Waitoa Drainage Question.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4412, 18 May 1909, Page 3

Waitoa Drainage Question.

another meeting OF SETTLERS In' response to an advertisement there were some 85 settlers put in an appearance on Friday evening last at the Waitoa Schoolhouse. The meeting was timed to start at 7 o’clock, but doubtless Owing to many having to come long d'stances, it was close on 7.30 before a B‘ari was made.—Mr Yardley was voted to the chair, and on taking charge of the meeting called upon Mr Gallagher, the convener, to state the purpose for which they had met together. —Mr Gallagher, on rising, said that to put it briefly, the .object of the meeling was to discuss the general question of drainage as far as the Waitoa Drainage area is concerned, but. more particularly the Waitoa Drainage Beard’s attitude in its desire to take over the No. 1 and No. 7 drains. He might say to begin with, that he contended it a very foolish action, 'more especially as No. 7 road goes through all the high ground. The No. 1 drain is 4ft Gin daepnovv, and the surface of the ground 10 chains to the west was actually 6in. lower than the bottom of the road drain. He thought it unwise to try and use No. 7or No. 1 as outlets. He intended to oppose the Board s action in this direction as far as possible, and he would not vote for the loan in consequence. Not a settler west of No. 7 would derive any beuefit from it/—Mr Bichardsjn asked if the drain along his

frontage was to be deepened.—Mr Gallagher said he could not say for certain, only the engineer had stated that a mile further down the road was not to be deepened, therefore he did not think Mr Eichardson’s would. As no one derives any benefit it would be absurd on the part of the Drainage Board to take it over. (A Voice : Mr Henry would be benefitted.) He thought the Piako County Council should be allowed to spend the money they had on hand, and then the Beard take up the running and utilise their works. No. 7 road was on a hill and instead of the settlers getting any benefit they would get water.—ln reply to Mr Eicbardson, Mr S. Bellamy said that if Council kept the roads in question it would be its duty to keep the drains open. —Mr Eicbardson : Then why on earth is the Board so anxious to take them over.—Mr Bellamy said he could not say, as pretty well all the Drainage Board’s business was d.one outside of the meetings. If the Board carries out its contemplated scheme drain in front of Mr Irwin’s gatew.'ullbe between 12fr. and 14ft deep. The putting in of burning had been mentioned by Mr,St. Hill, but in all his experience he had never seen flaming act satisfactorily, more especially in the class (f country in the Waitoa district. Fluming was costly and should be avoided. Why cut a 12ft. drain to carry the water to No. 7 when it could bo tiken much easier to No. 1 and then out into th; Government drain. A good deal had been said übout the Government outfalls, but he contended that the Government would eventually a-k the Drainage Board to bring up the ouffills. It was his opinion lhat the Government outfalls world not be up for two years.—The Chairman asked what would be the po-ition if the loan is reject d b—Mr Bellamy raid he intended to object. He thought the water Would run just as well in the diaims if the County owned them as it would if the Drainage Board had control. It had been reprrlcd that' atjthe last meeting he said he had never seWi the Wares, drained What he did say was that the drains had not been cleaned out for seven years. He had seen tie Waitoa Estate p r operly drained. Ho bad setn a l-ton waggon load of wool going along No 1 Hoad. Ho had also seen the Ohine Creek fall so great that it w uld wash a person away. The Ohine Creek was blocked by the Waitoa Bivrr. er.d until that was opened un the trouble v. ou'd continue to exist.—The Chairman to Mr Bellamy : Had not the Board moved to

fcake over th) road drains ? He thought th it the nieeiing should ohjec l ' to the Board taking them over.—Mr Bell iuv snd it had been decided to do so, but he was not in favour of it. As regards valuation, he might slate Ihat he considered rating on the tamtal v*lue. > According to the notice such was to bp done. He had attended eveiy Board meeting held, but noth'ne r of this nature had been mentioned. The business is mostly done outside the meetings, Mr Magill reierred to the w: y in which the Board s business was trwnsacted. The Chairman (Mr Matthew Henry) would propose a thing, Mr Matbescn seconds it,

and the Chairman declarfs the mot"on carried on bis casting vote (voting with both hands so to speak.) The taking over of the drairs from the County is a big matter. The 01 ly private property outside the Waitoa Drainage area is the County roads and dra ns. If o individual, public or private can take them. He (Magill) referred to the way in which the engineers had been put on, the fiist intimation he had received of their being at work was the trade marks in the form of while rags they had left dangling on the wire feneps along No, 7 and No. 1 Roads.. As rpgards the putting on of Mr St. Hill he supposed Mr Henry and Mr Mat heson held a me e' ingbehii > d afence and

