HAURAKI PLAINS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4740, 20 August 1924, Page 2

HAURAKI PLAINS.

WATER THAT LIES TOO LONG. REQUEST TO DREDGE WAIHOU. The flooding of the Hauraki Plains am! tiie damage done by water that lay too long on the land was the subject of a deputation to the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) on Friday from the local authorities in the district, the personnel being practically the same ajs that which waited on the Minister for Lands on Thursday in regard to similar matters. The members were; Messrs J. C. Miller (chairman of the Hauraki Plains County Council) H, Hare, T. McLoughlin, and F. J. Mayn, members of the same body. The chief spokesman was Mr Hare, who asked principally for the dredging of the lower reaches of the Waihou River in order to deal with the accumulation of silt which prevented flood waters from getting away quickly enough. The statement was made that the water lay on the land as long as seventeen days, doing very serious damage to the grass. The Minister agreed that water lying three feet deep for three days would do far less damage to the grass than water which lay three inches for three weeks. Mr Hare asked that certain works for the prevention of floods be proceeded with, and permanent istopbanks and flood-gates constructed at the earliest possible moment, and that breaks in the temporary stop-bank be repaired at once. The great point, however, was the dredging of the Waihou River, and the speaker laid special emphasis on this. The Minister said that a special dredge larger than any at present on ■the work, would undertake the dredging of the Waihou. The other matters would receive consideration.