Soil Conservation Work Criticised In Report

Press, Volume C, Issue 29608, 2 September 1961, Page 10

Soil Conservation Work Criticised In Report

“We have reviewed soil conservation activities and are not impressed with the volume of work accomplished in the last 14 years.” said a report presented to the North Canterbury Catchment Board yesterday. The report was presented by Mr T. W. Preston, the chairman of the three-man sub - committee which produced it. “Immediate soil conservation plans are imperative, with more vigorous planning and a greater volume of work,” said the report. "In areas where soil conservation practices are most needed, there has been little attempt to persuade landowners to adopt them. “Soil conservation works which are considered necessary ai?d practicable must be undertaken along with river engineering works.” In the past, Mr Preston explained, one aspect of the board's activities had often been pressed forward without proper regard to other aspects, so that plans had got out of step. The board had only very incomplete information on the state of its catchments, which made planning difficult, the renort added. Conservation plans were frequently piecemeal, subsidies being given to single landowners or for single purposes. Although subsidies should continue to be given in this way where necessary, the emphasis should be shifted to comprise whole catchments. Priorities for soil conservation works should be fixed by the soil conservation committee of the board. Recommendations The sub-committee made several recommendations. Land inventory surveys should be made by the board s staff to cover the w’hole of the foothills and high country, and additional staff appointed for this pur-

pose. Existing experimental work should be continued and urgent consideration given to the publication of existing data. A separate reserves committee should be formed by the board to take the work in that field away from the present soil conservation and reserves committee, the report recommended. At present, discussions on matters affecting reserves often pushed out important soil conservation matters.

Mr A. Norton should be appointed soil conservator (classification) to take over the preparation of all economic reports. In considering any new scheme, a preparatory emonomic report should be brought out in conjunction with the engineering report so that detailed and costly engineering investigations would not be made into proposals found afterwards to have no economic justification.

The chairman (Mr A. T. Bell) said that the recommendations seemed perfectly sound all the way. but he thought some time should be given to members to consider them. It was agreed that the report should be received at the current meeting but discussed at the next.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands in Canterbury *- ' G. J. Watt), Messrs H. E. Connor, J. P. Cook, A. M Cookson, A D. Dick. W. E Lucy, J. h. Rolleston and H. J. Stevenson and Dr. C G Riley have been appointed the Mount Cook National Park Board, according to a notice in the Gazette.

Mr R. A. L Batley. of Moawhango, Rangitikei. has been appointed a member of the National Historic Places Trust. He was nominated by the Royal Society of New Zealand.