The Opotiki News Friday, January 27, 1939. BOROUGH UNDERTAKINGS.

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 139, 27 January 1939, Page 2

The Opotiki News Friday, January 27, 1939. BOROUGH UNDERTAKINGS.

The question of street works and maintenance is to be gone into shortly by the Opotiki Borough Council, but as it will be too late to go into a scheme for permanent work tliis summer the council will have ample time to carefully consider ,all aspects of the upkeep of the streets. While the question .of undertaking permanent street work is a very important one the matter of finance will have to be carefully considered. The council will do well to put first works first, and/ in this connection there lias been a . tendency to forget one or two important matters that require urgent, attention. These other necessary works will require a considerable expenditure on the part of the borough and could be dealt with at the same time its permanent surfacing of streets. The water works system will have to be attended to at Otara near the Tutaetoko stream and the council will have to decide whether to protect the present pipe line or move the line away from the river. The latter means of protection has been practically decided on and the cost of protection will have to be carefully weighed.

The other matter requiring very urgent attention is that .of erosion on the left bank of the Otara river below the town bridge. The river has now cut light, back to the stop-bank and will require immediate attention, lieports were made on the protective works more than a year ago and the council has been awaiting a decision by the Public Works Department but the matter has either been shelved or forgotten about. Unless something is done at an early date further serious erosion will take place during the winter. This matter should be dealt with bv the council without delay. It is no use waiting for a national survey of the problem of river erosion to be made, as, unless the Otara river erosion is tackled at an early date, the final cost of straightening out the river will be increased'. With the use of Public Works Department maeliinery the river could be straightened in quick time. In the event of a big flood liefore the work is done, the river in its present position will cause a very strong current to flow over the northern end of the borough and heavy damgae would result. The council had hoped at one time that the protective work would be undertaken by the Government but the latest pronouncement by the Minister of Public Works clearly shows that the borough will have to find most, if not all, of the cost of the protective work.

Authority has been given by the Cabinet to the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. P. Semple, to draft a bill to deal with river erosion. Mr. Semple said in Christchurch that the bill will authorise national control over all rivers threatening to destroy land, homes and highways. “The bill will be drafted and submitted to the Cabinet for its approval before Parliament next meets,” added the Minister. “Some big questions are involved in an undertaking of this kind. Additional powers will be taken by the Government* to do the job as it should be done. “There is an impression in the minds of some persons that the liability of local bodies and others whose property and home's will be saved will end when the Government takes control. That is not . the position at all. Those whose land and property will be saved and improved are entitled to, be asked to pay something toward the protection of their own property and the improvement of their own land.”

An assurance was given by the Minister that every opportunity would be given everybody interested to ; criticise the principles embodied in the bill and to make suggestions for amendmont. The bill woidd be referred to a committee, which, would take evidence.

“It is quite obvious to anybody who has studied the situation that the present system has failed—the existing control is worse than useless,” said Mr. Semple; “And it is going from bad to worse every year.

“I have said on several occasions that it would be necessary to set up an engineering branch within the Public Works Department, with competent engineers in charge, to study the rivers and to deal, not the effects, but with the cause. In the past, we have been dealing with , the effects and neglecting the cause and the spending.

of moneys, as most of us know, lias been futile.”

Mr. Semple added that many of the river boards would? automatically disappear when the bill was passed. A proper system of amalgamation would be introduced and, above all, a proper organisation would be set up to keep the rivers under control when. the,, job was done—in other words, it would do any .repair work and keep a close supervision to see that there was no repetition of the past. It will be seen from the above that the problem of river control is to be tackled on national lines. There is no question but that the problem has been aggravated by. land-owners along river courses. Groynes have been put in without thought of consequences, and have even been extended with the result that the course of a river has been completely altered and the landowner lias secured additional land at the expense of his neighbour on the opposite side of the river. Under the new proposals such action will be impossible. Instances have occurred where counter groynes have been put in. resulting in a restriction of the river-bed and consequently a restricted runway for the waters in times of heave flood. ,