The Battle of the Systems.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4402, 24 April 1909, Page 3

The Battle of the Systems.

DRAINAGE OF THE WAITOA. At the Piako County Council meeting on Tuesday, the much-vexed question of tbe proper system «f draining the Waitoa block was discussed at some length. As nn outcome of the recent meeting at Hamilton, anil by arrangement with M r Kensington, Secretary for Lands, Mr W. C. Breakell, engineer in charge of the Hauraki Plains drainage operations, attended at the Council meeting to give ' any information within his powers. The Chairman of tbe Waitoa Drainage Board (Mr Matthew Henry) and the .'Board’s engineer (Mr St. Hill) were also present. In reply to tbe Chairman, Mr Henry said be attended the meeting at the suggestion of Mr Kensington, to become acquainted with the Council’s proposals. Mr St. Hill, iu reply to the Chairman, briefly outlined his scheme. He proposed to carry the water down No. 1 Road to the proposed Government outlet into the Waitoairiver and along No. '7 road into

Mr Breakell’s promised outlet into the Piako. The Chairman reminded Mi St. Hill that the Council were not specially interested in the drainage of the Waitoa; their particular business was to look aftei the roads. He would like to know what the Drainage Board intended to do. II the Board decided to use tbe road drains notice would have to be given, and should the Council object, the Minister would have to decide. It was very unlikely the Council would accede to the proposals re No. 7 road. Mr Henry said he understood the present meeting was for the purpose of endeavouring to come to some agreement. He had no desire to take up the time of the Council. Mr Breaknell said he was not there to argue the point as to tne differences between the County Council and the Drainage Board with respect to their internal affairs, but was there to give any information as to Government operations outside their jurisdiction. As regards the drainage the most popular scheme appeared to be thq one that followed out liis own original scheme. He said the watershed deviates about No. 7 road. He considered all the water above No. 1 road and between that and No. 7 should go by way cf the new outlet into the Waitoa ; all below should go into the Obine creek, and above No. 7 into the Piakc. Tbe Government W’.<s prepared to provide outfalls. He Said the sooner some definite understanding was come to the better it would be for the whole district. If there Ca any hard haggling the Government ght say “ help yourselves.” Let each body exercise its own functions and cease being at loggerheads. The Chairman to Mr Henry : Are you goirg to give Council notice that you intend to take the water down No. 7 road ? Mr Henry said he did not attend for that purpose ; he could not say what his Board would do. Mr Breakell said, with reference to cutting an outfall along No. 7 Road .he would judge from Lis experience of the subsidence of swamps that No. 8 Road would now be nigh and dry, l but he could not say for certain that such is now the case, as he had not visited the locality for tbe last 16 years. Mr St. Hill pointed out that the con- I tour of the two water-sheds crorsed No 7 Road at near No 9, and entered Mr Henry s proi e> ty in the general full across to the Waitoa. Mr Breakell: Thed, my dear boy, why not assist nature and take the water iu its natural course, instead of cutting through the high ground on the road. Mr St, Hill replied that there were deeper cuts omNo. 1 Road than on No. 7. Mr Breaknell: Decidedly so. The sole °f No. 1 drain was infinitely lower, which only tended to boar out his original scheme of drainage. Mr St. Hill admitted such was the case Mr Breakell then stated that in his opinion the No. 7 outlet should not be on the road at all, blit should follow the low part in the swamp to the west side of No. 7 road and connect with the outlet which the Government proposed to provide between No. 7 and No. 8 Reads Mr Breakell : With, all due deference to Mr Henry be considered there were too many local bodies, not always advantageous to the welfare of the district. It would have been better for the Obinemuri and Piako Counties to have dealt with the drainage question. Mr Henry: The Drainage Board was I created as a result of suggestions thrown out by Mr Gavin, late County Chairman. The Bank had given a sum of money for the roads and necessary road draius, and that money should have been properly allocated for the drains. Cr. Bellamy asked Mr Breakell what was to be done with the water while they were waiting for the outlets to be made. Mr Breakell : You bought the laud with your eyes open, and the land is yours - not mine. Mr Thomas asked re the snagging of the Waitoa. Mr Breaknell said that he had expended £SOO in clearing the Waitoa River up from the junction to the point where he proposed to discharge the outfall which would connect No. 1 Road. He had lowered the water 3ft at that point. He had another £SOO to make a complete job of that length. Mr Thomas asked if he (Mr Breakell) thought the Government could be prevailed upon to clear tbe river any higher than that point. Mr Breakell replied that the Government would receive practically no benefit for opening up the length mentioned, but if the Counties and Drainage Boards interested were prepared to do tho work he would recommend the Government to pay two-thirds. He said the river was in a very congested state, being practically blocked with willows, and there ;were also several hard bars that would require to be removed. The distance from the point mentioned to the mouth of the Ohine Creek. Cr. Thomas then asked if he (Mr Breakell) did not think it would be advisable to carry on the “snagging” as far as the ‘stop-bank” on the Waitoa Estate. He understood that before the stop-bank was builtthe Waitoa used to overflow and flood the whole of the country now traversed by the Ohine Creek. Mr Breakell contended such was hardly the case, as before the estate was drained this was a floating peat swamp, which used to rise and fall with the flood waters and consequently naturally formed] a lip which stopped the flooding of the country, and as the Estate was being drained and the subsidence had taken place, it was then found necessary to build the stopbapk to protect the country. With reference to the Waitoa River, one of the first things taken in hand was the thorough snagging of it from the Ohine Creek to the stop-bank, and this young man’s father (pointing to Supervisor Johnson) erected miles and miles of fencing with posts that were obtained from logs taken out of the river. Therefore, it would not cost a great deal to clear it up again.