decided to put them on again—after the work had been stopped once.—ln reply to a question Mr Bellamy said he thought, the Council would object to the Board taking over the roads in question. — Someone asked how could they ge- over the present unsatisfactory state of things ? —Mr Gallagher : There is only one way, We all know if those gentlemen are on the Board there would he trouble. We should ask them to resign —Mr Bellamy : Oh ! don’t do that.—Mr Gallagher : Then there is only one available course and that to take a petition around : objecting to the Board taking over the road drains in dispute,—Mr Magill ; The whole proceedings ‘in connection with the loans are most absurd and irreguPV Mr Henry should have started at > fc’je beginning and not at the end. v , Messrs Henry and Mathipson did things according to their way of thinking. As f;o Mr. CorrigaD, he finds better em-

ployment than in attending the Board meetings;—A Voice : If he does not .intend the meetings, be forfeits his seat. —Mr Magill: By asking for leave of absence his seat holds good.—Mr Magill continuing, said if the loan is flit carried while the Council has the drains keeping them in order, they must legally maintain them. If the settlers insist on taking them they must pay extra rates, directly or indirectly, for the privilege of draining into them, whereas ri they remain County property the settlers may drain into them with impunity. The local rates are based on the Government valuation. When the Hungabunga Drainage Board was formed the County rates increased 100 per cent. If the Waitoa Drainage Board gpes on a h-s V--A the- sc* tiers ‘ 1 - paying B*l vi : ;

fipst h-fgiutjs-i the 80-fit should y done was to classify the laud, so pb it gach man could Bee what rates he

1 wduld have to pay. They were asked to vote for a £o, ooo loan, and get their rates fixed afterwards. There is plenty I of work for a Drainage Board to do without worrying so much over the County Eoads and drains. There wa3 no occasion for a £O,OOO loan, £2,000 or £3,000 would do all the draining required. Why should they vote to borrow £6 00'.) to construct drains 7,8, 10, and 12ft deep, which St. Hill, St. Henry, and all the saints in heaven could not prevent collapsing. As regards the rates a lot of people, by the proposed scheme, would derive no benefit whatever, therefore they will not have to pay rates.—The Drainage Board has not . done a sane thing since its inception. • Certainly Mr Henry had been to Wei- | lington, but he on his own and I interviewed the Premier, the Minister for Lands, and all the smaller fry. He thought it was right for him to do so, but it was not necessary.—After some further ciscussion it was resolved on the motion of Mr Gallagher seconded by Mr Richardson that a petition be drawn up and signed asking the Board to abandon their intention ot taking over No. 7 and No. 1 Drains. —It wa3 stated that if the Board had gone about its business in a proper manner the whole of the classification, surveying, and the loan could have been fixed up ere this. —Mr Bellamy said be was strongly in favour of putting the water down No. 1, but they should let the County do it. The words of Mr Breakell to Mr St. Hill at the Council meeting were not far wrong when be stated : “My dear boy, help nature.” —Mr Gallagher said the water would go to the Ohine Creek until they could get other outlets. —Mr McKenzie said he was affected by an overflow of water, all the drains were at a standstill. It looked as if two of the Board were pulling one way and two another with the result that no good resulted. The Drainage Board is a thing that is necessary. They had plenty of work to do. He had attended the last meeting seeking for information, but got very little. He considered the Board did right in appointing an engineer. He said that unless the Ohine Creek is opened up he would derive no benefit.—Mr Bellamy said the first thing the Board had agreed to do was to take the levels in connection with the Ohine Creek. —Mr Magill : The Ohine Creek is the main outlet, and wants to be kept open and in good order. —In reply to a question put it was stated that Mr Henry had said the Engineers had been instiucted to keep to the roads as much as possible.Mr Bellamy : If the Engineers had been told to lay out a drainage scheme the result would have been different. —Mr Richardson said he was strongly in favour of a loan, but they must see the classification first; they had no scheme. He would like to know what he was going to pay. -Mr T. Bellamy : The Board cannot classify on the present scheme. —A voice : Classification was the first thing the Board should have done.—Mr Magill : My advice is let the Couucil keep the roads and drain®. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings.