WAIKATO RIVER BOARD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 8, Issue 484, 24 June 1919, Page 2

WAIKATO RIVER BOARD.

FUNDS WITHHELD.

BY MINISTERIAL ACTION

SURPRISE AND INDIG NATION.

Indignation and profound surprise greeted certain correspondence which came before the Waikato River Board at Saturday's meeting, held at Mercer, Mr A. C. Glass (Uhairman) presiding. Messrs Gallery, Prendergast, and the Clerk (Mr E. Hallet) were present, but Mr P. Henry was unavoidably absent. A LITERARY BOMBSHELL. The cause of the wonderment and perturbation is explained in the correspondence given verbatim hereunder :

The Hon D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands, wrote as follows, in a letter dated June 15th, 1919:- " With reference to the representations you made to me at Mercer, in the matter of a grant to keep the river open, I have to advise that I duly brought your representations before the Hon T. M Wilford, Minister of Marine, and now enclose for your information a copy of a msmorandum I have just received from him in reference thereto." The following is the memo above referred to:

" Memorandum for the Hon D

H. Guthrie

Waikato River, 12th June, 1919.

In reply to your memo of the fad instant, on the subject of the request made liy Mr A. Glass, Chairman of the Waikato River Board, for a grant of £4OO or £ r >oo, to enable th* Board to keep the river open, I have to state that some time ago this Board was called on to remove certain groynes which it had illegally constructed in the river, and, as this was not done, legal action has been taken against it, to compel it to remove them. Pending a settlement cf the matter, I am unable to consider any request for a grant, (Signed) Thomas M. Wii.kord, Minister of Marine." The Under-Secretary of Lands wired as follows; the wire being received on the day of the meeting, June 21st: -

"Treasury advi.se cheque £275 posted Monday night."

The above amount was forwarded specifically in order that wages miff ht he paid. The (Ihairman, commenting on the above, contended that tho Marino Department had no authority to stop the' payment, as they lirsi had to prove that the groynoa wore illegally constructed. The attitude of the Hon T M. Wilford was strange, in view of the fact that on a recent viait to Mercer he had said that the Board had 'lone good work, in spi'e of the criticism levelled at it, and he urged them to try and he on good terms with ail parties, otherwise ha (the Minister) would be crippled in his future efforts to assist the Board. And now. who?: tun Board were on good terms with th> Aka Aka Drainage Board and others concerned, lip had practically impounded funds that were to ha used to pay for works initiated over two yea's ago, and completed. The Minister's attitude was painful'y surprising, and it appeared as though there were political and other motives behind his action If not it was doubly hard to understand his complete " volte face." The groynes at the Aka Xbu channels were authorised by the Governor-in-Council on 19th April, 1912. This authority | sketch, with His Excellency's signature, produced at the meeting allowed the Board to construct three groynes at the channel. As a matter of fact, the Board had authority to close the channel up altogether ; but they had not done so, and had left a wide opening, solely with a view to meet

ing the wishes of the Aka Aka Drainage Board. The channel, which ran between Motu Tieke island and the main land, was now deeper than ever before, which fact was well known to the Minister of Marine, who had passed through it recently on the Freetrader. Also, the Minister of Lands had been through, on Dean's launch, a craft of deeper draught than the Freetrader. No damage had been done to the Aka Aka lands, the tion was now better than ever before. The fact of the matter was that the Marine Department had now no engineer of its own, and had to rely on the Public Works Department engineer, and the latter was opposed to the Board's work. After further discussion, the Chairman moved, Mr Prendergast seconded a motion to the following effect, which was carried: That the clerk writo to the Minister of Marine, referring him to the Lands Department, and all previous correspondence on the question, and stating that the Board were surprised at the Minister's present attitude, after his previous promises of what he hoped to do by way of developing the " wondrous Waikato." He had promised to use his best endeavours on the lines indicated, aiding the work under construction by the Waikato River Board. Yet all moneys outstanding for works completed by the Board, to be paid for out of the general account, were impounded by the Department of the Minister of Marine, in conjunction with the Minister of Lands, The Board wanted the Government to appoint a Commission to decide, once and for all, what were the best means of improving the Waikato River, in respect to navigation and the drainage of adjoining swamp lands, and also to report on the work accemplished by the Board. The Minister of Marine had stopped payment, pending an action to be takeH at some future date by his Department. At the same time, neither the new Commission nor the Supreme Court had proved that the Board were in the wrong. Probably a clear explanation could be giyen by the Minister, but the Board could not see any justice in the attitude now taken up. COM MISSION WANTED The following wire was received from the Minister of Finance, on June 13th, 1910 : " Only just read reply from Hon Mr Guthrie, Minister of Lands who states that he has seen Mr Wilford regarding Commission Waikato River, who is giving matter his attention at present time.—Arthur Myers."

The above wire was in reply to a letter from the Board, asking that Mr Ferguson, Civil Engineer, of Wellington, who was chairman of the Waterways Commission, should with Mr Kennedy (the .Board's engineer) " lay off " the stretch of shallows between Mercer and Huntlv. The Board could then proceed with the work cf deepering the channel, on which it could then employ some of its machinery, which was now lying idle. The Chairman stated that the power to exchange had been deleted from the Kiver Boards Act, and therefore the Pokeno exchange was " knocked on the head." Roprnsentations were being made to Wellington, but, he believed, without satisfaction.

Mr Prendergast said there was no talk of taking the land under the Public Works Act, as it was purely a voluntary business. The sottlors had agreed to the exchange. Decided to await fnrther developments. sr-KOIAT. MEFTIXi:-. At a special meeting, held prior to the general meeting, tlu rates notices for the ensuing y»ar, a« duly olvertised in the Times was confirmed.