PUBLIC MEETING AT SOUTHBRIDGE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2053, 22 September 1880, Page 4

PUBLIC MEETING AT SOUTHBRIDGE.

A meeting attended by a large number of ratepayers wan held in the Town Hall, Southbridge, on Monday evening, to determine the nomination of candidates to represent the district at tie election of two members for the North Rataia Board of Conservators, Mr E. J. Lee was voted to the chair. Before commercing the business of the meeting, the chairman read a reply from the Hon. John Hall to the memorial forwarded from the inhabitants of Southbridge on the subject of the additional fee of sixpence on telegrams, and on the removal of the post aid telegraph office to the railway station. The reply stated that an Southbridge wss one #f the combined post and telegraph offices where the postal department leaves a profit sufficient to cover the loss on the telegraph business, the rate now charged would not be continued, and that no alteration would be made in the staff which would inconvenience the public. He then read an opinion from Messrs Harper, Harper and Scott, that no election could take place as proposed, and that no vacancies occurring on the Board could be filled up unless an Act is obtained similar to the Canterbury Rivers Acf, 1880, as the provisoes contained in the Acts of 1870 end 1877 leave no elective office to be filled, except as regards members of the first Board «l a district, and a roll or list of electors is prescribed for the election of such first Board only. in reply to Mr Gabble, the Chairman stated that the Board had no power to nominate anyone; it was simply a fault of the Act itself. That the Board, under legal advice, will continue acting until the necessary alteration is made in the Act, and that no farther appointments would be made until the mistake was rectified, which would be done as soon as possible at the next session, when the vacancies on the Board would be filled up. He also said that Mr White was still a member.

Some discussion ensued, and several ratepayers expressed regret at the turn that the -meeting had taken. Mr Lee explained that the opinion was given in answer to the Returning Officer’s application for advice on certain subjecls pertaining to the election, and had only been received on the previous afternoon. The Chairman then read the following report : Dunedin, July 30th. 1880. _ To the Honorable the Mnuttr of Public Works—Sit, —In comp’iance with your instructions conveyed through the Under-Secretary in his letter dated 16th of July. 1880. in reference to the opinion required relative to the question at issue between the Government and the Kakaia Board of Conservators, wa beg to re port as follows : We have made a careful examination of all plana and records relating to the previous and present state of the river if akaia from a point one and a-balf miles above the railway bridge to the neighborhood of Southbridge, embracing the whole distance along the north bank on which the late Provincial Government of Canterbury and the Rakaia Board of Conservators have for some years endeavored by the erection of protective works, coating a Urge sum of money (stated to be abont .615,000), to counteract the encroachment of the river. Wo find that since 1P62 the river has infringed upon the North bank from a short distance shove the railway to below Southbridge. That this diversion of the main branch appears to have been caused by a promontory of ucflooded river-bed jutting out from the South bank, opposite the township of Kakaia, covered with manuka scrub and sard hills, That prior to the construction of the railway bridge the flood water has shown a tendency to leave the North -side of the river, above that structure, and has encroached npon the opposite one, gradnally washing away the sand hills and forming channels leading directly to that portion of the hod npon which the embankment is place 1. The result of this has been that the flood water has repeatedly been pond, d up by tike emha.bm'.-nt until it rose above it, thereby can ing repeated interruptions to traffic The flood water when unable to breach the bank haa adopted a coarse parallel to it, passing around the end, and so through the first few spans of the bridge, where it rej jins the stream. The result of this action has bsea that the upper slope of the embankment and the point of junction with the bridge have had to be repeatedly protected by the deposit of largo stone blocks, gradually added to as the sc :.ur of the stream caused them to subside The embankment itself has also been raised until there is now a descending grade to the bridge instead of the ascending one originally existing. Notwithstanding this it seems evident that unless some further action be taken the bank will be again breached by the next severe flood. In our opinion the volume of water forced by the embankment to flow under the bridge has greatly tended to augment the set of the stream towards the north bank below the bridge, and consequently to increase the rapidity of the encroachment which has so long been going on. The attached drawing will more distinctly illustrate Hie form and position of the ob .traction which is caused by the embankment when viewed in relation to the general direction assumed by the river. Below the railway embankment there are several clearly defined channels leading into one of the main branches which crosses to the south side i'rom the present action of the river we consider that there is every probability that were the embankment removed and bridging substituted, that a very strong flow of flood water would occur in a direct course, which would meet the main channel passing to the southward of the island, and so relieve the pressure upon the north bank, which threatens ao seriously to endanger the existence of the works erected by the Boari of Conservators, and which form the only remaining protection against the threatened passage of flood water across the tract of country surrounding Leeston and Southbridge. We find that in order to allow the free passage of flood water over that portion of the site occupied by the present embankment. whi:h shows decided channels, the bridge will require to be lengthened for a distance of 22_ chains. Wo are given to understand that there is a probability of a new iron bridge being erected for the sole use of the rai way at no distant date, with the intention that the present structure should be given np solely to road traffic. In view of this we recommend that the addition to the bridge should be constructed of timber, the estimated cost of which, if built in uniformity with the design of the existing structure, would be about £7s6o.—We have, &0., (Signed) E. Dobson H. P. Hiqginson P. Avebn. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.