RIVER DEVIATION SCHEME.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 647, 28 February 1914, Page 5

RIVER DEVIATION SCHEME.

CONSULTING ENGINEER'S RE PORT. APPROVED BY COUNCIL. Matters in connection with the proposed scheme of river deviation at Te Kuiti advanced a step further on Thursday evening when the report uf the consulting engineer, Mr H. H. Metcalf, was considered at a special meeting of the Borough Council. The Mayor presided and there was a full meeting of the Council. The report and plan were considered by the Council in committee, and after discussion the following re"olu tions, which were subsequently confirmed in open Council, were adopted: On the motion of Crs Somerville and Walsh it was resolved that Mr Metcalf's scheme of deviation including the bridge and road proposals at an estimated coat of £4IBO be approved. On the motion of the Mayor and Cr Somerville, that immediate steps bo taken to submit the proposal to a poll of ratepayers for the purpose of raising a loan under the "Local Bodies Loans Act, 1908," to cover the cost of the work, and to include the cost of taking th<-. land and contingencies, and that the Finance Coram'ttee be authorised to go into the whole matter. On the motion of Cra M. J. Jones and Howarth. that immediate steps be taken to acquire under "The Pubiic Works Act," a piece o f land on the southern end of the township boundary and a line drawn from the Esplanade to the Waiteti road, on the southern side of the extension of Lawrence streat and parallel thereto at a uniform distance of 132 feet together with portion of section 10, block 11, shown on the plan necessary for the river deviation and also the three cornered piece fronting the Waiteti road shown on the plan marked x.y.z. | The effect of th 3 resolutions will be that immediate steps will be taken to place the proposal before the public with a view to raising the necessary funds by way of special loan The deviation scheme is urgently necessary in orde? to prevent more serious encroachment by the river. The last Counci 1 was fully alive to the necessity for action, and on the report of Mr Dodge, who was engineer at the time, a sum of £I2OO was earmarked for the purpose when the last loan was raised. However, in view of the whole circumstances the present Council haa decided that more comprehensive scheme is advisable. It is considered that the betterment of the land taken Cor the purpose will be considerable when the scheme hu a b«en completed and should go a long way towards providing for the repaymet of the loan. A point particularly emphasised by those in favour of the schema is that a deviation of some sort is necessary. If a small work, merely sufficient to turn the stream and project the roadway, were adopted the cost would have to be borne by the ratopavers without any prospect of any present or future revenue being deprived to offset the coat of the work. In the more comprehensive proposal there is the immediate prospect of a considerable portion of the outlay being met by revenue from the land taken, witb the future prospect of the revenue to the borough being greatly increased.