SNAGGING THE WAITOA STREAM.

Matamata Record, Volume III, Issue 118, 6 February 1919, Page 2

SNAGGING THE WAITOA STREAM.

Drainage District Amalgamation. Prospects and Proposals. For soiiio timo [,nst it has boon felt that tlio prosont boundarios of drainago districts in tlio Upper Thaiuos Valloy aro not doCned to socuro tho boat rosults. There aro yaps botweon tlio boundaries of somo of tho districts, and these gaps are froo of rating, though drainago operations certainly affect practically tho whole of tho valley to somo oxtont. Tho provisions of tlio Act for classification of lauds aro calculated to moot this position provided all tho lands aro included in a drainago district. A caso in point was roforrod to at last Saturday's mooting- of tho Waitoa Drainago board, whon deputations attonded in support of a project for assuming control of that portion of tho Waitoa rivor betwoon tho Morrinsvillo-To Aroha railway and tho MorrinsvilloKotorua railway. This stroam winds and bonds through a tract of rich country, many scores of acres of which is well-nigh useless for sovoral mouths each year. Timber lies pretty thickly in tho stroam, too, and tlio Government has provided on tho Estimates a sum of mouoy to assist in aiiaggmg and clearing the stream- Tho desiro of tlio settlers affected is to uiducQ tho Waitoa Drainage board to tako control of all tho area between tho Waitoa river and tho Waitoa- Matamata road. At present tho lluugahunga Drainage district western boundary is the road mentioned, and tho Waitoa district's eastern boundary is the rivor. Thon tho Waihokau Drainago district is a small aroa of tho laud botweon the road und the river. Thorois a fooling that tho Waitoa Drainago district should absorb tho Waihokau district and all tho other parts of tho area botwoen the road and tho rivor. Tho Waihokau board may not soo oyo-to-oyo with tho Waitoa board in this matter, but tho difficulties aro, in tho opinion of competent observers, not insuperable. Such an arrangemont should, on tho face of it, make for tho hotter administration of tho whole of tho country oilectod by drainage board operations. Messrs"F. C. Hanson, 11. Hydo, Win Crawslmw, W. Woods, Dixon, It. Phillips and Vercoe attonded as a deputation at Saturday's mooting of the Waitoa Drainago board. Mr Hanson said they wore all mombers of branches of tho N.Z. Farmers' union. Their lands woro worso off now than eight years ago, and tho trouble, to his mind, was undoubtedly becoming worso. Tho Oovornmout had granted a subsidy of £2OO at tho rate of £ 1 for £2, and tho doputation would liko tho Waitoa Drainago board to assume control of tho aroa. Mr Crawshaw said higher upstream tho lands oven ono or two miles hack from tho rivor was useloss for months until tho rivor is cleaned out to enable thorn to drain into the stream. The idea in his district was to go in for a. large loan embracing tho whole of the aroa affocted. ne had no doubt there would bo ample return for tho expenditure. Tho sottlors affectod wanted a practical drainago board to nssumo control. Mr Dixon said tho drainage works upstroam woro advorsoly affecting tho lands in his locality. A comprohonflivo schomo was required. Mr Hydo supportod, and gavo parallels of tho conditions existing now and years ago. Mossrs Vorcoo"Mnd Phillips also spoko briefly, and keenly supported tho project. Mr Crawshaw, apologising for tho unavoidable absoncoof Mr John Scott, said that gontloman was vory much affectod, ho haviug to provido a stopbank to koop tho water hack. Tho wator would cover most of Mr Scott's property and a good doal of Laird's and Mikkolson's lands, if thoro was no stopbank. Thoro was a fall of about Bft por milo, with a riso in floodtimo of six or oight feet tho water spread over hundreds of acres. Tho Walton farmers woro willing to provido their sharo of tho cost of a roport by a competent ongineer, realising that tho cost of improvement would bo compensated by the extra land avaiiablo for grazing or cropping. Mr Hanson said his follow settlors woro willing to pay rates. Tho rivor required snagging and somo sandbanks lower down-stream should be removed, thus allowing the water to got away. Trustee Wagetalf considered a Rivor board should bo formed, to tako in tho wholo of tho aroa affectod, but not much could bo dono until tho Government had complotod its work up to tho Whakahoro. This would tako about two yoars. Mr Hydo said if tho sandbars woro romovod an extra fall of about 4ft would bo obtained. Mr Hansen said it would bo usoloss waiting for tho Government to complotoits task. Much valuahlo work could bo dono in tho moantime. Tho sottlors did not wish to loso tho £2OO granted by the Govornmont. Tho lnttor would not undertake to do tho work, but if tho settlers woro prepared to holp thomsolvos ho folt confident a larger grant from tho Government would bo forthcoming. It was agrood that tho £2OO would not enablo much to bo dono, but it was a stepping stone.

The doputation intim«jj* that tho cost of a roport would TBihtfOComo a chargo on tho were confident tho sottlors interested would boar tho cost. Mr Crawshaw said they did not merely want tho roport on tho river. A comprehensive drainagf schomo was necessary. Mr W. R. Johnson said if a majority of sottlors in tho locality potitionod tho Minister for inclusion in tho board's district tho area must bo includod. Ho wanted to also point out that tho Rivor Hoards' Act would havo to bo amondod to onablo a Rivor board to go in for drainago schomo. A drainago board could snag tho rivor. Ho understood tho desiro was to havo tho Waitoa board's distriot oxtondod up to tho lluugahunga board's boundary. Mr Horn said ho lookod on tho rivors as practically tho samo as tho main road—used by ovorybody. Tho drainage board could go to tho Govornmont for a grant to improro tho rivor. He suggested that tho settlors intorostod should petition for inclusion in tho Waitoa Drainago district. Tho chairman said tho Waitoa board had started years ago with a small area, and had gradually grown in area and importance. No applications for inclusion had been refused, and ho thought none over would as long as the wator flowed towards Waitoa. Mr Horn gavo tho doputation a fow observations about cost of Govornmont drainago oporations. The board ngrood to instruct its clork to proparo a petition, and tho Waitoa, Walton, and Ngarua branches of fho Farmors' Union will bo supplied with a view to securing signatures. Tho deputation then thankod the board and withdrew.