THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1892. THE TENGAWAI RIVER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2331, 17 March 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1892. THE TENGAWAI RIVER.

For some years we have heard very little of river encroachments. The reason was because for several years we have enjoyed immunity from floods. Some years ago efforts were made to establish river boards in several parts of this district, but 5n no instance were they .attended with success, The reason was because unless a man was directly interested he refused to consent to he saddled with rates for confining rivers within their natural channels. Half-a-dozen landowners living exactly on the bank of the riyer, and owning the land which is directly threatened with damage by floods, j»re always ready to form a river board for thd protection of their properties. Their neighbors, however, feel no anxiety on the subject; they argue that land adjoining the river must go before their own can sustain any injury, and consequently they think it is no business of theirs, and that those directly interested alone should pay for protecting their own properties. This renders it next to impossible to form a river board. Before any river board district can be constituted two-thirds of the ratepayers living therein must sign a petition to the Governor praying that such a district may be formed, but as, generally speaking, very few are greatly interested, it is practically impossible to get this done. The few on the banks of the river will sign readily enough, but those whose properties are not likely to be damaged 1 by floods will not, so the board cannot

be formed. Efforts to constitute boards for the Temuka, Orari, and Opihi rivers failed for this reason. We have, of course, an Orari River Board, but this was in existence before the passing of the Act of 1881, and it must be said that it has done good work. For several years we have heard very little of river boards, because we had no floods, but it appears that recently the Tengawai has been threatening the Pleasant Point district, and the people there have asked the County Council to come to their assistance. On the motion of Messrs Talbot and Quinn, the council declined to do so, on the ground that if the Tengawai works were undertaken by the council other communities would make similar applications, and if assistance were given to one it must be given to all. Messrs Talbot and Quinn acted perfectly right in this matter. It would not do to undertake such works under existing laws, but at the same time we think it would be desirable to provide some machinery for keeping the rivers in their natural channels and preventing the destruction of valuable property. Every acre of land destroyed by floods lessens by so much the area of New Zealand, as well as the rateable property in the district. In this way the man who lives twenty miles away has an interest in preventing the destruction of valuable land by floods, though of course in a lesser degree than those immediately affected. It is therefore our opinion that this matter of river protection should be placed in the hands of the County Council, but of course the Counties Act would require to be amended for that purpose. It is of no use to look to river boards, for (unless under extraordinary circumstances) they cannot be formed, and it is absolutely certain that our rivers have not ceased to give trouble. Under these circumstances we think the County Council should have power to do the work and levy a special rate on those immediately concerned. By this method the work could be done more economically than by a river board, because several incidental expenses would be saved. We shall be glad to hear that the Pleasant Point people have succeeded in forming a river board, but we must say that after the experience we have had in this district we doubt that they will do so. If they fail, the council will not take the matter in hand, the road board will do nothing for them, and they will have no properly constituted authority to carry out the work. If it had been a part of the duties of the County Council it would be done at once; those in the immediate vicinity would have to pay a special rate, and the whole county would have to contribute the balance, and would not feel it. One thing the people of Pleasant Point must avoid : If they want to be successful they must not include in the proposed river board district people whose lands stand in no danger 'of being damaged by a flood. If they leave such people out of it, and take in only parties interested, they will form a river board, but this is very hard to do, and consequently we are afraid they have a heavy task before them.