DRAINAGE OF THE PLAINS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4999, 12 July 1926, Page 4

DRAINAGE OF THE PLAINS

APPEAL FOR A COMMISSION.

A COMMITTEE.NOT WANTED.

Suggestions that the .Minister of

La,nds was hot keeping a promis’e to appoint a Royal Commissioii to in-

quire into Haui’aki Plains drainage

problems, more particularly at Pate-

tonga, were made in the House of Representatives last week by the two members for the district, and drew an assurance ’from thei Minister, Hon. A, D. McLeod, that if any such promise had been definitely made it would be honoured., .

In answer’.to a question by Mr T. W. Rhodes .(Thames) as to whether, a Royal, Commission would' be set up the Minister had 1 stated that it .had been decided to set up a special committee to inquiry into.; drainage and othdr matters ’. with' respect; to the settlement of the; Haiuraki Plains. It w’as expected’ that .the personnel and order Dereference, would be announced before ■ the end: of this month' Mr ■ Rhode's, expressed' himself as ’very dissatisfied with the reply. He declared that Royal commissions . had been appointed to report on other swamp areas and the Hauraki Plaiiis needed nothing less. An area of 90,000 acres, was affected, of which 36,000 Acres still had to be deii.lt with." The settlers did not want to wait--for further floods in order 1 that a remedy for .their troubles might be found. They wanted- a commission with wide powers, not a committee -with restricted powers. They iread, in the. press for weeks, thatr'a commission was to lie Set’- up and- that only the personnel'remained to be fixed. FEELING OF THE SETTLERS. Mr A. M. Samuel (Oiiineinuri) said the settlers a.l;. Patetongdj had 'spoken to him about a' public sthjement made by the Minister in his own electorate of Wairarapa; that a commission would be feet up. ’’He had; promised on the Minister’s behalf that if the pybm; ise had in fact been made it would be carried out. Afterwards the Minister had acknowledged the 1 promifee ,fo him personally, and had under.-, taken that .it would be- honoured. This further; promise Mr Samuel said ■he Jiad made public. ■ . . The settlers; had rested content.. They were all-agreed that no- departfmental committee would-. be of any. use, because: if bne;;was>>set jip the settlers’ would be Anv.estiga.ted by those whose, duty ife was to carry out the' drainage workt ./ MATTER TO BE REVIEWED. • The Minifeter said that if it could be shown that he had; definitely promise e : d a Royal commission, he would be prepared -to carry-, but the undertak-

iug; He had .always been ready .to appoint-’such l a but he. had been deterred by the expense. Moreover, many ..complaints had been made about’ government by commission. His ‘department had plans for appointing a committee -with a thor’opghly z competent and independent man as chairman. . . -As for the other members he was satisfied that officers -not necessarily of the Lands Department but of other, departments were better. for the'‘purpose tba[n outsiders'. However,. he-:was prepared tej go into the matter,.' He wanted to questions of swamp development in, these districts sttled once a.nd for all. ' That was' not an easy matter. The Government wished to; deal fairly by the settlers and. also ,by the generjil taxpayer.—