MINISTER OF LANDS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5426, 20 May 1929, Page 4

MINISTER OF LANDS.

VISIT TO THE PLAINS. NGATEA WANTS. During the course of his visit to the Hauraki Plains on Thursday last the Minister of Lands, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, after hearing private deputations from the Hauraki Plains Farmers’ Veterinary Club and others, was officially welcomed at the County Chambers by Mr E. L. Walton, whose last official duty as county chairman it was to welcome the Minister at the seat of the county. Drainage Subsidy. The chairman of the Hauraki Plains West Drainage Board, Mr C. W. Parfitt, was the first deputation. He pointed out that prior to the formation of the board a maintenance subsidy had been granted it by the previous Minister. The board desired this re-endorsed and made seasonable, instead of ending at March 31, which was in the middle of the board’s season of expenditure. The board also desired a subsidy for work on Puhanga Island, and a grant for a culvert on the Ngatea-Pipiroa road amounting to £l5O. In reply to Mr Macmorran Mi - Parfitt said that the year for the annual maintenance subsidy ceased on March 31, whereas the board desired it to end on June 30. A Temporary Bank. Mr J. Motion, a member of the board, spoke of the need for a stopbank on Pouarua Road to protect the Hopai-Rawerawe district from floodwater from Government country until such time as the new canal at Waitakaruru was finished. In reply to the Minister Mr Motion said that the flooding was becoming worse each year. Mr E. Taylor said that the bank would cost £4OO and would not be very effective. In reply the Minister said that the subsidy arrangements would certainly be honoured, and the request to have the period altered to suit the cleaning season did not seem difficult to arrange. The question of the culvert seemed a reasonable one, and he would see that it was looked into. In regard to the temporary stop-bank, he had to be guided by his engineers, put personally he fully realised the detriment of flooding. Electoral Boundary. The advisability of altering the electoral boundary at Netherton, where a tongue of the Waikato electorate penetrated the Thames electorate, was stressed by Mr H. A. Mills, the leader of a large deputation. Mr Mills asked that Mr Forbes represent to the Minister of Internal Affairs the fact that there was absolutely no community of interest between the Awaiti and the rest of the Waikato electorate. A huge area of bottomless peat separated the two parts. The matter did not become apparent until the last election, when the alteration of boundary became apparent. It was then too late to have anything done, though every elector in Awaiti had signed the petition. Mr Walton explained that the Awaiti was put in the Thames electorate by the Boundary Commission until the second revision of boundaries consequent to the Ohinemuri petitions. The Awaiti settlers thus had not legal opportunity of protesting. Only 130 electors were affected, so the question of the size of the electorate was not affected. The Minister said he did not know of any machinery foi' altering boundaries except at the usual time. However, he would have the* Minister of Internal Affairs go into the matter. He realised the justice of the request. Kaihere Wharf. Mr A. G? Davies, of Kaihere. urged that the Lands Drainage Department should make a grant at once to have the Kaihere wharf made safe and usable. Unless something was done at once the wharf would tip into the river. In reply to the Minister the lands drainage engineer said that the wharf was so dangerous that a notice had been put up closing it. Mr Walton pointed out that the Crown would use the wharf very considerably in the future, as it had recently planted a big area adjoining in flax. The fibre and tow from the flaxmill would have to be shipped over this wharf. In reply to Mi’ Macmorran Mr Walton said that the action need not be taken as a preeident for other wharves. The request would not have been made had the wharf not been in a dangerous position and been of very great use. The Minister promised to have the matter looked into as soon as possible. School Access. Mr W. McDuff, chairman of the Ngatea District High School Committee, approached the Minister with a request that a right-of-way be granted the school committee from Orchard Road to the back portion of the playground. The Minister directed the Commissioner of Crown Lands to inspect the area forthwith and to confer with him later. Farewell to Hauraki. Replying to Mr A. W. Hall’s farewell speech, the Minister remarked that he had entered Parliament in 1908, the year the Hauraki Plains work was authorised. He had thus been able to follow the progress of the district from the very beginning, and, being a farmer, had always been interested in the opening-up and development of the land.