MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD AMENDMENT BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 4009, 12 October 1929, Page 3

MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD AMENDMENT BILL.

PROTEST FROM MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD.

A protest relative to the proposed legislation in connection with the Manawatu-Oroua River Board’s Amendment Act was made at the monthly meeting of the Moutoa Drainage Board on Thursday evening. >

The secretary (Mr. Alif. Fraser) read aii extract in reference to the amendment before tlio Local Bills Committee dealing. with special areas in the Board’s district.

The chairman (Mr. J. Chrystall) said that lie had received a letter from the Secretary of the Local Bills Committee *• asking for any comment on the proposed amendment to the Ac-t and he had replied stating that he thought it would be exceedingly dangerous to give the Riven- Board power .to make cuts in the river at the upper end of the district. Mr. Chrystall considered cuts should be contined to the lower end and that if power was given the Board to so operate the restriction should be made to the effect that no cuts should be allowed above Coley’s Point, at Moutoa.

■ Mr. B. G. Gower said a clause in the proposed bill provided that no other work exceeding £I9OO could be carried out without the sanction of, the ratepayers. 1 This -would be a safeguard. The Board, however, had not the slightest intention of carrying out any cuts in the upper portion of its district and had already turned down a proposal in connection with “Hamilton’s Bend.’’

The Chairman: We are quite satisfied that the present Board would not allow such works to he carried out, but some other Board in the future might not be of the same opinion. It would be better to withhold any legislation on the matter.

Continuing,, Mr. Chrystall said that the position was fraught with great danger to the settlers in the

lower end of the district. If the Board was allowed to set up special areas tl\e ratepayers , in the lower area would not have a vote on matters concerning the top end. Three quarters of the ratepayers would thus be deprived of any say in a proposal to he put in hand in the upper portion of the district. In his opinion legislation should be withheld which .would "give the Board the right to carry out cuts in the top end. Mjr. Gower said he did not think people would be so insane as to be members of the Manawatu-Oroua River Board and allow any such cuts to be carried out in the top end of the district. , ' The Chairman: If they have no legislation they will have no power to do such a thing.

Mr. Gower said that he would not like to see the Board do anything that would hang the matter up for tlie Manmwatu- Qroua River Board. Qlr. W. E. Barber said that if a safe bank was erected from the Maori Church, Marotiri, to Mr. \V. Smith’s property at Moutoa, it would make things fairly safe in the lower portion of the district.

The. Chairman said that he did not think there was any possibility of successfully carrying out such a banking scheme. When the Manawntu rose to 12 feet above normal at Fitzherbert Bridge it commenced to spill over and fill up the Taonui Swamp at present but if a short cut was made at Hamilton’s Bend the lower end would be drowned out,as it would be called on to take 4000 acres of wafer in a few hours.'. In his opinion the Board should protest through Mr. Linklater, as, member for the district, against the proposed legislation and urge that such legislation be confined to the lower portion of the river. If this were done, said Mr. Chrvstall, it will mean that no future Board will he empowered to swamp us.out. He did not want to block the whole proposal but he certainly wanted to see the lower end safeguarded.

On the motion of the chairman and Mi'. W. E. Barber it was decided to write to Mr. J. Linklater, M.P., emphatically protesting against any legislation being passed which would give power to the Manawatu-Oroua River Board to form separate areas above Coley's and Maori Points in the Manawatu River for the purpose of -making cuts therein and that tite Board considers that if any cuts were allowed in the upper l’eaehes of the Manawatu or Oropa Rivers it would prove completely disastrous to the people resident in the lower areas. '