Cuts worry board

Press, 8 September 1980, Page 13

Cuts worry board

Reduced Government allo-l ications for 1980-81 will be; inflationary and will make work considerably more expensive in the long run, the North Canterbury Catchment Board has been told. The board s chan man (Dr W. R. Holmes) noted that the allocation for water and soil conservation was up $4.5 million on the previous year, but this represented a “going back” of about 20 per cent. In arriving at the figure, he had taken into account the $4 million taken up by rural and water supply, and the yearly inflation rate.

“The Government has numerous other calls on its money, but this board will have to defer work,” Dr Holmes said. The big amount of disaster damaae this year had not made the Government’s job any easier; the board had already spent its. allocation for this, and the year was only five months old.

The ■ board had two options: it could put all work in a queue, to be done when the money became available, or it could, undertake its own rationing and “get this year’s things done this year” by making local people pay. “I believe that deferring work is undoubtedly inflationary,” Dr Holmes said, “and considerably more expensive in the long run.” The Government had submitted to pressures that were “short-sighted” and “ill-considered,” and had failed to corrie to> grips with the subject. • Dr Holmes said he did not want to see his successors

on the board laced with 12b| soil jobs and 202 river con-j trol jobs awaiting' completion for lack of money.; The chairman of the execu-j live and finance committee (Mr T. Double) similarly re-i ported: “We do not keep up with inflation.” The report of a special tri-i bunal considering appli-j cations to increase water! flows and discharges into; the Lower Styx river was; presented to the board. The! report upheld the objections; of Brooklands residents who! felt that the river could not!

Jcope’ with further discharge. ■| In its report, the tribunal •{suggested that the complex ; problems drainage, surface •flooding and rising water stable would be difficult to 'resolve under a single body.* unless the whole of the ; affected area could be its! [full responsibility. “Author--■jity and' responsibility cant ' only go hand in hand with; [;an extended drainage author ' !jity boundary,” it said. ' >! The report was approved; : land adopted?