THE HAURAKI RIVERS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4334, 26 October 1921, Page 1

THE HAURAKI RIVERS.

CLEARING THE CHANNELS. ALLOCATION OF COST. Any proposal that the Matamata County should be included in a special rating area to be constituted to pay the cost of keeping the Waihou and Ohinemuri rivers open for navigation was strongly opposed at the recent sitting of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers Commission, held at Te Arolia, the Mat.amata county chairman, Mr J. W. Anderson, and th.e chairman of the Matamata Town Board, Mi- J. Price, attending for this purpose, and their representations being supported by resolutions from local 1 bodies in the county. Ho.wever, at this month’s meeting of the Matamata County Council advice ,was> received from Messrs Gilchrist and Son, solicitors, Te Aroha, as follows : “The sittings of the Commission concluded on September 9. Practically at the last moment Mr A. J. Baker, District Public Works engineer, submitted a . rating scheme to provide for interest, sinking fund, and maintenance for works estimated at £600,000. He would assess Matamata at £1925 per annum, Piako at £3824, and Te Aroha at, £1520 . This is an outrage. It is intolerable that it, should even be put forward. We suggest, as we are suggesting similarly to the Piako and Te Aroha local) authorities, that you at, once protest to the Minister for Public Works." The chairman stated that on receipt of this" letter he had telegraphed to the Minister to the effect that whatever might, be the finding of the Commission, this county must at once protest against Mr Baker’s scheme, as it would receive no benefit whatever therefrom. Cr. E. C. Banks : If such a scheme were to be adopted, it would mean that any part of a watershed Could be rated to pay for keeping open the mouth of a raver rising in that watershed. Cr. H. Rollett: Yes ; there would be no reason .why Taupo could not be rated towards the cost of 9, scheme for removing the shoals .from the mouth of the Waikato River. The chairman intimated that it seemed that the trouble in regard to the Ohinemuri .and Waihou rivers was that. the silt from the mines in the vicinity of Waihi, etc., was blocking the rivers, but the mining district could not now afford to pay the cost of the clearance work. The chairman’s action in telegraphing the protest tp the Minister was unanimously endorsed.