FLOOD CONTROL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3546, 5 October 1926, Page 4

FLOOD CONTROL

COUNSEL’S SUBMISSIONS

PALMERSTON N., Oct. 2. Concluding his address before tire Mannwatn-Oroua River Board Commission yesterday, Mr Cooke dealt with the financial aspect of the scheme, saying that ho doubted whether the board could 1 ' legally raise a loan for the work. The borough of Palmerston North, he proceeded, was situated in the same position as other contributing bodies it had no power to raise a loan tor the amount asked of it, £IO,OOO, and this would have to be met out of the general rate. The three headings under which the River Board said Palmerston North would benefit—stimulus to business, improved communication and increase of population weie voiy doubtful and in any case, counsel submitted, they were not benefits that the town could be rated for. It was laid down that the benefits had to be actual benefits from the nature of the work. With regard to the position of drainage boards, he thought that the simplest way of dealing with the, matter of contributions would be to dismiss the idea of including the boards and to expect the county councils to hnd the money for their particular areas, which included the territories of the I)OaIdS >OXTON’S POSITION. Mr Bergin, for the Borough of Foxton and the Moutoa Drainage Board, stated that an increase of rating value was not necessarily a benefit, and that any contributions made by local bodies must inevitably come back to tire man on the land. With regard to Foxton itself, counsel pointed out that the flaxmills were the chief support oi the town, and submitted that the direct result of tbe scheme would be ,the shifting of the mills to the flax-grow-ing areas in the Moutoa, as that would save the millers great transportation expenses. It would also mean a saving of o 0 to 53 miles of railway freight through the millers being enabled to use the Koputaroa railway station instead of Foxton. The board's scheme, if carried out, would put the town to additional expense in shifting its septic tanks. Foxton was useless as a stock centre, and the shifting oi the river closer to the town would no doubt have tire effect of sending many of the Moutoa settlors to Shannon and Levin with their trade. It was amazing to think that Foxton should be asked to contribute to a scheme that was going to jeopardise its prosperity. Regarding the Moutoa Drainage Board, the' whole ol that body’s area was in the Manawatu County Council s district, the latter body itsell being asked for a substantial contribution. Under these circumstances, counsel subnfitted that Moutoa ratepayers should not be asked to pay twice. Another matter that had to be borne in mind was that the scheme would have the effect oF dislocating the whole of the Drainage Board's system ol drainage. Any benefits the board might derive would be off-set by the division of its area and the detrimental effects of the scheme, concluded Mr CASE FOR RIVER BOARD. After returning thanks to the commission for the help and assistance (riven, Mr Baldwin, in his address, on behalf of the River Board', emphasised the great importance of tire duties of the commission, firstly because ol the magnitude of the scheme, and secondly because the commission came between the interests of the local bodies and the State on one side and a possible grievous disaster to an enormous number of settlers on the other side: It was quite possible that a national disaster might occur at any time, and he wished to stress tire point that the longer relief measures were delayed the'greater the eliane« of that disaster. Counsel then drew attention to a iecommendation by Sir Robert Stout in connection with the Hawke s Bay Rivers Commission —that money should be raised without going to a poll of the ratepayers at all, and that there should be Government representation. The River Board, stated counsel, would welcome a Government representative, but he could not agree with Mr Cooke in his contention that the hoard could not successfully prosecute the carrying out of the scheme. On the hoard were men who administered some of the largest commercial enterprises in the district, and who had been singularly success!ill in managing their own affairs. , , It was then submitted by counsel that the evidence had conclusively proved that the scheme was the best and the only practicable one; that there would" be a benefit to tbe land, and that the hoard’s area could not carry the whole financial burden. There were two points to consider in relation to the scheme itself —whether the works would do all that was anticipated and whether the estimated cost was withiiFthe limits With regard to benefit, the board had approached the matter from the ]>oint of view that' every one of the local

bodies cited would receive, in more oi loss degree, benefit from tlu: .scheme As regards the boroughs, they were si product of tbe country districts, and made progress in direct proportion tc the prosperity of the districts. The Government, subsidy, Ire submitted, should depend on a decision as to whether the service in question proved to be in the public interest, such interest to include a benefit (a) to Crown property, (b) to an extended area of the Dominion, (c) to a considerable number of inhabitants and (d) which-largely increases or tends to increase the productivity of an extended area of the Dominion. Apart from the Crown obtaining an appreciable area of land, the tout was a benefit widely spread either (a) in point of

population, (I*) in point of area and (e) in point oi' production, with, as a consequence, increased earning capacity, spending capacity, and increase of ’ revenue direct through taxation, indirect through the Customs, or by support of industries and trade. The probable benefits, lie submitted, were increases of settlement, production, employment, communication and cheapening* of transport. It was also submitted that the scheme would benefit the railways and Crown lands within the areathat it would provide extra security for all Government mortgages on hinds in the district, and give immunity from claims for relief. All tliese claims, lie contended, had

been proved by evidence. Concluding, Mr Baldwin again drew the* attention of the commission to the contention of Sir Robert Stout already mentioned and a suggestion by him that the

Government lie called upon to prove the scheme before final adoption by the River Board, when it would be unnecessary to have any sanction by tho ratepayers. During his address Mr Baldwin made reference to the attitude adopted by the Manawatu Ratepayers’ Association. “An esteemed gentleman was put forward as their spokesman,” said Mr Baldwin. “He voiced the sentiment of primeval man even before the tribal sense bad developed. Ho practically said: ‘I live for myself.’ That is apparently the slogan of the Manawatu Ratepayers’ Association, whose only bond seems to lie a joint dedication to the cult of self at the expense of tho other fellow. They are men described by Bacon as such extreme self-lovers that they would set a house on fire to roast their own eggs.” COMMISSION ADJOURNS. Tho chairman (Air R. M. Wahson, S.M.) thanked counsel for the lucid way in which they had presented their cases and for the earnest endeavour that had been made by all to elucidate what unquestionably had been a very difficult problem. ; The commission then adjourned. The report will be presented to the Gover-nor-General before the end of the month, and the local bodies concerned will bo advised of the recommendations in due course.