Waitoa Road Drains.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4450, 17 August 1909, Page 3

Waitoa Road Drains.

ANSWEES TO OBJECTIONS.

At the Waitoa Drainage Board meeting held yesterday afternoon, the following answers to the objections raised by the Piako County Cot/ncii, against the Waitoa Drainage Biard acquiring control of Nos 1 and; No 7 Eoad drains, were read :

1. That the Drains in question and all similar Drains within the area are not road drains, suet l they are, have been partially formed 1 j the spoil from such drains, but are Ettate drains originally made for the purpose of bringing the swamp land in;o general use, which purpose they ham so far sowed, but will do so more com detely by the operations of the Waitoa Drainage Board. 2. That tb.s operations of the Waitoa Pra'driyr'i; Board will not interfere with eithei the stability or utility of the roads which up to the present time are on or near the edge of the drains, whereas the centre of the roads when formed must or should be 25 feet from the drains in their enlarged state, there being 25 ft. available for road purposes but which roads in their present condition are Unfit for saddle horses.

3. That the widening of the said drains only average about 2ft. on the road-side the greater portion to be taken from the side of drain further from road ; .that the deepening averages about eighteen inches and that such widening and deepening cannot in any degree detract from the usefulness or safety of the roads ; that fluming where necessary, will help to maintain the roads and prevent the underscour which might take place with the drains, as now constructed, more readily than as graded and improved by the Waitoa Drainage Board. 4. That there is no desire or intention on the part of the Waitoa Drainage Board to arrogate even an indirect control of the roads. ,

5. That the statute is clear upon the powers conferred upon the Waitoa Drainage Board and should any watercourse they deem necessary for the drainage of the district be refused them then their usefulness as a drainage Board is stultified and their position' farcical.

6. That the contribution by the Piako County. Counoil need not cause any friction inasmuch as the Waitoa Drainage Board only claims the amount necessary to properly grade and average the sectional areas for road drainage purposes, and the average annual amount necessary for keeping the said drains clean as road drains. This amount once fixed by ad Order-in-Council would render friction and ambiguity impossible. 7. That drainage is more essential to the profitable working of swamp land than that of roads and being of the first importance must have priority and the Drainage Board must not be dictated to or interfered with in the discharge of its duties on behalf of those for whom it acts as trustees and whose prosperity primarily depends not on roads but on thoroughly drained land, 8. That in taking over the said drains the Board is only following the precedent of other Drainage Boards, for instance, the Manawatu Drainage Board having taken over the county drains without any friction or subsequent trouble.

i 9. That the sneer at the constitution of the Waitoa Drainage Board, as contained in paragraph 6 of the said Council’s objections is outwith the whole question, and is an insult to our constitutional authority which can cancel the constitution of a County Council equally with that of the Drainage Eoard. Dated at Te Aroha this 20th day of July, 1909.

MATTHEW HENEY. Chairman of the Waitoa Drainage Board.