THE FLOODS

Evening Star, Issue 20139, 2 April 1929, Page 12

THE FLOODS

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —As one who was appointed to the Dunedin Flood Protection Committee at the meeting held in the Albany Street Hall to endeavour to obtain redress and immediate assistance to these who had suffered, I was more than' surprised to see the remarks made at the Belief Committee’s meeting on the Thursday morning following. I can endorse everything the chairman (Mr Cuttriss) and the secretary (Mr Minnock) have written. We were accused of bringing politics into the case, and were told by this committee that we were only using the meeting to get limelight, etc. Further, f was told in conversation with a lady- that only those who were seeking seats on the council were the speakers. I informed this lady that although .1 was selected as a candidate to represent the party I belong to I did sc as a duty, and not from any other motive whatever. I tokl the meeting that J had been nominated, and if I were selected (which was only done on the Wednesday night following), and thereafter elected to the City Council and Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the people would have a 1 earless advocate. The burst of applause that ibis statement was received with was sufficient answer. I make no apology whatever for introducing politics, because J know that unless those who need assistand and redress arc strong enough to demand it this will only be forthcoming when these people elect their own representatives.

In my private capacity as a Hood sufferer I have been hammering away at this subject since 1923, only to find six years later that the job is still unfinished, and Harbour terrace has again suffered needlessly. The following Sunday morning gave me ample proof that the system of distributing relief showed a want of systematised organisation on the part of those who had charge of it. To my mind the Harbour Board and the City Council should immediate!., have voted a largo sum and immediately got to work to see that all sufferers were provided for, and not wait for private charity. This would have prevented some of the hard things said, and would have shown that these bodies felt they were morally lesponsiblo. However, we have learned quite a lot as a result of this flood. We are also informed that as the law stands there are certain anomalies, such, ns riparian rights, that stand in the nay of a public body doing certain work. This is a position that should be altered at once, and this requires an amendment of the law. Then, again, where dual control is manifested this also requires attending to. If anything is to he done effectively it has to do with politics, and must be tackled in grim earnest, although some may suffer as a result.

As a final word I would like to ask the Harbour Board this question: Do they (when finished clearing the bod ol the Leith) intend immediately to fill up the two gaps and also protect the part where the bridge stood, a, distance of 102 ft in all? Until this is done wint use is there in renovating our houses again? I refer to the north side only, and this in face of the statement of the Harbour Board engineer that the wall on the north side was completed from Harbour terrace to the highway, wine!) is not strictly correct. This top part should be completed before any more is gone on with on the other side. )f the other side is to bo completed, surely a start should have been made from the Forth street bridge, as they did with the north side, instead ol away down below Harbour terrace; where no bouses are at all. The houses between Forth street bridge and Harbour terrace bridge were very badly flooded, and surely some explanation is required. The portion on that side already completed is useless for projection "purposes as it stands, whereas if the portion between Forth street and Harbour terrace had been done there might not have been the same damage done.— T am, etc., P. Neii.sox. April 1.