MAJOR CATCHMENT WORKS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25128, 8 March 1947, Page 2

MAJOR CATCHMENT WORKS

REQUEST FOR FINANCE NORTH CANTERBURY BOARD’S REMIT The framing of a remit requesting the Soil Conservation Council and the Catchment Boards’ Association to approach the Government for the provision of necessary finance to enable catchment boards to proceed with major schemes was approved by the North Canterbury Catchment Board yesterday, on the recommendation of the finance committee.Dr. G. Jobberns and Messrs P. Johnson and L. W. McCaskill (members of the board), and W. H. Harris (engineer) were appointed delegates to the conference of catchment boards, to be held at Palmerston North on May 20, at which this end other remits will be considered. Another remit approved asked the main council to request the Government to amend the main act to give catchment boards the same right as other local bodies under the Housing Amendment Act to borrow money with which to build houses for the accommodation of their employees. Mr McCaskill congratulated the engineer (Mr Harris) on the work, now completed, on Greig’s drain, and he was supported by the chairman (Mr W. Machin). The board decided to make a definite decision at the request of the Rangiora County Council that the board take over the cleaning of drains in the county, when the position of. the Ox-ford-to-the-sea scheme was known. The engineer was instructed to inquire for a machine suitable for the work. Ellesmere Work A decision was made to apply urgently for a £ for £ subsidy on work on a further section of the Irwell river, estimated to cost £2OOO, and on Taumutu creek, estimated to cost £630. The question of subsidy for other \.ork on the Irwell creek will be discussed when the board meets the Ellesmere County Council, which has asked for a £3 for £1 subsidy, against the £ for £ subsidy recommended by the board. “We made it abundantly clear that we were not in any way pressing them to merge, nor did we intend to press

them,’’ said Mr Machin, reporting on a conference, at the request of the. Ellesmere Lands Drainage Board, of the proposal that the Drainage Board’s operations be absorbed by the Catchment Board. The. question was to be further discussed by the Drainage Board. Regarding the Drainage Board’s general work, no pressure would be applied. . The decision of the Rivers Control Council to carry out. at no expense to board, the aerial mapping of the Waimakariri catchment are®, was reported by the chairman. In reply to a question, he said no date had been fixed for the beginning of the mapping. “Publicity of the last year has been deplorably poor,’’ said Mr Machin, when the board adopted a recommendation of the soil conservation and erosion committee that the board send a remit to the .catchment boards’ conference for the improvement of publicity and advertising. The chairman reported that, after a discussion with representatives of the Eyre and Rangiora counties on the bridging and control of erosion on the Cust main drain, he had discussed the question with the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department, who would recommend to the Minister that a £ for £ subsidy be given towards the bridge and approaches, provided the Waimakariri River rp rust (taken over by the board sined March 1) contributed £4OO towards the cost.