KAITANGATA AND GLUTHA DISTRICTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 33

KAITANGATA AND GLUTHA DISTRICTS.

BALCLUTHA, August 14. "This morning the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie, Mr J. Allen, M.P., Mr Poole (Mayor), and Mr Green'-.* (Inspector ot Mines) 'paid a visit to the- Kaitangata mine. . The works were stopped; ojrau;- to * new rope being- put

? in, and iihei*fofc» tihe party did not descend. The Minister "was shown all the surface arrangements and the lamps, aaid express sd himself as much interested and pleased. At the Bridge Hotel a deputation from Bruce County Council, consisting of Crs D. Boyd and Peter Haggart, and Mr A. Neleon (county engineer), accompanied by Messrs J. 0. Anderson and A. E. Farquhar, waited on the Minister with a request for a grant towards the protection of Inchclutha against the river encroachments. Mr James Allen, M.P., introduced the deputation, and apologised for the absence of Mr H. M. •Driver (chairman) and Cr Russell. Mr Boyd said the area of Inchclutha. was 6700 acres, and the capital value £B*, 000. This showed high value for euoh a small area. The indebtedness was £4-030 for drainage, and £3850 for metalling the roadp. In addition to wfhieh there was an overdraft of £3000. The last £2250 loan was occasioned largely by the silting' of the river bed, which rendered the previous drainage system useless: In addition to loan moneys £6200 was expended out of the rates. During the last 30 years thex rating amounted to £6 2s lOd per acre. Last year the Government put a pound for pound subsidy on the Estimates, but the financial position of the county was such that fche council could not take advantage of it. | They now applied for a free" grant of £400 j for fche protective mending of the- works ' on the Island -and £100 for the Hermitage , bank on the Matau side. Mr James Alkn, ALP., endorsed the- request of the deputation, saying that he had eeen for himself that the old drainage system was abandoned owing to the river silting up the outlets. In answer to the ' Minister, Mr Nelson said that in addition, to the interest on rates, totalling- £280 per year, the rates amounted to 2£d in. the pound. The Minuter replied that he recognised the difficulties of the position. The settlers were liable to inundation any moment. He also recognised that it was to the interest of the country generally that the occupiers of £84,000 worth of land should be protected. It might be a reasonable contention, that the silting was caused by the mining debris, but he jdoubted whether there was more of that now than 30 or 40 years ago. So far as he could judge, the place ..was simply suffering from ordinary floods. If he thought that £500 worth of work would be a permanent cure he would be in favour of giving the grant or a subsidy. He would know more affcsir inspecting- the banks. i MemWs of the Bruce and Clutha" County v Councils afterwards drove the party almost round the island' of Inchclutha, explaining the conditions of. the embankment, etc. On reaching Balclutha in the afternoon a deputation of members of the Borough Council and County Council conducted the Minister to inspect the foot passenger bridges near the town, with special reference to ihe approach on the .opposite side of the river. Mr A. S. Malcolm, M.P., introduced the deputation, and Mr John Dunne (Mayor) j explained that *he embankment which led , across the flat to the bridge was the cause of great injury to farmers on the Ba-rnego Estate by backing up the flood water. The council asked _jfoa»t the Government should cut through the embankment and install & viaduct. The cost would not b& great, and it would be a very great benefit to the "town in ensuring the safety of the place. In response to the Minister it was said that the last flood was in 1878. , The Minister asked what the Borough Council had done, and was told iha-fc the borough had repeatedly asked the Government to do something. The railway embankment pinched* in the river «t this place, and thus caused damage by the river. Mr Malcolm remarked that the Barnego Flat was Government property. Mr Allen had said that the Barnego settlers had made no complaint to him, but the complaint had been made when Mr Alien was in England. The approaching embankment was on Mr Allen's side of the r^er but the bridge was in Mr Malcolm's electorate. The Minister, in reply, said <=o far as he could judge they had not made cut a good case. The bank had stood for 30 odd years, and nobody seemed to have ; been much the worse in that time How- ' ever, he would go <to the extent of promising that if they would remove the bank the Government would put no obstacle in their way. The Mayor remarked that there was not much in ttoat sort of promise, but theMinister would give nothing further, and said that so far as he knew the Railway department was in no trouble regarding the safety of its works. ,