Sib,—l have applied to the Cambridge District Road Board on the matter of the flooding of two acros of my laud, .situated between the Hamilton and Bald Hill roads, owing- to tho water from tho Hamilton road overflowing the banks of my ditch, iu conscience of the ditch which tho Board formed some years ago from the Hamilton to the Bald Hill rond, through my land, not being deep enough to cany off the water But tho "board refuses to lay out any money, either in deepening the ditch, or using any other uieaus to takeoff the water; indeed, '.lr W. Martin .said ho would rather raise tno ilmilton road tm feet, than expend a penny in deepening the ditch. In fact, the Board woulJ rather see my land flooded, with impunity to thems-lvcs, than ta-o any means to relieve me. I would ask what right the Board had to cut through dry land, if they did not intcud to take proper unasures to carry off the water brought on to it by so cutting ? I saw Al r Martin lately, and he told mo that the Board could do nothirig iu the matter, unless there is another hiwsuit to prove where the water oriuin.-illy camo from, which has been proved before in the Resident Magistrate's Court here. I will explain to r Martin where it came from originally: Whin I sett'.ed on my land in 1860, there was no water there, audit took throe days heavy ram beforo any water lay on the laud, and that in a hollow of about four chains square. Iu fact, it was proved that a person might walk over the hind without wetting their feet, and this .stale of thing* continued until 1870. Some .winters, no water Iky. During this period, the water came on to the road, from Mr Reynold's farm, now Mr Fantham'!., but, owing to a rise in the ground, could not got near my place, and sometimes overflowed ou to a portion of hind belonging, now, to Mr Jas. Forrest, and formed a raupo swamp. In 1870, Mr Forrest had a man employed hi making a drain alongside the road, who had groat difficulty in preventing the water from going ou the hind whenever there was rainy Aveather. On this ditch meeting that formed by Mr Morgan, the water flowed down to Hay ton's corner, and then, crossing the road, broke on to Morgan's land, and thence to the six acres now in my possession, the consequence of which was, that instead of six inches of water which might lay there, in a wet winter, there was threo feet; there is a great difference between three feet and six inches. In 1871, the Board cut a ditch through this six acres, and while the cutting was in progress, I became the purchaser of the piece. The Trustees, at that time, promised to carry the water away, and in-iste.l upon completing tlie ditch. By Air Forrest forming this ditch, he can now »row all sorts of crops, on what used to be a raupo swamp. In conclusion, I havo to say that Mr .Martin has, before, interfered with my rights, and is very contrary, and wishes to put me to a great deal of trouble and expense, to obtain t.uit which he knows perfectly well I am justly entitled to. Messrs Fantham, Forrest, .Morgan and the R'->ad Board have got rid of their water, and now it iill lays ou my land, where the Board, apparently, wish to keep it, as they do not like to see a fifty-aero man live at all. —l am, &c, Hugh Lang. Hautapu, October 1, 1879.
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Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1137, 9 October 1879, Page 2
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612Untitled Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1137, 9 October 1879, Page 2
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