DRYING WET COUNTRY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 392, 28 June 1928, Page 14

DRYING WET COUNTRY

MANGAWARA RIVER WORK BIG CONTRACT FINISHED (From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, Wednesday. A big drainage contract for cleaning, straightening and widening the Manga - wara River, and costing £22,000, has just been completed for the Mangawara Drainage Board. The scheme has taken three years to finish and has cost £22,000. Immense benefit has accrued to many thousands of acres through the work, and the chairman of the board, Mr. L. R. Reid, said at the meeting of the board to-day that the ratepayers were satisfied with the work. In flood times water does not now reach within four feet of the levels previously reached by the river. The board is now engaged in completing subsidiary drains for which the Mangawara River affords an outlet. It is spending £5,900 on the tenfoot drain which serves the Henry Soldiers’ Settlement, and on feeder drains in the vicinity. The flow of water from the Woodlands drainage district on to the farms of ratepayers in the Mangawara Drainage Board’s district was 'discussed. Mr. J. Law said thac when the Mangawara Board was formed the Woodlands Board gave an undertaking that it would see that no water from its territory overflowed into the Mangawara Ten Foot area. Complaints were now' received that overflowing was occurring and Mr. Law thought the Woodlands Board should be required to adhere to its undertaking. It was decided to obtain confirmation of the position between the two boards and endeavour to induce the Woodlands Board to remedy the cause for complaint. A report on the proposed drainage improved scheme for the Sludge Creek area at Te Hoe was submitted by the board’s engineer, Mr. W R. Johnson. It was stated that there were 20 settlers in the area, whose farm saggregated four square miles. The work proposed included cleaning out a creek and redonditioning the drains in the area. The estimated cost of the work was £I,OOO. The board resolved to place the scheme before the ratepayers concerned at Te Poi on Thursday. July 5. Mr. J. Law said that the Woodlands Board appeared to be anxious to have a commission appointed with a view to bringing about amalgamation, and the adoption of a comprehensive drainage scheme. The consensus of opinion appeared be that the time was not opportune for proceeding with the scheme.