PROPOSED RIVER BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2441, 15 June 1922, Page 1

PROPOSED RIVER BOARD.

A PECULIAR POSITION. AREA UNDER HARBOUR BOARD’S AUTHORITY. Recently a petition was circulated in the districts 'drained by the Manawatu and Oroua rivers, and was largely signed, praying for the setting up of a river board to establish any flood protection works deemed necessary, in view of the experience of settlers in past floods, and a provisional committee with Mr R. T. Bell as chairman, was set. up to negiotiatei with the Department • of Internal Affairs for the required •authority to constitute a rating area. Objections, however, chiefly from the Kairanga district, were made to the proposal .and it was discovered that a considerable part of the proposed board’s area was under the jurisdiction of the Foxton Harbour Board, which board, under the Act governing such bodies, would be in a position of superiority to any river board. The discovery of this fact, which in effect prevents the formation of a river board area without the sanction and the subsequent control of the Foxton Harbour Board, brought about a conference of the two bodies concerned in Palmerston North on Monday. As a result of the negotiations, which were of a most harmonious nature, the Harbour Board decided to x agree to the committee approaching the Minister with the assurance that any of the work undertaken by the river board might be proceeded with providing the Board had their outlet above the Borough of Foxton. It is 1 tlie intention of the committee to press for empowering legislation and a deputation, representative of both bodies will shortly meet the Minister of Internal Affairs in reference to this matter. In discussing the interesting contretemps with a “Manawatu Times” reporter after the conference, Mr Bell said that conditions within the area proposed to be dealt with by the river board had altered considerably of late. They had become extinct as far as the flax industry was concerned, and were now being dealt with for agricultural purposes. Therefore, it was absolutely essence 1 that the flood waters should be excluded where in other circumstances they were welcome. The Makerua area consisting of about 23,000 acres, was now being protected in this way by the most up-to-date machinery, and their progress in banking had been rapid. The adjoining settlers on the other side of the river would realise what these activities meant to any low-lying areas and if they did not- the first “old man” flood they had would bring home the necessity of dealing with the flood waters of both the Oroua. and Manawatu rivers in an efficient way. “Knowing the district as I do,” said Mr Bell, “I have ■the feeling that the officers of the Public Works and Railway Departments are not ..keeping themselves ' properly advised as to what disaster’s have to be forseen in their direction. There is a possibility that ■the flood protection measures now being taken, within the Kairanga, Horowhenua and Manawatu districts may be the means of disloca- i iting the railway traffic of the Main Trunk lines between Shannon and Koputaroa, the Foxton line between Tiakitahuna and Rangiotu, and also dislocate road traffic between Foxton and Shannon, and Shannon and Levin.”