MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD SCHEME.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3508, 8 July 1926, Page 2

MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD SCHEME.

DEPUTATION WAITS ON MANAWATU DRAINAGE BOARD. A deputation, comprising several members of Manawatu-Oroua River Board, waited on the meeting of the Manawatu Drainage Board at Palmerston on Tuesday, regarding the decision of the Rivers Board to explain the provisions’of the proposed scheme to local bodies cited to appear before the Commission set up to go into the matter of apportioning the costs of the undertaking. Mr. W. S. Carter, •chairman of the River Board, explained some of the benefits to be derived from the scheme, stating that it was apparent that the local bodies did no fully understand the. proposals. His Board desired the local bodies to come to' an equitable arrangement for the combating of the periodical floods of the two main rivers. The Manawatu-Oroua River Board controlled a large area, including that of the Drainage Board’s sphere of activity and its objective was to carry the internal waters to the sea. A present the drainage boards were doing their bit, but unless they co-operated, floods Were bound to cause a: great deal of trouble. . Replying to Trustee E. Wood, Mr. Hay the engineer, stated that the making of the direct cut as proposed in the scheme, would have the effect of giving a further fall of five feet. Mr Baldwin stated that one of the chief objects of the River Board was to have all the contributing bodies co-operate and so obtain their finance on the best terms possible. Trustee P. J. Small pointed-out that while the flax industry had been flourishing, the water had been necessary, but now that- it had gone back, steps wee being taken to drain that particular area. Mr. Carter stated that the flax area at the present time was useless, and the water must come off the land. Unless the whole district co-operated to have the “getaway” for the water, the district would be faced wih a great deal of trouble. The ratepayers had assisted in the work of other drainage schemes and as the Board contended the scheme was a national one, it was necessary to rally all their available forces in order to make effective representation to have the scheme considered a national benefit. In answer to the chairman, Mr. Carter stated that some of the banking done by the Makerua Board would benefit the River Board’s scheme, and a commission was to affix how much that would be. Trustee N. P. Neilsen stated that so far as the ratepayers were concerned, they looked at the financial aspect. He stated that at the very outset of the move to form the Board, lie had favoured taking in a large district. Mr. Hay explained that the Manawatu River had a catchment of 1,500,000 acres, but previous experience had shown that it was expedient that the rating be taken from the area which would receive direct benefit from the scheme. The improvement of an area of 70,000 acres should be viewed in a wider light than the purely parochial one. The River Board intended to stress this national aspect at. the sitting of the icommission. Mr. Baldwin pointed out that provision was made in the Act, to increase the boundaries if thought advisable. Mr. Carter, stated that the district could be classified into as many'classes as was thought advisable, so that any settler not gaining very much benefit would not have to pay the usual amount of the common four classes in the •classification of other bodies. Mr. Hay stated that the basis on which the Rivers Board was working was approximately one-third of the benefit. In other words, where the benefit would be £l4 per acre, the cost of the improvements would be £5. The deputation then retired and no further discussion took place.