RIVER PROTECTION

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2305, 21 July 1921, Page 2

RIVER PROTECTION

CONTROLLING BODY WANTED,

Members of the provisional committee of the proposed MauawatuOroua River Board, including Messrs R. T. Bell, 11. Akers, W. S. Carter, A. J. Gallichan, N. P. Nielsen, J. Richardson, K. McDonald, and P. E. Baldwin, met on Tuesday morning at the Kairanga cheese factory, with the settlers of the Kairanga district. The number who turned up to meet the committee was, however, small, and disappointment was expressed at the apparent lack of interest in such an important undertaking.

Mr Bell, in explaining the object of the gathering, said that a large and representative meeting of settlers from the districts affected by the flooding of the Manawatu and Oroua rivers had been held in November, 1920, the result being that a committee was set up to take themattcr of the formation of a river board in hand and to obtain signatures from those in the Kairanga, Oroua Downs, Manawatu and Ilorowhenua districts to a petition asking the Public Works Department to constitute a board. In the two lastnamed districts the proposal had met with whole-hearted support, but it was evident that the farmers of the other localities were not alive lo the potential dangers of flood waters. It was for the purpose of gelling fhe people interested and the majority of signatures required that the meetings were being held. The people of that district had found it necessary to drain, and had set up various hoards to relieve their areas of flood water, consequently this water had drained into the rivers at a much greater rale than ever before. Those on the lower country were entitled to proleet themselves against the common enemy, and the committee wauled all in the floodable areas to realise that it was in their interest to give every assistance in developing a comprehensive scheme (<> deal with floods. It had been decided to levy 3d per acre over the areas they proposed to cover, for the preliminary expenses of forming a board, and if that body came into being, (bey would get the most competent engineer possible to advise if, and if any land was required for the purpose of combating floods effectively, the board would deal witlr the owners under the Public Works Act, so that there would be no party business about it. Delay might be fatal. Practically all the lower reache- of the Manawatu river were substantially slopbanked, and tliis would undoubtedly have an effect on the higher reaches of the river.

Mr Baldwin mentioned that Air Furkort, Chief Public Work's Engineer, had inspected the area, and had suggested the forming of a cut for an overflow channel from Moutoa bend to the southern side of Foxton, which would reduce the channel from 30 to five miles in length, thus allowing a speedier exit for flood waters. They in the lower country had had some experience of what the people of Kairanga were going to get in time of flood. Goatsnie, the worst weed he had ever had to deal with, was now well established in the river beds, and the settlers should not permit the weed to lie spread by flood waters. One bad flood would bring them a crop of goatsrne that would never be eradicated.

Air Carter remarked that when the hanks in the lower regions were completed the water would become more congested higher up, and would have no outlet. The cut proposed'by Air Kurkert, in his opinion, would relieve them of excess water to a verv considerable extent.

It was further explained l>v Air Bell that it was proposed to graduate the rating under the board according to the benefit each area received. Each such area would, of course, be represented by a member or possibly two. He reviewed what the Alakerua settlers were doing t<> protect their own land, which would otherwise become liable lo Hooding, and would become a wilderness of goatsrue. They did not wish to take a parochial view of'-the matter, however, and were willing to alter the work they had already done if the engineer of the hoard said that it was not in the best interests of the neighbouring settlers. These people had been very broadminded, said Mr Gnllichan, and their enterprise was going to bring the others in,

Mr Akers said that in his opinion a cut was also required for the Oroua river—the channel, was too narrow- and tortuous altogether. He quoted what had been done in the matter of banks and overflow channels in other places. Four settlers present who had not previously signed the petition notified their willingness to do so, and promised to urge the' position upon tlie absentees.

It was explained to the settlers of Glen Oroua on Tuesday afternoon by the members of the provisional committee of the proposed Mauawa-tu-Oroua River Board that the rateable area under the board’s control would be fixed by the Government, and that their district, generally not being so subject to flooding at present as the lower reaches of the Manawatu basin, would not be rated on such a high scale. The benefits to be derived from such a body of control as it was proposed to form w r ere urged upon the score of settlers present by Messrs R. T. Bell, P. E. Baldwin, N. P. Nielsen, H. Akers and A. J. Gallichan, and as a result more signatures to the petition to form a board were obtained. A hearty vote of thanks to the committee, proposed by Air H. J. Lancaster, was carried by acclamation.