Drainage board

Press, 9 December 1988, Page 12

Drainage board

Sir,—We thank the chairman of the Local Government Commission for his reply (November 28). We are aware that the closing of the boards is not a cessation of their functions and I would not have thought my letter implied this. What it did imply was that we are not convinced that the new authority will be equal to the task or able to carry out the functions of the boards at the level of competence that we have appreciated over the years. If, as Mr Elwood maintains, his commission could not justify the continuation of a single-purpose authority, as in the case of the Drainage Board, it must be assumed that the decision was based either on a study of the board’s operations or of political necessity. If, as we suspect, it is the latter then it must be regarded as a thoroughly bad decision. Therefore, if logic is the prerequisite of common sense, the commission would step back a pace or two and rethink its whole policy in regards to the boards—Yours, etc., 808 BORER, Secretary, Canterbury Master Drainlayers’ Association. December 3, 1988.