A MANAWATU DEPUTATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 4, 5 July 1906, Page 2

A MANAWATU DEPUTATION.

RIVER PROTECTION WORKS. The Minister for Lands was waited upon yesterday af terngon by a "number of property-owners in the Lower Manawatu district lelative to provision for preventing the flooding of their lands. Mi-. J. Stevens, M.H.R., who .introduced tho deputation, explained that the landowners present were anxious to know whether a comprehensive scheme could not be devised to deal with the question of protecting all properties against the river water in flood-time. ! A member of the deputation (Mr. O. Gardner) stated that beJore a river board was formed in the district which, the deputation represented the settlers wanted some engineering data to go' upon, or else that Government should appoint a commission to report upon the question of dealing comprehensively with the drainage of the whole of the Manawatu. Messrs.' Toomath, Law, and Saunders' also emphasised the necessity for prompt action in the matter. The Minister, in reply, said that he fully expected, the difficulty which the deputation had represented to him would have been worse, knowing aB he did the tendency of New Zealand rivers to overflow, especially those which came through wooded districts. They all knew that in wooded country tho rain ran down the trunks of tho trees and that most of it soaked into the ground close by, but in localities where the timber had been removed the bulk of the water ran into the rivers, and therefore settlers must expect that with the same quantity of rain as in former years the floods would be sooner upon them and An greater volume. It was necessary that something should be done to meet the position, and he was of opinion that it was no use taking only partial measures. He thought it would be only right that a comprehensive scheme should be devised that would keep" flood waters within bounds until they reached the sea. Merely dealing with the waters in the upper reaches meant that they and a large quantity of shingle would bo driven down into the lower reaches and cause great damage to properties there. A similar state of affairs to that which had arisen in the Manawatu had been represented to the Government by people in the South. In the Taieri district there were five boards whose duty it was to deal with drainage matters, and they never agreed. One protected itself at the expense ot the other. After a "while, ' however, they agreed to go in for a comprehensive scheme, and the Government set up a commission 'to 50 into the whole matter and take evidence. • He had had a Bill prepared providing for tho setting up of a board to deal with the drainage of the whole of the Taieri. It was proposed to divide the district into ridings, with a member for each riding, and to have three Government ■representatives on the board, tho Commissioner of Crown Lands to be the chairman. Tho board 'would be empowered to borrow money and carry out, works, and at the end of five years it would hand over its affairs to the county councils. If such a course were followed in the caso of the Manawatu the settlers there would, in his opinion, find a solution of their present difficulty. With one board for the whole of the Manawatu the cost of,administration would be cheaper than if there were several local drainage bodies. One capable man, for instance, would be able to do the whole of the engineering work, and there would be a comprehensive scheme for all the areas liable, to floods. If a commission was set' up' for the Manawatu it would be advisable t<) ,havo a survey of the district. The cost of the- preliminary- engineering work should not dxceed £150, and if the Government did not find all that monpy it might provide some of it, and also give the services of the engineer for the survey work. He would not mind attending any meeting which the settlers convened to discuss the matter. The deputation thanked the Minister for his suggestions.