The Waikato River.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 364, 28 March 1918, Page 2

The Waikato River.

[To the Editor]

Sir,—Your correspondent " Ratepayer " assumes I was in too much of a hurry to reply to him to consider what I said. I can only trust he did not think I meant what David mid in his haste.

With regard to the deposit of sand in the Aka Aka channel '• Ratepayer " should re-read the evidence of Messrs Hull, Bregman. Henry, Louden and Jolly, as given before the Royal Commission and still more particularly that of Messrs Woodward and Potter, who were not interested in Aka Aka land. He may then begin to think my estimate not so very far out With regard to the verbal arrangements with the River Board upon which in each of his letters " Ratepayer " lays so much stress, I may sav that Mr Geqrge Hull and myself wero the only accredited re presentatives of the Aka Ak.i that ever met the Board and wo certainly opposed tho erection of the groynes fr.-ui tlie first

" Ratepayer" says, speaking of the Commission, that only ouo side gave evidence and that the most important witness, Mr Kennedy, wan not called. Ilis memory must be playing him sad tiicks. Mr Glass (Chairman of the River Board), Mr Sellars (Foreman of Kiver Works), and Messrs A. Lapwoxl, T. Lapwood and C. Roose all gave evidence in favour of the Board's scheme Mr Kennedy, we were informed by Mr Glass, was too busy to come. It was scarcely likely that he would feel anxious to submit himself to cross-examination. He had promised to lower the river from two to four feet at Mercer and to lower the southern channel by three feet at Kaitangata It would not have been easy to explain why the expenditure of so much time and money had not only had no result in the direction promised but had actually raised the surface of the river. With regard to the shortness of the notice of the Commissioners' sitting the Board had forty-eight hours eirlier information than I had and if I could get my case ready they should have been able to.

Between the time " Ratepayer " wrote his letter and the date it was published I had a long conversation with him and I am glad to say that we have cleared up several matters in dispute and that in the near future we shall probably be found working together iu the general interests of the Waikato River. During the time we were fellow members of the River Board, though we were strongly opposed to one another upon the question of the Board's river improvement scheme, I shall always remember with gratitude that ho was the one member from whom I could confidently look for courtesy and fair play and I have little doubt that in the future, whim our ideas of what ought to be done are a little more closely assimilated we shall be able to pull together as hard as we over did against one another—l am, etc , HENRY E. R. L. WILY.