Minister of Public Works

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4407, 28 April 1922, Page 2

Minister of Public Works

VISITS PAEROA DISTRICT. PERSONAL INVESTIGATION. DRAINAGE'AND NAVIGATION PROBLEMS. The Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates) and party, consisting of Mr Hugh Poland, MP., Mr A. Mf.rk'iiam (First Assistant Secretary, P. and T. Department), Mr F. W. Fu'kett (EngineerJn-Chief), Mr A. J. Baker (Engineer for Auckland District), and Mr L. May (local District Engineer), left Paeroa at 915 a.ra. on Wednesday. and went . to Mackaytown, where Tapuawariki Hill was ascended, and from which a good view of the area affected by floods was obtained. Informally discussing the situation, Mr Furkett stated that it was a desirable thing to complete Rotokohu drain, but the cost would have to be made a charge against the land benefited, and not against the scheme in general, for it was purely a/ local land drainage work, and by " no stretch of imagination could the settlers on the Piako, say, be asked to contribute towards the cost thereof. The Pereniki cut, Mr Furkett said, was a dangerous proposition, as none could say what would be the effect of. that cut. Mr May: It would induce a current of 11 feet per second in the gorge, which would, come lower down at the same rate. There would be a steep fall.. Mr Furkett remarked that other cuts had brought silt down to places where none came previously, and that Pereniki might have a similar result, on a greater scale. Regarding the dragline dredge being taken away drain H., this dredge was in that locality merely to remove the willows, and fhe dipper dredge would be sent there to complete the work very shortly. • NAVIGATION AND feILTATION. Touching on the topic of siltation of the river and the detriment to navigation, Mr Frukett said the Department had anticipated the putting of cuts to delete the bende would have the effect of causing the “river to silt up somewhat. The Department, therefore, constructed a wharf lower down, at Nga.hina. No one had/the right to put a w.harf where t'he present private one was. THAT £650)000 SHOCKER. Hon. Mr Coates,, to Mr Furkett: What excuse have you fpr increasing the cost of £150,000. as originally estimated by the 1910 Commission, to £650,000 ?

Mr Furkett: The original scheme, • which was of no use to-anyone, will 'he buried under the present on;’. The 1910 Commission had mo=t iriadequate data to work upon; its lineal, measurements were correct, but not so cubic measurements. In any ca r e, its 'limited scheme would have cost, not £150,000, but £350 000. Mr May explained that the 1910 Commission estimated Chat certain willows could be pulled up, dragged away and burned for 18s per'chain, whereas. this'~work actually cost £l2 per chain,. ' , THREATENED. LANDS;!< Messrs Geo. Buchanan, W. Sorensen, and T. Barrett waited on the Minister.. and pointed out that the building of a left stop bank on the Ohinemuri would throw more* flood waters over their land on the right. If this work was to be proceeded with, the-landowners wanted adequate compensation. THE PERENIKI AREA. The Pereniki settlers, represented by Messrs McLeod and Chamberlain, conducted the party across the Pereniki bend area, pointing out the high quality of the land that was in imminent danger of being made uninhabitable. The Minister promised 'to consider favourably the purchasing of. the area, or giving the holders compensation in the fpm of land elsewhere. Or, the land in Pereniki bend might be purchased by the Government and lensed, giving the present holders first options, with compensation. DRAINAGE. Messrs Thorp Bros. and. -others waited on the Minister, asking for financial assistance with the Koauitu drain. Also Messrs Ryall and Lewis ask ed the Minister to deepen Rotokohu drain, pointing out that the attempt of tfie settlers'to form a drainage board, and raise £5OOO for the work was frustrated by the Public Works Department, who stated they were going 'to do the work themselves.

Mr Coates promised to go thoroughly into the matter ; he favoured deepening the drain considerably to enable the settlers to lead sidedrains into it. • \

z MANGAITI TO NETHERTON. After having inspected the stopbank at the end of the Mill Road, on the Waihou River, the party returned and went on to Mangaiti, where the Public Works Department launcn was waiting at the bridge. The party then boarded the launch and came down the river to Netherton. On the way a drdgline dredge was inspected at work, which shifts 40 yards of earth per hour at a cost of 7d or Sd per cubic yard, which is a pre-war rate. MATAMATA PUMICE SAND. The large suction dredge below the flaxmill was a source of much interest This, craft, which appears to have enough machinery for an ocean-going vessel, shifts In.ooo to 16 000 cubic yards a month, which spoil makes about 17 chains olf stopbank. The material is mainly Matamata County pumice sand. ORCHARD EAST ROAD. Messrs James Spence and W. McCoomh waited on the Minister at the Puke bridge with a petition asking that the Orchard East Road be metalled fully. There was already £BOO g'ant and £2OO County fund for the metalling of a portion.

