FLOOD CONTROL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2944, 3 October 1925, Page 2

FLOOD CONTROL.

MANAWjATU-OROUA board.

COMMISSION TO BE SOUGHT.

The Manawatu-Oroua River Board met at Palmerston North on Thursday, there being present: Messrs W. S. Carter "(chairman), Wilton, Gower, A. and H. Akers and Harrison.

The chairman, in referring to the passing of the special hill sought by the board, alluded to the efforts of Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P., in this connection. There was no doubt, he said, that Mr. Nash did valuable service in assisting local bodies in these affairs and he was a hardworking representative of the district. The thanks of the board and of the ratepayers were due to him for the. assistance given and also to Mr. -T. Linklater, ALP., and the Hon. W. Earnshaw. Votes of thanks were accorded these gentlemen and it was decided to acquaint them of the board’s resolutions. The chairman briefly reviewed ihe board’s position and its gradual progress up to a point where someclung definite was arrived at in the matter of gerlnig a flood control jclicme under way. The petition for the board’s abolition, he said, had been disposed of and he thought that the hoard was now in a position to proceed with the reclassification of land in order to finance the cost of the modified scheme of flood control under the recently enacted legislation. The slieme could 1 lien he placed before the ratepayers. Tn order to go on with the modified scheme, continued the chairman, all the land in the board’s district would have to be re-elassi-lied under the new legislation, and I lie time had arrived to commence that work. If tho hoard did not arrive at a decision something serious would happen soon. Ho alluded to Ihe flood menace and to the amount of water which virtually covered hundreds of acres in parts of the Kairangn, the supposed “high and

dry” area. Mr. Harrison: But it is surface water, not from the rivers.

The chairman: But it is there and is not getting away. Such a state of affairs is not business-like for the farmer. The chairman added that a flood some time back had so seriously affected the farming operations of one of the board members as to put him out of business, and lie had resigned from the board. “It is high time the board got to work. The ratepayers want- to know whether we are going to do anything,” said Air. Harrison. The chairman said that many misconceptions had been removed, and the board had now arrived at what appeared to be a workable and equitable basis of retaining for the cost of its proposed scheme. Mj*. H. Akers: The first- thing to do is to proceed with the re-elassi-fication. ~ NEED FOR COAEVHSSION. Air. Hay (the board’s engineer) said that information was desired as to whether a commission was to be called for by the board. He honestly thought that a report should be secured from a commission before re-elassifieation was proceeded with, else “stumbling blocks” would arise—notably in the shape of opposition from the Alakerua block. By the commission it would be established officially whether or not the scheme was of national interest and deserving of State financial support. Air. 11. Akers moved that a commission be asked for. Mr. Wilton seconding the motion. The, chairman: Who would pay for the commission?

Mr. Hay: It would not need to be a very big one, nor would a long sitting be necessary. The commission, of course, would he appointed by the Government. QUESTION* OF COST.

The chairman: It. will be costly.

Mr. 11. Akers: So long as it does not take as long as the Lysnar Commission it will he all right. If it costs £11)00 and helps the hoard’s scheme it will be cheap. ’The hoard then discussed the question whether it should suggest the personnel of the commission, but it was decided that it would be impolitic to do so. Citation of parlies was then considered, and, inter alia, it was decided to ascertain whether the commission, if granted, would base its deliberations on the original and more comprehensive scheme of flood control, which had been tinder review before the modiiied scheme was adopted. It was pointed out that, if the greater scheme was considered, it might be done piecemeal, or else the commission's findings on tlie basis of the big scheme could later be applied, prorata, with diificulty, to the modified scheme. The motion to ask for a commission was carried unanimously, Mr Hay being deputed to proceed to Wellington with the object of taking preliminary steps to further the board’s object.

GEN E HAL. The Manawatu Drainage Board wrote inviting the board to join with it and the Kairanga County Council in the erection of some Howl gates and a bridge at Rangiotu. It was decided to reply stating that, if the board’s loan proposal were carried it would bear a share of the cost up to £SOO, but that its present funds were devoted to administrative expenses. Accounts totalling £39 16s 8d were passed for payment.