PROPOSED SALE OF THE KAITANGATA AND TUAKITOTO LAKES.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 149, 18 May 1877, Page 5

PROPOSED SALE OF THE KAITANGATA AND TUAKITOTO LAKES.

$ {Condensed from the Daily Times.) This matter came before the meeting of the Waste Lands Board on Wednesday, when a number of settlers in the district were in attendance. The Chairman read the communication from the Drainage Committee, which will be found in our report of the meeting at Stirling ; also a letter from Mr Petrie, forwarding copy of the amendment then carried. The following petition was also read ': — To the Chief Commission ci* of Crown Lands and Members bf the Waste Lands Board of tho Provincial District of Otago. The petition of the undersigned landholders in the Kaitangata, North Molyueux, and Tuakitoto Districts, humbly shewoth : — That your petitioners suffer a great deal of damage through the overflow of the' Tuakitoto and Kaitangata Lakes. That, in our opinion., a complete system or drainage for theae lakes would be tho only remedy for the same. It would cause hundreds of acres now waste land to be cultivated, thereby increasing its value considerably — reclaiming a large quantity of'land that is at present useless for anything, and promoting the settlement of this pai;ts of tlie country. That we are of opinion that tlie Waste Lands Board should sell these Lakes ou stringent conditions of drainage. - We would, therefore, pray that you will consider this pecition, and clo what may seem to you fit. (Signed) —A. aud T.. Hislop, T. Reid and Co., J". Gray, W.- Bisset, VV. Carson, L. Kydd, M. M'lnnes, T. Euell, D. M'LCinlay,- J. Muir, J. Arroll, J. Youngson, J. Carrie, J. Hislop, A. . Hislop, J. Miller,' W. T. Smith, H. Kerby, T. • -Knowles, J. Favlie, T. B. Muir, A. Dugaid, R. Macdonald, A. Marshall, ML S.vesde, J. Anderson, Bryce Brothers, James Nelson, W. Currie, and P. 'F. Stoddart. Mr Clark : The work, of .draining the lakes is now under way. I may say that the amendment referred to in the communication was carried by a majority of one only, arid there were only 11 persons pre- , sent at the meeting. In reply to Mr Bastings, Mr Clark explained that the Drainage Committee wore acting under' the authority of. the settlers of the district, who had taken steps and . contributed funds to protect their own ; interests. • ' Mf Blackie : Mr Chairman and gentlemen,,! wish to point out that, my interest ' in this matter is larger than the interests of all those who have signed the second . ' petition in favour of the proposed sale piit togetlieiv : I would. ask the Board not to. throw these lakes, .whicli are, the key of the drainage of the district, into tlie hands of one individual, or: company. I may state that the . Committee;- appointed to ■' 'drain the 'lakes are' putting ..; sluices at the ! : .mouth T of tlie'cr^ek to, prevent .the ; water I 'from flowing back, and we ...have .cut s: -, channel towards the top *of the creek .85 . chains long, and 10ft. wide. This is an