Mr Coates promised to go into the matter before he lelt .the district. KOMATA AREA.

The Bucyrus dredgfe on the Komata Greek was next visited., and was doing wonderfully good work. Robinson’s drain was next viewed, and Mr Davidson, who waited upon the Minister, was assured that satisfactory provision for outlets was being made for the whole area. The giant floodgate at the mouth of drain H. was the next stopping place. This huge four-barrel structure is the largest gate in the Hauraki drainage scheme at present, ft is 80 feet long and 40 feet wide, a)nd has the floodgate flap and the sluice gate control, so that it can be used not only for its real purpose, that Of; holding the tide water back, but in. dry weather the. gate could oe opened at full tide, the drains filled with water, and the gates then closed, so that the structure would enable the land to be irrigated to some extent. VISIT TO THE PLAINS. (“Gazette” Plains Staff Reported.) The weather was at' its best but the roads nearly at their worst yesterday. the occasion of the visit of the Hon. J. G. Coates, Public Works Minister, to the Hauraki Plains. The Minister and his party travelled from Paeroa via Hikutaia and Wharepoa ferry to Ngatea, which was reached about. 11.30 a.m. Several deputations were met on the way. An excellent luncheon was served shortly after 1 p.m. in the Ngatea boardinghouse, and after the drinikng of a toast to the Minister the party returned . to Paeroa via Netherton. From Paeroa the Ministerial. party went to Te Arotha, and later in the evening to Frankton Junction, where the night express for Wellington was hoarded, ■ ORCHARD EAST ROAD. Half a dozen Orchard East Road settlers, headed by Mr J. Spence, met the Minister at Parry’s corner and urged upon the Minister the importance of metalling the Orchard East Road. The spokesman maintained that it was useles.s spending time anil mdney forming the road unless it was metalled. Mr Coates said he would inquire into the rri’tter on his rbturn to Weilintgon. NGATEA’S POST OFFICE. IMPROVING FACILITIES. The Ngatea residents made another effort, to improve their postal facilities when tlhe Minister arrived at their settlement. The speakers, Messrs G. T. Davidson,. E-. Walton, anl Eh Harvey, were introduced by Mr T. W. Rhodes, M.P. for the dis trict. NGATEA’S PROSPECTS. Mr Davidson presented the following petition : "The settlers of the Ngatea postal distric- 'have been endeavouring \o secure Improved facilities at Ngatea for the last three years py way of deputations to Ministers and correspondence with the Postal Department. As a result of our efforts last year a vote of £l2OO was put on the Estimates for a new post office here. Our committee asked when the vote would be expended), and received a reply by telegram from you, Sir, stating that Cabinet, authority had been obtained and that necessary steps would be taken forthwith to proceed. No steps were taken, but this year the vote was reduced to £400,' and tenders have been called for the erection of a building. Now, Sir, this proposed building is of little, if any, use to the settlers of this district. We have been struggling alopg for years with out proper facilities, but have been living,in hopes that with the new exchange about to be put in conditions would improve 'for. us. We have at present over 70 subscribers signed, up for t'he new exchange. We can guarantee that it will, open up with over 80, and hope to start with at least 100. This is all new business,, will represent nearly £4OO revenue per annum, and will require the services of two telephone assistants. - Consequent >n this innovation the natural tendency will be for the general business to increase considerably. I feel confident that within 12 moinths the business transacted at the Ng/atea' post office will equal that of Turua, where there are five persons employed at present. For tnese reasons, Sir, and those pf Messrs Harvey and Walton, who I will now ask to address you, we request you with confidence to direct that the present proposal be extended and that you erect a building as at first intended of t'he value of at least £1200.” Mr Coates: Do you thi'nk £l2OO would be enough for a post, office here ? • Mr Davidson : Yes,, (or the present. Mr Coates : But .this district has a big future'. The amount of the grant does not indicate t'he size of the post office. A BUSINESS VIEW. Mr H. E. Harvey, manager pf the N.Z. Cooperative Dairy Company’s Ngatea factory, read the following 1 , which was litter presented to the Minister : “On behalf of my Company, a .branch of the largest .dairy concern in the world, I beg to submit to you ttaat the postal facilities at Ngatea are totally inadequate .to cope with the business offering. Although we hare only been established in this town for 13 months, we have manufactured over, 1200 tons of butter, to the value of approximately £224',000, from cream supplied, by 350 dairy Harmers over practically the whole the the Hajiraki Plains who are milking some 10,000 cows. We anticipate an output of at least 1500 tons next year, which will mean a marked increase still to the revenue of the local post office. “Distractions from .tlh'e head office have just been issued that all period statements and list returns to suppliers must be sent per post. These have hitherto been returned per medium of the empty cream cans. This, coupled with tlhe ordinary channels for correspondence, will mean from the factory at least 15(000 outward letters per annum. “T would estimate the telegraph

