of compensation unless it could he legally claimed. Tho charge had been made (hat the board and council bad relegated their responsibility of financial organisation to the Belief Committee. The law prevented Hm local bodies from paying tho relief. A test ease should be taken to court. All deplored the flood, but it. was not a question of blaming anyone. everybody should recognise tiiat in the Leith there was a public menace, and that an expensive job had to lie. faced. The lion had to be tackled and chained up. A DIVERSION TUNNEL, Mr J. Foster said he was neither an architect, nor an engineer, but he had his city at heart, lie had drawn out two coiiies of a rough plan for the diverting of tho Leith from its junction with Lindsay’s Creek through the hills to a.n outlet beyond the quarry at Black Jack's Bumf. The Opolio Creek would join the tunnel, which would pass at the back of Lake Logan. The plans wore handed fo the councillors, who promised to submit them to tho experts.

Labour and material were available for carrying out the protection works, and the City Council was morally responsible tor the Hood in failing to find tlie I'manec for tho work, saiil >1 r ('. -M, Moss. The councillors alone knew il they had clone their best; their consciences would tell them. The City C'ouueil had done little. From the councillors: No. “They cannot call the flood an act of God.' 5 said '.Mr Colvin. “No om; with any sense will believe that.'’ The lip of the Woodhangh bridge had been placed on the lower side, and had held hack trees and logs. Rrivniu interests had Idled in Lake Logan. A Councillor: You do not call the Kxhibition shareholders private interest,? Mr Colvin : “ Yes. Il it had not been for Lite shareholders, nothing would, have been done.'’ He continued that plans for a tunnel to cany the Leith waters had been submitted to the council thirty years ago. The Leith walls were too narrow, and the extra Iu■ ■ g 1 1 1 .should have been made on walls l!hi beyond tho existing Avails. Cr C. 11. Hayward said protective works nin-t be pushed lerward, so that citizens should not lie exposed again to the dangers experienced a -week ago. WOODHAUGH SUFFERERS. Mr Mawhinney said he would novel rest until the Woodhaugh bridge, was rebuilt, as his homo had been ruined. Harbour terrace had his sympathy. The houses had been condemned there two years ago. Another Woouhaiigh ratepayer >aid tin' residents would never tie safe until tho bridge was altered. If the bridgehad been safe Malvern and Duke streets would not have been Hooded. Cr Wilson said the sufferers had his .sympathy, and when the engineers submitted their comprehensive repents the work would have to he faced. As to the lip on the lower side of rhe Woodhaugh bridge, it, bad been demanded as the riparian rights of a mill Alter Mr D. Minnoek had attacked tlie council a resident, asked why the City Council had ordered that the wire netting on the Woodhaugh bridge should not be removed during 1 he Hood. Tlie netting had helped to hank up the waters. Cr Wil-on : Did you nut take the neitilig away ? The Ratepayer: No. I had removed (bo holts Avhen 1 was mid to leave the netting there. “ Were you the one who tried to dynamite tho bridge?” asked Cr Wilson ‘‘W-s. but I. could not hud the dynamite,” lie replied. A Voice- And you would have been right, too. Another ratepayer said the council could find money for an Exhibition highway, a Town flail, and library extensions, hut not, lor protection works The money would have to ho nosed, and personally he would not mind paying tlie extra rate?*. (‘‘Hear, hoar.”) The motion was carried, unanimously. The Chairman asked Cr Hogg how long the water supply was to remain discoloured. ‘‘You are lucky even to he here,” said Cr Rcgg. who detailed the course ol the Hooded Ross Creek over the settling tanks. Tho dam, however, had held the fiend. The water would remain discoloured until it settled. (Laughter.) Two professors from tho University were studying tho problem.