MANAWATU OROUA RIVER BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3624, 9 April 1927, Page 3

MANAWATU OROUA RIVER BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING.

The monthly meeting of the Ma-nawatu-Oroua River Board was held at Palmerston North on Thursday, there being present: Messrs B. G. Gower, A. Seifert, J. E. C. Harrison, R. Tanner, J. Richardson, A. Buchanan, H. Akers and H. Barbez’. In the absence of the chairman, Mr. W. S. Carter, Mr Akers was appointed to the chair.

Advice was received from the Minister of Financo (Hon. W. D. Stewart) that the Local Government Loans Board Act came into operation on April 1, and that, under its provisions, every local authority which proposed to borrow any moneys (otherwise than in anticipation of its revenue) had to submit an application to the Loans Board for sanction to borrow.

Arising out of a complaint by Mr S. Graham, of Rangiotu, regarding the classification of his land, it was decided to approach the Valuation Department to see if a clerical error had been made.

Mr. W. B. Groad, of ivlangawhata, waited upon the Board and contended that he had been wrongly rated in respect to 58 acres of land in the Kairanga division. He explained that this land had been leased and being situated very high up was not therefore subject .to Hooding. Banks had been erected and this afforded protection to the property. Mr. Tanner: “Were you flooded last July?” Mr. Croad: “Yes, but that was through a break further up the line. That is the first time there has been water on the land for seven years at least.” “That’s nothing,” reported Mr. Gower, “there are properties which were not flooded for seventeen years until the last floed.”

Mr. Seifert stated that compensation would be given him when the Government subsidy for the erection of the banks came to hand. The Board had worked to procure this but as far as altering the classification the Board was helpless. Once the matter had been- santioned by the Magistrate it was impossible to alter the districts until the Board’s area was again classified. When asked how long he had been leasing the property, Mr. Croad replied “seven years.” Mr. Gower: “You are lucky and have nothing to growl about if this is your first rate, seeing that we have already struck four rates.” Mr. Croad: “I was going to let you sue me for my rates and then the Magistrate could alter the classification if he thought it necessary.”

It was pointed out by Mr. Seifert that even the Magistate had no power to make an alteration until there was a re-classification.

<r \Ve are going for a re-classifica-tion when we see that the Government is going to do something,” stated the chairman.

Before retiring Mr. Croad said that he trusted the aerial photographs would show the classifier and the Board that his property was not the wettest by a long way.”