ami telephone account at £1 per week. “We find a real, difficulty in obtaining telephone communication with the outside districts owing to the lack of facilities and congestion at the local office. This is a serious matter when frequently parts trf machinery are required for the factory, and ‘he suppliers handling perishable produce. . ’ , “We respectfully sumbit to you, , Sir, the necessity of having a much larger building to cope with the business offering and the rapid increase .which must take place next year. Until such time as a new building ?s ; erecte,d will ' you consider appointing an assistant to help the postmistress to cope with the press of work ?” FACTS AND FIGURES. \ Mr E Walton, Hauraki Plains Conntv Clerk, submitted the following: “The following are some figures concerning the Ngatea postal district. The Ngatea post office is, one of 12 in ) the H?uraki Plains County. The value of the land in the Ngatea postal district, as shown in the Valuation RoU of 1915, is £300,900. That of tihe area which will be served by the new exchange when it opens will be £492,795. The former figures refer only to the aiea in which the, settlers receive their mail, at Ngatea, and the latter \ do not include the Waitakaruru, Kerepeehi, or Turua districts, but include the nearest end of value our postal district is as large ,as that of Turua, and our telephone district is much larger. These figures do not allow for the thousands of acres of land at our door yet to be opened up by the Government for settlement. While there are 12 post offices in the County, yet Ngatea -postal district .comprises one-'flftflu of the total, and the exchange -district wPI be one third ol the total value of the County. “As County Clerk I am in touch with a large number of the ratepayers 1, and know tihe addresses of nearly all bf them. In the present postal dis-, trie-t there are 120 major farms and in the exchange district 208 farms. On these reside in many cases two or three families. These numbers do not include families not engaged in , farming. In our present district P estima’e that there are 120 persons capab'e of connecting with the exchange. and in the telephone district at least 200. ' ' ” s '

" The following are the 'amounts I have paid into the Ngatea post office during the last 12 months for stamps arid bureau fees: County' Council, stamps £5O ; bureau, £2l; A. and P. Show Association, stamps;. £18; i?i practice as a solicitor, stamps, £l2, and bureaux £6. "It would be safe to assume that the amount of inward business would be prortically the same, and that the above amounts will increase in the' future. '*■ _ ■ /

“Dealing generally with the subject I respeptfully submit that the present facilities are totally inadequate to the needs of the district, and the proposal to erect a 14ft by 12ft bu'lding will not satisfy even the present requirements. For an instance, yesterday morning I engaged the services of the postmistress for nearly two hours with bureau messages These had to be sent in the one room available where other persons gathered waiting to be attended to. You Will agree that it is most unpleasant and improper that peorte should be compelled to do business in this manner. This position has been a patent cause for turning away from ciir post office a large- amount of revenue. “In conclusion, Sir, believing that the case warrants it, ■ I heartily endorse the request for a larger post office .at Ngatea.” THE DEPARTMENT’S POSITION. The Minister said the communications at the Ngatea post office were on an average six or seven per day for outward and eight or nine for inward. The revenue from telegrams averaged £2 8s per week. He inquired where the county chambers wouid be built.

Crs. Miller, Hayward; McLoughlin, and "Harris said the chambers would be built at Ngatea. There was a mot’oti on the Council’s books to that effect.

Mr Coates said he had’ accepted a tender for a building to be portion of a permanent post office at Ngat'ja for He admitted it would not bo a great post office, but it was no indication of wlhat it would be later on. It may later be found that an office worth £3OOO would be required. It has riot been the policy ofl the Government to go in for public buildings. They had recently been eliminated from the Public Works building. There was only a certain amount nf money to be spent, and a limit must be put on jt. It was safe to say Chat with the Puriri bridge and Kirikiri bridge there would be an expenditure of £50.000 if carried out. There had been a promise in connection wit»i the Rimer, and the latter would need very careful consideration. Continuing, the Minister said it was no use 'having a valuable post-office at Ngatea and in the winter the settlers not he able to get to it. The proposed building would accommodate 90 subscribers., That was the of having something at once., His only concern for the moment was for the building to be completed and the telephones installed. There would also be private boyes in the neW post office The question of an assistant appeared to be important; There were so many urgent works that he. asked the settlers to put up with the proposed building.