WAIKATO RIVER BOARD.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 149, 24 June 1919, Page 8

WAIKATO RIVER BOARD.

FTTNDS IMPOUNDED. BY MINI-TRY OF MARINE. , BOARD SURPRISED AND INDIGNANT ] liapeclal to "!*tar.") I MERCER, this day. The greatest set-bark it has had dur<ni the course of it- somewhat chequered career van given ventilation at a meetinn oi the 'Waikam River Board, lield at Mercer nn Saturday, the chairman (Mr. A. fllass) presiding. The cause of the pertiirbatiun was contained in letters and wire- received from tho Ministry of Marine and the Department of Lands ami Survey, to the effect that a jrrant of between £4(in and £jOO ha J been withheld. In a letter d:ited •Inn.- l.ith the Minister of Land- (Hon. D. H. (iuthrie) stated that with reference to the representations made by the Board in tho matter of a grant to keep the Waiknto ■River open, lip was obliged to refer the Board to a memo from the Minister of Marine (Hon. T. M. Wilford). Thememo alinded to reads a< follovra:----"In reply to your memo of the lird. in*:., nn the subject of tlir rer]iie>t mnrte by Mr. A. lllass (fhairman •■•" the Waikato River Hoard) for ii grant of £100 or £Snu to keep the river open. I have tr> state that some time ago this Board wa- t.i remove certain groynes which it had illegally constructed in the river. 1)m-. as it did "nnt do so. legal action "as had to he taken ngainsr it to compel it to remove them. and. pending the settlement of the matter. I am unaoie to consider any request for a grant.— fSiirned) Tlmnia- M. Wilford. Minister of Marine." Durinfr the interval between the reception of ilio wire and thp day of the meeting, the chairman of the Board had ■wired to t!u> Actinij-iMinister of Finance (Hon. A. M. Myersl stating thjut the work for which the money was required for payment had been completed, and if funds were not forthcoming nrasres could not be paid. The money, in the first place. Tiad heen recommended for payment, but the Drainage Department of the Auckland Marine Department , stopped pavmenr. The Roanl would be compelled to suspend payment for wages nn.i other payments to-morrow, unless the money became available. Tiie following reply was received by the chairman of the Board from Hon. A. M. Myers, Acting-Minister of 'Finance: "Your telegram 17th received re payment £2~'.\ fnr work done in connection with clearing stream. iPayment is held for the present, due to action taken against your Board by the Marine Benartment to remove certain jrroynes illegally erected. — Arthur Myers." As a Te.-ulf of an interchange of wires to and from various department*, the Under Secretary of Lands advised that a cheque of £275 had iieen place,! to the Board"? credit. This sum still left an amount of about £-2.10 short of the promised grant, and was advanced solely in order that wa<res Tx> paid. f'ommentinz on tiie subject. Mr. Glass said there had been trouble all alnicj The £230 odd had been stopped by the Department, ponding the removal of the groynes. A a matter of fart, the Marine Department had no authority to stop payment, as it first had to prove that the groynes were illegally constructed. The attitude of the Hon. T. M. Wilford was strange, in view of the fact that on a recent visit to Mercer he had said that the Board had done •rood work in ~pite of the criticism levelled at if. The Minister had urfjed the Board to be on ?ood terms with all parties concerned, as otherwise he could ■not help the Board in the furtherance of its projects. And now. when the Board were on good ierms with the Aka Aka Drainage "Board, which body it bad obliged by leaving a wide opening in the Aka Aka Channel, though it bad ■the authority of the o!overnor-in-Council (Anril 19th. 10121 to put groynes across. Mc Minister had impounded funds in-j tended for payment of works completed' over two years afro. \n damage 7ia<l; heen done to navigation, but. on thei contrary, the channel was deeper than! ever before. This fact was well known', to thp Minister of Marine, and also to the Minister of Lands, both nf whom had passed through the channel comparatively recently. The fact of the matter was that the Marine Department now had no engineer of its own. and was obliged to rely on the engineer fnrthePirblic Works Department, which official disapproved of the Board's work. After the Minister's previous promises, and his eulogies of "the wondrous Waikato." his present attitude was incomprehensible. The Board desired a commission, as had heen promised by the Minister of Marine, to investigate and report on the be-st means of dealing with the Waikato River, and also to £>Tve an impartial opinion on the work carried out by the Board. Up to the present time, neither a commission nor the Supreme Court had proved that the Tioard were in the wron<i. Probably the Minister could give an explanation which might "nlighton the Board, but at present it could not see any justice in his attitude. The -lerk (Mr. R Hallett) was instructed to reply to the above effect, and to refer the Minister to other departments foncemed. and to all correspondence on thp matter.