FLOOD DAMAGE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21721, 2 March 1936, Page 10

FLOOD DAMAGE

ASHBURTON RIVER . . DEPUTATION DISCUSSES PROBLEMS INVESTIGATION COMMISSION PROPOSED The setting up of a commission to investigate the silting up of the bed of the Ashburton river and the excessive overgrowth, was suggested on Saturday to a deputation of farmers by Mr T. D. Burnett, M.P., for Temuka, as a means of taking steps to prevent a recurrence of the loss by flood damage which occurred 10 days ago. The Ashburton County Council will be approached to ask Messrs Burnett and H. E. Herring, M.P., to request Parliament to set up a commission and to treat the matter as urgent. Several farmers who have land along the south bank of the Ashburton river between Tinwald and Ashton, together with Mr W. Bryant (representing the Tinwald Town Board), waited on Messrs Burnett and Herring at Tinwald to make them fully conversant with the serious damage that resulted ' to their properties during heavy floods in the river. Mr S. P. Taylor (Eiffelton), a member of the Ashburton County Council, said a serious position had developed, but no local bodies wbuld accept the responsibility of taking action to prevent a recurrence' of the damage. The necessity for much greater protection than existed at present was obvious. The construction of a protective bank of less than a mile long to prevent the river from overflowing and the clearance of willows from the bed of the river would give the necessary relief. Many* farmers had suffered heavy losses, he said. “Flooded Nine Times” An indication of the frequency of the floods was given by Mr J. Cunliffe, who said that his farm had been flooded nine times in 15 years. Mr C. Blair emphasised the seriousness of the floods. He said he did not approve-of some of the work already done in the riverbed. He considered that the Ashburton County Council had power to deal with the trouble. He asked if the council had tried to counteract the trouble caused by the shortening of the traffic bridge. Mr G. Kelly (clerk to the Ashburton County Council) said that the council had no power over the riverbed, which was vested in the Wakanui and Longbeach Road Boards. . Mr W. S. Strange said that a river board was formed at Wakanui in the ’eighties but it had not spent a penny on the south, side of the river. He maintained that more than half the flbbd water Recently was forced out of the Ashburton river on to the farms and washed away ploughed land and sheaves. The opinion that the shortening of the traffic bridge and the construction of the ramps had been a serious mistake was expressed by Mr W. Bryant, who said that the debris and the growing willows were the cause of the spread of the water when there was a flood. He asked Messrs Herring and Burnett to endeavour to do something which would ensure protection to the farmers. Mr T. A. Protheroe (a member of the Wakanui River Board) said he thought that a big river board should be formed to deal with the trouble. On one farm he had inspected that day the flood damage was between £3OO and £4OO. Not Safe to Grow Crop The opinion that it was not safe to grow crop in his district under present conditions was expressed by Mr T. J. Bell (Wheatstone), who said that there was 4ft of water round his stacks a mile from the riverbed. When the water broke over the river bank at his place’, the level of the river below that point fell two feet. He lost some sheep and would have lost 300 more if he had not received warning of the flood. “River problems in Canterbury are becoming more and more acute,” said Mr Burnett. The riverbeds were being raised by growing trees, gorse and broom. He suggested that farmers should approach the Government to have a commission set up to go into the question. The object would be to have the' full power over the river vested in the county council as a river board, he said. Mr Herring and he would make that a question of urgency with the Public Works Department. Mr Herring said that the willows were the chief source of the trouble. He agreed with Mr Burnett’s idea of setting up a commission, and was inclined to think that the work should be a national one. Mr Bell said that the approaches to the bridge were responsible. It was agreed to ask the Ashburton County Council to make representations to the two members of Parliament to request the Government to set up a commission.