FLOODS IN MANAWATU.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 68, 18 September 1906, Page 2

FLOODS IN MANAWATU.

A DRAINAGE SCHEME WANTED. DEPUTATION •TO THE ' MINISTER FOR LANDS. (From Our Special Reporter.) SHANNON, 17th September. The Minister for Lands (the Hon- R. M'Nab) was driven over the district surrounding Shannon this afternoon, and shown the land affected by the flood waters of Oroua, and Manawatu Rivers. Afterwards he was waited upon by a deputation of settlers and members of the various Drainage Boards in the district, who urged that the Government should give them assistance towards a comprehensive scheme for dealing with tho flood waters of both were. The deputation was introduced by Mr. J. Stevens, M.H.R., who explained that the deputation represented a body of settlers who had bauded themselves together for the purpose of protecting their lands against the flood waters of the Oroua and Manawatu Rivew. There were four River Boards in the Oroua district, and another 1- the Manawatu —was about to come into being. The settlers who had banded themselves together for the purpose named had done a great deal, but it was felt that there was a need for a comprehensive drainage board. The channel, it was proposed to cut was purely an overflow channel; it was not intended to- divert the course of the Manawatu Ri^er, but if the channel was cut it would mean that a large excess of water would find its way direct to the ocean, instead of having to wend a tortuous course of 30 or 40 miles. No estimate of the cost of the channel had^ been made, and before anything was done they would require to have a calculation made as to • the number of acres in the district affected by floods. T.he loan required to carry out the work should be for a term of 99 years. Personally, ho- had' an interest in the matter; he was a member of a firm which owned land that was subject to flood, but he did not view the question from ft personal standpoint. They were quite willing to pay rates on a .drainage scheme. His suggestion was that the Government should set up a commission, like that done in the csse of the Taieri district, to 6ee what was "required. Mr. O. Gardner explained the details of the proposed scheme. At prt<tent, he said, / abont seventy or eighty thousand acres were affected by floods. From the point where it was suggested the channel should be cut to the ocean was only a distance of 10 miles — the distance from that point to the mouth o* the river via its own course was 40 miles, It had been ascertained that there was a fall of 30ft along the tenmile counse referred to. That meant that if the channel was cut to carry away the flood waters it would render flooding of the lower lands practically impossible. It was possible of course "that an engineer would report adversely on the proposed scheme, but that remainedi to be seen, and in any case alternative proposals might be made by a competent authority. They contended that the matter was of colonial importance, and they felt sure the Government would give them the report they asked for. Mr. A, Seifert said he represented a number of companies and others interested. The only question agitating their minds was what the scheme would cost. Until that estimate was obtained they could do nothing, Air. W. P. Pearce, Oroua Bridge, agreed with what. Mr. Stevens and Mr. Gardner had said. He stated that in many dnses silt lfSli' 'been depfisited to a depth of three and four feet by the river. Mr. Greenaway, from the same district, said theft the report of the Government should embody something more than the question t of drainage in the lower reaches — it should also embrace the question of the' movement of the shingle in the. Qroiia River. The 'danger in this direction was' a. very teal one. ' Mr. E. J. Armstrong, speaking on behalf of the four tiroua River- Boards, said that the report of- the commission, if it was «t up, should extend to the condition of the Oroua River up to Cheltenham and the^ Manawatu to the Gorije. The bed Of the Oroua River to hLs knowledge had risen 6ft 6in in vertical height. The- whole thing, of course, would be dominated by the question of cost. The result of the drainage work oarried out in the upper districts so far was that land originally worth from 30s to £2 5s per acre had risen to a value of £25 to £30 per acre, and the oost to the settlers, taking into account the increased benefits they had derived, had not been more than ss' per ,oent. ■ Messrs. Hunt, Tattersall, Sameon, and Amon also spoke. They pointed out that as representatives of the various bonrd« in the upper districts they I considered they were in no way liable for the water that flooded the lower country. They were not, however, averse to the setting up of, a commission. Mr. B. Gower, Mayor of Foxton, said it was all very well to disclaim liability for the flooding, but somebody wo» responsible. The whole watersheds pf the Oroua and Mannwatu Rivers should be included in the scope of the commission and made to contribute <*> relief measures. In reply, the Minister explained what had been done officially up to the' present. Before ,he took office, Cabinet decidod to give a £ fnr £. subsidy up to £300 for 1 the purpose of getting a survey of the district. After that survey was c-btpined, the question of whether a communion should issue was < to be decided. He at once understood the difficulty that arose In daciding what party should take the initiative,- and fully perceived why it -was desired that tho wo r k should be undertaken by the Government, He was prepared to recommend to Cabinet, as soon as ho returned to Wellington, that tho survey should be done by one of thf> depart' mental engineers. This would, at all events, ensure a start, Referring to the Upper Oroua ditrtriot, he said that a new state of thinqa had arisen through tho enormous denuding of the bush that hrid gone on. The expenses connected ' with the survey and the coat of thfi commission would, of 'course, have *to be borne by the drainage, district if it was decided to go on with the scheme. In returning thanlm on behalf of the district, Mr. Venn said that Mr. M'Nab appeared to havo taken more interest in the wants of the district than any who had preueded him. jfo appeared to be the very man the country had so long been looking for.