NETHERTON DRAINAGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5144, 27 June 1927, Page 4

NETHERTON DRAINAGE.

CONSTITUTION OF BOARD. ARGUMENT OF SETTLERS. The proposal to constitute the Netherton-Awaiti district into a lands drainage area was further discussed at a large and representative meeting of settlers held in the puttie hall at Netherton on Friday evening. Mr T. Vowles, president of the Ratepayers’ Association the body which nad convened the gathering, presided. Letters were received from the Hon. KJ S. Williams, Minister of Public Works, and from Mr A. M. Samuel, M.P., expressing pleasure at the action of the settlers in taking the initial steps towards forming a drainage, board, as had bean suggested by the Minister of Public Works. This decision had been reached at a meeting of settlers on May 21, when a committee, comprising Messrs. H. Hill, P. Wakeham, F. T. V. Johnston, T. Vowles, C. Potter C. Stembridge, E. Jamieson, and T. Considine, was set up, to define the land proposed to be included in the suggested drainage district after conferring with Mr B. Taylor, Lands Drainage Engineer and Mr J. E, Green whose services had been enlisted on account of his vast experience in drainage board affairs. The committee was also authorised to take the necessary steps to have the board constituted.

that were to follow was given when An indication of the arguments the minutes came up for confirmation. A long discussion arose concerning whqt appeared' to be a clerical error, the secretary having omitted his own.name from the list of committeemen appointed. The obvious course of adding Mr Stembridge’s name was adopted after twenty minutes of argument. REPORT OF COMMITTEE. Opening the meeting, the chairman explained that it had been called to hear the report of the special committee, but unfortunately Mr J. E. Green, who had take.! the minutes, was not present. However, as far as he; could remember, the area had been defined, and a long discussion had ensued concerning the bounda’ies of the wards. The lower end from the. flood-gate to the Pekapeka road was made one ward, the freehold land a second ward, and the ‘II” train district the third ward. The small area at the-Waimarie Bend was not’ included in any ward.

Mr H. Hill, another member of the committee, reported tnat at the conference Mr. Taylor had stated that he had attended a meeting in the Drain H area. The settlers of that district had stated that they would not be included in the proposed drainage board. Under the circumstances the Crown settlers had sone ahead and prepared a petition asking for their area alone to be constituted a drainage district. If the wider area was prepared to go. ahead, the Awaiti settlers were prepared to pull in with them. Mr Considine voiced the opinion that the work done by the Awaiti settlers would be of assistance to the larger project if it ,was gone on with. Mr F. Mills expressed surprise that a member of the committee appointed to carrying out the wishes ef the settlers had gone ahead cr. a contrary project. The move was open to the utmost condemnation of every right thinking -man. He would move that the whole of the business transacted a.t the previous meeting be set aside.

Seconding the motion. Mr J. Reid also condemned the underhand method of the Crown settlers. He would like to hear more of trie so callee indignation of the H drain settlers. Mr Hill contended that a meeting had been held, and Mr Reid had been present. This Mr Reid denied.

Mr Simpson cjosed the discussion by pointing out that no notice should be taken of confidential conversation.

Mr C. Potter, a member of the committee, expressed his regret thj.it he had not been able to attend its meeting. He contended that the .Awaiti settlers were justified ingoing cm their own> if they saw by the decision of the meeting that their ilistrict was not going to be treated as was desired;.

Mr Reid stateif that two neighbours had been on his farm, and were discussing drainage matters when the drainage engineer arrived and joined in the conversation. The gathering was in no sense a meeting, and was in no way organised. Speaking to the motion, Mr Considine opposed washing out ail thework already done, as it worn! mean a long and serious t'-eJ.ay. On the strength of the assumption tnat the board would be for,med, tenders had been called by the Government for its work.

Mr Hill said that Mr Taylor 11? ad been so convinced t'nat the “H” dr? a in settlers would not come into the j .reposed drainage district tiiat he had urged the circulation of a pet ition among the settlors of the rest c ,f the district as a it jeans of getting something done. 'The petition ha? i been largely signed; but it could b e torn up in a morpent if tne whole of the settlers agreed to work amic-' ably together. Mr T. Vowles -said that he was present on Mr Raid’s farm w hen the meeting termed by Mr Taylor as -an “indignation ifieeting” took I dace. Mr Taylor was wrong in assuni ing that the opinions expre-ssexl by siome set tiers were t/.ie considered opinions of the- area. .’Many of t;he settlers were of opinion that they should 1 not sign a petition if the weirds were defined therein, and had ex pressed this view on many occasions.

Considerable disc aission ensued as to whet,her the cc jmmittee had authority or not to ( lefine the wards in the proposed dist ,rict. It appeared that the subject h; ad beep debated and a majority of the committee had decided that wards , should be defined. As aii amend; merit Mr Considine moved that tine whole work be proceeded with. Seconded by Mr B, Whisker.

Mr J. A. Retd/: thought that Mr Hill was justified In; bis action, consider-

ing the information received froffl Mr Taylor and*the statement by him that the tenders had been called and the contract let for the work on the assumption that a board was to be formed.

Mr F. T. V. Johnson defended the attitude of the Awaiti settlers, who had commenced preparing to have their area constituted a drainage district long before the larger project wqs mooted. When this proposition came up the Awaiti settlers expressed agreement with the move provided there were definite wards previously agreed upon.

Mr E. A. Chester pointed out that wards could not be defined until after the board had been constituted. The chairman- stated that the meeting had been called to hear the- report of the; committee. As there was no report of the committee’s he did not consider the motion or amendment were in order.

Mr Halligan contended that the meeting had been called to discuss drainage business, and to adjourn the meeting would only be a move to get the business done some time when, there wqs only an attendance of sympathetic settlers. At the previous meeting there was an attendance of over 60, while at the present meeting there were only 30-odd.

Mr Vowles suggested that he should invite Mr Green to attend a meeting with a copy of the minutes, df the committee meeting. Asked the attitude of the Crown area, Mr Hill said that the department had demanded the petition of the settlers before going on with the big drain contract. To prevent the work ceasing the Awaiti settlers proposed sending their petition to Kerepeehi as soon as possible. If the H drain settlers were agreeable to coming in as a ward the Awaiti Crown settlers could scrap their petition "and pull in with the rest. Mr E. A. Chester said it had been reported that the lands drainage «n--gineer had said he had attended an indignation meeting of H drain setUlers who had stated that they would not sign any petition for a drainage board on the ward system, and on this evidence he had alVised the Awaiti settlers to go ahead on their own account. Mr Chester, moved that the engineer be ?)sked to explain his attitude. , * Seconded by Mr J. A. Re-id. Mr Hill said that in fairness to Mr Taylor he wished to point out that the lands drainage engineer was of opinion that the Awaiti area should be included in the larger area. It was not Mr Taylor but Mr McMorran who had advised the Awaiti settlers. Mr Hill urged that Mr Reid and Mr Vowles should be asked to explain what had taken place in Mr Taylor’s presence.

Mr E. Jamieson and. Mr W. Simpson stated that they were also present at Mr Reid’s farm Avhen- Mr Taylor arrived. From the conversation they could not see why; Mr Taylor had formed the opinion he did.

As an amendment Mr Considine moved tha,t no actfion be taken. The amendment was then put to the meeting, and by 18 votes to 14 it was decided that no action be taken.

Mr Chester moved, and Mr Reid seconded, that a mieeting of Drain H settlers be called. ’ Mr Considine commented that those who attended the meeting would be admitting that they drained into the H drain. The motion was carried.

A collection was taken up to defray the cost of Jhall hire for the meeting.