_ _ - -- •--■---. : |K aiixiliary channel to.tho old ch^jinel, A-fa f| is the same time, *we*hav0 3 1380ri ,y cuttii)g off J S points *so as : tO ! mali') i the chUiiiifiV straight, -_-j A a/id have been clearing -all obstacles out of § • the stream. We consider ,that'<by mean-- j ;' of the. operations going ou ; we f will be able J , to keep tho lakes in something like decent 1 order, so that when a flood comes there I : ; will be greater spa.cc to hold : the -overflow. [ My great objection is not to the' drainage \ of the lake by any. person, but* Lobject to |7 putting the key of. the drainage into the A hands of any. individual. •, A groat deal of fl my property has been worth nothing for iy. jY long time, although' l have pi-id £1 an YJ acre for it.' Nowthat.it is beginning to !'• be worth something, if any parties step in ij I and shut me out from the lake, .1 will bo j j in a worse positioivth.au before. . ; .Furtheiv 1 1 more, if I am cut off from the;water, I ,* { will have to pump it f rom a very great {jj distance, to supply my cattle/ etc; i Mr J. H. Harris : I have been instructed ;i, by the Messrs Boyd to place, .before the j Board their objections to the sale of tho \ lakes being carried' out, Those lakes \ cover a large tract of country;' and form a -j basin for the drainage of a very large clis-r *} trict. The Messrs Boyd's' objections are | in many respects similar to 'those urged ,|< by the last objector,, and ,1- think he has. t h jjnt many of them ver*/ well. With regard V to the so-called public, meeting hold at i Stirling, I believe that ten or eleven pcr-r >ij sons were present. The meeting was not U properly called, as no pmblic notice had |;| been given. A greater- portion of the Y| land owners; unci the persons; really inte- fN rested in the matter had. no opportunity | of being present. Out of eje yen persons ji proseiit, six yoted one way and .'five the ,;-{ other. With regard' "to the- se-ebnd me- $ morial or petition im > favour of ' tho pale, [;) very few of the persons who- signed it are. [' really interested in the -matter at all. Tho A remark of the last speaker — that he is |] really personally interested' ' f to a greater | I extent than the whole of them put together 1 I — is a fact. Most- of those parties who r signed the memorial hold <some'.C|uartei*T f | acre sections in the neighbourhood; but \\ they are not so much interested in tho 0/ drainage of the lakes as other large pro- 1| prietors. Now, Mr Fraser, who is present fj here to-day; holds 1200 acres Of' 'land con- ji tiguous to' one lake, which .is nearly a |! third' of- one frontage of that lake, j! The Chief Commissioner: The settlers lj on one side of the lake do .not suffer so ii niuch as those on the other side. "" j, Mr Harris : I submit they 'are all ,f equally interested in any scheme for .dra.ii> ■>' ing the lakes. Tlie settlers think that the tproper thing would be to. allow. a propey \ time to elapse in order to see what will be \. the effect of the steps now being taken for -,' the drainage of the= lakes. They "are not . \ very much opposed to the drainage of the j lakes, but at the same, time, tlioy Avould j wish it to be kept a sort of bas-in'. for tbe 1:| drainage of their lands in the .wot seasons. j Now, if the lakes are sold to one! indivi- ; dual, the Board could not attach' any con- \ ' ditions to the sale which would 'prevent j, him from stopping the drainage of ad ja- I: cent lands into this . basin. , „Thbre are Avarious other arguments which, .might be A urged on public grounds, why this, project J should not be carried .o.iit, aud T have no 1 doubt that Mr Fraser arid 1 others who aro ' present to-day Will ex-press their yiews^on 1 the matter. Many of ■the\settlefi', who i arc the largest proprietors in „the[ neigh- - bourhood, and who , are .interested , to the J greatest . extent, are of opinion that the j works now being carried on will, with a [, little extension, prove very advantageous, \ and possibly a very considerable amount : of reclamation of the lake will result from t those operations. They are .also .of opinion that if the Board should decide" that this land should be sold, it should be pro- t perly placed in the market; arid' 'pn blic notice given of --tho' sale. Those, having ' frontages at present to the ; lakes think ', that they should have an opportunity of ii purchasing, rather than a stranger should i bo allowed to come and take up 'the whole i of it, especially when the 'settlers 1 thorn- ; selves are making endeavours to drain the lakes. . . d'-A -'. Mr Fraser : I entertain the-saWe opi- ) nions as have been, by Mr !i Blackie. I think things are going on very •' well as they are, so far as draining .the lakes are concerned. •'! hold 1200' acres :] close to the lakes. : ■ >t Mr Harris: The Board . will thorefore ' see that Messrs Boyd, Blackie, and Fraser | own between them 2SOO acres of land in '< the immediate vicinity of tlie lakes.:-, ■; Mr Anderson : I think tlie remarks made by Mr Harris very' applicable. There is-'a great cry about laud being required for settlement; Now, if the present reclamation were supplemented a great amount of land. would be drained and made available for agricultural .or pastoral purposes. I believe if the land were : cut up into sections of 50 acres a j great deal of it Would realise £15 'an aero' as it is very valuable land. Another thing I object to is selling a large, block of land like the bed of those lakes without any road lines or highways through it. • r The Chief Commissioner : Tliat \vo\ilcl not necessarily follow. We could reserve road lines. Mr Anderson : Again, although - they are not much use for the purposes-, yet they are a highway at present for the use of the settlers in the neighbourhood.' Mr Butterworth : If ' the -lakes were sold they would be put up to auction. Mr Anderson : But-many persons could not compete for so large a block. Again, as it has already been urged, "the purchsser of the lakes will hold the key to the drainage of the Whole district. Besides, perhaps tho Board is not aware of-tlie fact that there is a line bed of coal onjthe east side of the lake. I- consider that ;\\*hon the present works are finished there wi-11 be about 400 or 500 acres of land ready for sale. That will be in 12 or 18 month's. Mr Clark : You think that your 'present works will reclaim that much land ? ' Mr Anderson : Yes. Mr Aitcheson : You will require Some I more money. I Mr Anderson :I do not know that that is the case. ' Mr Aitcheson: If we could get the water off our land by means of the natural channel, . I would agree, to the sale „of a portion of the lake. [W t e must haye an outlet,' and lam opposed to- the salq if itwould deprive, us of our natural drain;. . The Chief Commissioner : ThenYcven those who are in favour of the "sale, are" .only in favour of its provided, that! the natural drainage is preserved^ , ; The. matte*? will be taken into consideration this day I week.