STRAIGHTENING THE MANAWATU.

Shannon News, 23 July 1926, Page 3

STRAIGHTENING THE MANAWATU.

BIG DRAINAGE SCHEME TO COST £450,000. WOULD SHANNON BENEFIT? A deputation firom the ManawatuOioua River Board waited upon, the Shannon Borough Council on Tuesday evening. The members of the deputation were Messrs W. S. Carter, F. C. Hay (engineer), and P. E. Baldwin (solicitor). Cr. Richardson, who is a member of the River Board, introduced the deputation, who he. said would place before them the Board’s scheme for straightening the Manawatu river and their reasons why the Shannon Borough hatl .'been cited to attend - a Commission for tlie allocation of costs. The Deputy-Mayor (Cr. Thwaites) exteiided a welcome to the deputation. Mr Carter thanked the Council forgiving them the opportunity of meeting them. People had asked what had Shannon Borough to do with their scheme. The Borough, he said, would benefit as it was right in the centre of what would be one of the finest farming districts, if their scheme eventuated. It will benefit Shannon in quite a, number of ways. If such a scheme had been earned out before, the bridge would not have been washed away. At present there was land in the vicinity which, was not producing what it should, but providing flood water can be kept off, it was capable of the highest production. As a ratepayer he would have no hesitation in supporting a contribution, as if the country around is closely settled the Borough must benefit.

Mr Hay then explained the .proposed scheme by the aid of a map. The work began at'the Longburn railway bridge, and consisted of rectifying the irregular meandering channel of the Manawatu river by means of stop banks, training walls and cut-offs, taking it down within banks to a point near Moutoa known as the Poplar Mill, somewhere near the site of the old Maori Church. That point was thirty miles by river from the sea. It had been found impossible to carry the "work on the line of the existing channel, there being physical and economical impediments. They had now chosen the best route they had been able to find after several years of investigation. By the assistance of a channel eleven miles long they would shorten the present channel to twenty miles, crossing the Wirokino road about a mile to the north of the Wirokino Bridge. The channel would go through a sandhill and through Rush Flat at the mouth of the river, giving a direct line to the sea. The total length of the new channel would be 22J miles as against 56 miles 1 at present from the Longburn Bridge to the sea. There would be a little tributary to take the drainage of the Koputaroa, Otauru and Tokomaru streams. It was claimed that this system would take the drainage of the biggest known flood with a margin of safety. The estimated cost was £450,000. It would render immune' from flooding all the lands, in the area now subject to inundation, and would greatly increase their value and improve their drainage. It would also facilitate tiansport. The. railway service between Shannon and Palmerston would also be made safer and between Foxton and Palmerston. Another point was the improvement that would come to the port of Foxton. It would give a greater depth of water on the bar and a better and shortei channel from the bar to the port, leading to cheaper sea carriage. The Board had considered the benefit to the districts outside the area subject to flooding and the benefit to the State and it was for the definition of those benefits that the Commission had been appointed. Shannon had been cited so that the Commission might ascertain from-the evidence the Board would submit and the evidence brought in rebuttal how much the Borough should contribute. While it would be glad of any financial support it-might receive, it would be still more glad of the moral support that might be given to the claim that the State should contribute as it was a distinct National benefit. They would like a delegate from the Council to be appointed to attend the conference to be held about the middle of August to meet representatives of local bodies.

Cr. Spencer asked would the Borough be called upon as a contributory body. iMr Hay: The Commission after taking evidence, will allocate the cost, of the scheme.

Cr. Spencer: Would the borough’s contribution be based on acreage or on its population? Mr Carter: A certain sum will be allocated by the Commission.

Cr. Spencer: That means the Conn oil would have to strike a rate.. We are already considered fairly highly rated.

Mr Carter: With your lands immune from floods, cheaper shipping at Foxton and safer transport; the borough would save a lot of money and could afford to strike a rate. Or. Thwaites: Is it suggested the scheme would give water carriage.. Mr Hay: No. But it would give improvement to Foxton wharf. To the Town Clerk, Mr Hay said thev could not go on without Government assistance and they wanted the ho rough's help.

TAXATION MUST NOT EXCEED ONETHTBD BETTERMENT. Mr Raldwin said the Roard had cited other local bodies under an Act that had been operating in Hawkes Rev.

The idea was that everybody surrounding a public work conferring a corporate benefit might be called upon to contribute in proportion to the betterment received. An amount was asked that would be oom..mensurate with the benefit the Borough would receive if there was certainty of transport by road and an increased spending power of the people through their . immunity from River Board district was not able to bear the full burden of taxation the scheme would involve. The Board had decided that its land could not he loaded with more than one-third of the possible betterment —that .was as much as it oouid be rated for. The betterment of the most fertile portion of New Zealand was a national betterment. In addition they had to deal with 2400 square miles of catchment area, 1000 miles of which were over the range. Apart from the actual benefit received, they wanted the Council’s assistance in supporting the scheme’s claim for assistance as a national scheme. This was as important a scheme as any that had been undertaken in the Dominion,- many of which had had State aid. It would relieve 70,000 acres of land liable to flood not taking into consideration land slightly above flood level. He quite seriously affirmed that that was the best 70,000 acres in the world. We ate dragging Shannon in to lessen the burden and we have got to show Shannon, Moutoa and Makerua that they will be immune, from floods and have a continuity of transport. Cr. Curran: How would it affect farmers on the Shannon side who are now paying a rate of £4 an acre for the Makerua banking scheme. Mr Baldwin: The Commission will have to decide whether the banks erected by the Makerua Board are a fair charge of the part of the works titled to make an allowance to the if the River Board. They are en Makerua Board. The scheme, he said, will he tlie salvation of the whole district and’ he was satisfied it was a good business investment. ; Cr. Downes asked if the scheme was going to enrich tlie already wealthy large landowners, or are they prepared to cut up their estates into 1 small holdings and sell at a reasonable price. M.r Hay said he was glad this point had been raised. He would oppose any scheme whereby he thought a few would reap the whole l benefit. He said these people would have to pay according to the betterment derived. The scheme will force big landowners to- cut up. Cr. Spencer stated that it was on ty commonsense that we derive our wealth from the land and any tiling that will increase our production should have our moral support. Cr Downes: If this scheme is carried out would it be safe for settlers to build homes out in the flats, Mr Hlav: The whole idea is safety from floods. .. . The deputation having placed their case before the Council, the’ DeputyMayor (Cr. Thwaites) moved a hearty vote of thanks to them for so ably expounding the scheme’ and in doing so he informed them that the Council would give the question tlieir earnest consideration.