FLOODS IN MOERA

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 51, 24 November 1930, Page 6

FLOODS IN MOERA

No Remedy Yet DESPONSIBILITY DEBATED in July four engineers, Mr. D. Widdop, chief engineer of the railways; Mr. C. J. McKenzie, assistant engineor-in-chief, Public Works Department; Mr. A. G Bush, Lower Hutt borough engineer; Mr. H Sladden, Hutt River Board engineer ; and Mr. H. Waters, Government surveyor, recommended certain Works, estimated to cost £3300, to be carried out to obviate flooding of the Moera settlement bv the Awamutu Stream. Nothing has yet been done to give effect to those recommendations owing to the refusal of the Lower Hutt Borough Council to contribute that proportion of the cost which the Government considers it ought to pay. The council, on the Other hand, holds that the Government ought to bear the whole cost. ’ , At a meeting of the Moera Ratepayers League last week some plain speaking was indulged in. Mr. Walter. Nash, M.P., attended the meeting, and reported the position regarding the steps indicated by the overnment to prevent the flooding of the Awamutu Stream. The causes of the flooding, he said,had been carefully investigated and remedial measures explored to alleviate the trouble. “So far as the Government is concerned,” said the chairman, “it is quite ready to do its share. The coiineil seems to be the stumbling block.” “I want to be quite fair to the council,” replied Mr. Nash. “It has got a case. It says that if the Work sought to be done on the Awamutu stream Will bring in land to the Government, then in the circumstances the council ought not to do the work, but the Government.” The chairman (Mr. Sullivan): The public health has got to be considered.. Government or Council. Several members held the view that the council should do the work as it would benefit in rates by the enhanced value of the land. Others held that the work should have been done by the Government in the first place. Its failure to do the work then did not absolve it from doing it now. TherO was a general agreement among the meeting that sections were overvalued and the amounts being paid in. rates were altogether too high. The Government had bought the land at £2OO an acre and was now getting £BOO, and more, an acre for it. “When this settlement was built,” asked one speaker, “was not the council aware of the state of the land and the swamp? The swamp is a menace to the health of the cdfnmunity. Why does not. the council compel the Government to fill “It is a question,” said Mr. Nash,, “whether this area, or Leighton Avenue, should be a residential area. They are so and it is no good talking about it now. The point is the swamp should be filled in and somebody ought to pay for it. There ought to be a stopbank from the Hutt Park to Woburn, two or three feet high. All that we ought to find out here is how is it going to affect the propdrties and Whether the council ought not to pay. There is a lot to be said for the Government bearing the cost.” A £3OOO Work. Replying to a question as to how many men would be employed if the Work recommended. in the report wore done'. Mr. Nash said the work would cost £3OOO. If 50 men were employed it. would mean £6O each spread over about 15 weeks. “They will be Lower Hutt men.” said a voice. “There are 35 unemployed mep in the settlement. If these men get, no work the position will be that the council will not get any rates, for the men will have no money to pay them.” When it. Was mentioned that all .the flood trouble comes from north of White’s Line ramp, Mr. Nash said that if .four engineers and a surveyor could be got to look at the situation he would be ready to accept their verdict. “The onus lies on the council,” said the chairman. “It knew this land to be swamp area and allowed houses to be built here. The terms the Government made were very reasonable. The Government let the council down lightly, and the council has not spent much here yet. It has got off very luckily indeed, Between the lot of us, Moera and Waiwetu ratepayers, we should make v it the subject of a deputation to the council.” “We are paying for improvements in other parts of the borough," said a speaker, “and we are not getting any rates spent here. Name one job,” he asked, “the council has done here. It should foot the bill for this work, but we can’t get at: it.” It was generally considered that the conditions inducing the people to leave Wellington and go and live in Moera had not been fulfilled. There were not found wanting members at the meeting .who urged that the cost of relieving flood flangers should be borne by the Government, as it OoUld see the position when it bought the land. The suggestion was made that the Hutt River Board should also bear a proportion of the cost. Unemployed Deputation. t Mention was made that a deputation of unemployed was going to wait on the council, and the hope was expressed it might induce the council td get' the work going. Mr. Nash promised to see the council again within a few days to see what , could be done. Before it was criticised ’it ought to lie given a Chinee to say what it intended to do. When it definitely refused then was the time to agitate. “If the council turns it down then we ought to go to the Government,” said a speaker. .