ROTOKOHU RATEPAYERS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4401, 10 April 1922, Page 3

ROTOKOHU RATEPAYERS.

GENERAL MEETING. A meeting of the Rotokohu Ratewayers’ Association was held on Friday' night,- Mr Wilfrid Johnstone occupying the chair. The secretary, Mr-W. D. Keys, Mrplained that' the main purpose of the meeting was to organise properly and keep the movement thoroughly alive, especially at the present juncture. There were forty about thirty of whom were financial. LETTER TO MINISTER OF LANDS. The following is a copy of the representations made to . the Minister of Lards (Hon. -D. H. Guthrie) during his recent visit to the Hauraki Plains and Paeroa: "On behalf of the above Association I am requested to bring to your notice and favourable consideration the following facts: "The above association' represents an area of between seven and eight thousand acres of land, and some forty or fifty settlers. Many of our settlers are -old ' established farmers with families, etc. Nearly all the land is of a quality unsurpassed in the Dominion. ' "As Minister of Lands, we feel'sure you will be interested in the develop ment and protection of such a valuable area; When we mention that a la’’ge portion af this area will carry nearly a cow to the acre when improved and that manuring is unknown, you- will realise the potential ities of the land. It is to the dire disabilities we are at present suffering under that we would specially direct your notice and consideration.

“Our area is within the scheme known as the Waihou and Ohtnemuri Rivers Improvement Works. For upwards of twelve years river protection works have been in progress in this district: but the plight today of our special area as abbve is worse than that of twelve years ago, inasmuch as certafn stop-banking wo'-ks of the Public Works Department have not protected our area, but greatly magnified damages from floods and mining silt, etc. This is easily understood by a reference to the present position, which is that we have stop-banks erected on opposite sides of the Ohinemuri River (our worst flooding and silting river), and also stop, banks, on the Waihou River. The pre,sent effect of these stop-banks is to enclose our area in a dam, and to raise and divert all floods upon our area.. This is, of course, the result of the present uncompleted -stophanks *in our area. The damages we, are suffering cannot be estimated, but they have already I nearly ruined many of our settlers, and are? in the event of further floods, in a fair way to complete the ruination of all our settlers. Can such deplorable and disastrous conditions be allowed to continue ? “We are, in conjunction with other local bodies, endeavouring to bring these facts fully before the Minister of Public Works. But our position /s sq precarious that we feel that only urgent and early help, will be of any use to us. To this end, therefore, we beg that you may use your influence to have this state of affairs rectified. We understand the Government is contemplating relief works, such as road-making and tree-planting, etc, ! in view of the serious labour condiI tions in the Dominion. May we, I therefore, urge the special claims of ! our district as a means for releif i works. We have only one stop band | to be completed to fully protect us, I including the Pereniki area, and we I are assured the Public Works engin- | eers have all the plans ready to complete same the day authority is, given them tp proceed. This work would provide ideal conditions for relief works, as any unskilled man can use • a spade and barrow, and would abi sorb a large number of unemployed for the coming winter. We beg to suggest that there can be no poliay from a. national point of view more important than safeguarding production, and the claims of our rich dairying district are of immense importance as a prodcing area. “In conclusion, we would desire to i specially point out to you, as ’head i of the Lands Department, the result of the policy pursued to date by. the Public Works Department. Vast sums j have been spent, and are estimate! for, to protect purely Government and Thames endowment lands, and the claims of older settled areas are being ignored. We realise the necessity for all areas to be protected, but we consider our area and our settlers have a prior claim in every way to protection. We therefore beg that au immediate start be given to the stopbank required in our area, and we respectfully trust to have your kinl and urgent help to this vital proposal.” Mr M. McLeod emphasised that any made should include insistence oh the protection of Pereniki’s bend area. The area was very valuable, and its destruction would mean a serious loss, not only to the owners, but to the town of Paeroa. If the upper areas were protected and Pereniki area left open it would not be safe to live there. It was decided to write to the Minister of Public Works accordingly. It- was decided to wait upon the Minj ister during his visit to Paeroa, ali members to. attend, Messrs Keys and McLeod being spokesmen. Members desired that the natives should also attend.

A member commented that the si ! t was banking up considerably during the past few years at Netherton ; this could be seen very clearly at low water. Where there was once deep water there was now on island of silt about a quarter of an acre in extent. Mr T. P. Vuglar said that whereas the water used to remain on his property for two days it now lay a fortnight, even though he had laid tile drains every fifteen yards ; the water backed up in the river and could not get away.

The need of completing the Rotokohu drain was stressed by several members. The Department ought either to complete the work or allow the settlers to form a drainage board and do the work themselves. It was

| resolved to write to the Minister asking that the dredge, at the Puke, which had been idle for a long time, i should be put on to the work. Messrs Ferguson, Vickerman, Metcalfe, and H. B. Young-, a member ‘ stated, had been in favour of PereI niki’s -cut being put through, and yet | si: oseqnent engineers seemed to be . afraid -of it. The'se gentlemen had also recommended that Ngararahi i and Kotu cuts should be made ; these rwere done, but Pereniki’s bad been . shelved.