THE HUTT RIVER

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 120, 23 May 1931, Page 15

THE HUTT RIVER

PROTECTION WORKS

1 WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY?

'A FUTILE OOINFEJIENGtf

A con Terence called by 1.110 Hutt County Council with the idea of forma-, laling a general scheme, for tho proleclion from Hooding of (ho lands bordering' (ho Unit Uivcr north of Hie Silverslrcam bridge was bold in Iho Hutt County offices yesterday afternoon, bur, although the question, was discussed at length, and understanding wns , reached on some points, the conference | Tiore no tangible fruit. The following were present:—Messrs. I>. If. Hoggtird, chairman of the County Council, and S. ISlackley, representing the I Hutt County Council; I*\ H. Hewer, chairman of the Hutt Kiver Board, nnd 11. E. Leigliton, representing j the Ji.ivor Board, which lias juris- j diction from the Silvcrslreani bridge southwards; P. Hanson and _\. -Jl. Murison, representing the Public Work? Department and the Railways Department, respectively; and A. J. M'Curdy, Alayor of tho Upper Hutt Borough. JKoJ>resentatives of tho settlers in tho area affected were also invited to be present, but did not attend. Jlr. Hoggard was appointed chairman. Mr. Hoggard said he had taken it upon himself to call the, conference because he had felt for some little while a certain amount of anxiety concerning the river and the future of the district through which it llowed. lie thought the river had now reached a stage where it was going to cause a lot more trouble than it had done in Ihc past. Tho stumps in tho denuded country in the head waters, particularly in tho Akatarawa, had rotted, slips were frequent, and the river had become more .shingle-bearing than previously. Shingle heels were formed in tho river in a day snd disappeared the next morning. HUTT COUNTY'S CONCERN. The Hutt County Council was affected in flireo ways. The main road was affected both below and above Upper Hutt; ratepayers in the lower readies, within the present jurisdiction of the River Board, had to submit to having water flowing over their properties, the board taking the view that it could not protect those properties by stop-banks without increasing tho pressure on the stop-bunks below; thirdly, the properties lying above the Silverstrcnm bridge, outside the. hoard's jurisdiction, were seriously affected by flooding and erosion. Tho llutt County Council had 1 nought that some steps should be taken to protect them, nnd that, the matter jnight be met by extending tho board's area and giving tho area representation on tho board to preserve a fair balance. .It was felt that steps should also be taken to protect the rights of tho- railways,- which were also affected. One would apprehend, that there was considerable risk of tho river changing its eourso above Upper Hutt. There was one old channel which must, have crossf>d iho place- where, the road now existed and there were other old channels lower down, with one apparently through Manor Park. "If tho river starts to move." said Mr. Hoggard "goodness Inows where it will stop." He said that Jdr. Hewer might be able to indicate what, was best to be done. Mr Hewer- "We have comrs along to listen to your proposals. We .thought that you might have some definite, proposals to submit to tho Kiver Board, i would .first of all like to hear some■ re■presentations from, the representatives of the upper reaches." VFr Hoggard said that one suggestion ■ j^hnd made.was that, the jurisdiction of Uu! TUver Board should be extended. , ■ A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. Mr Lcighton thought that the repreKentatives'of the upper reaches shouU w\vouia accept the nddiional responsibilities, providing a satisfactory -itran-ement could bo reached. To Mr Hog^ard Mr. Hewer said that th bo- d & not accept the responS'nitv of protecting the properties of Il'vf Ekley: "Surely tte board's .eisenSive/will express.their^ows "to extending their jurisdiction to th^^rS"tbat when there was iiiili a working arrange"Mr! Hewer: "I hnvo no JJea, g -^flS^mS-wenotr; V-TlHckovsnid that 'Manor V^ .-„ no p"o1 ceto.<l. and Mr. Hewer replied ThattlJp^-son^enverl^^ collecting rates from the area. VALUE OF STOP-BANKS. ffcarding a. reference by Mr. HogfeardTo stop^-banks, Mr. Hevver sa.d that these ,-ould bo-dangerous things it undertaken piecemeal. _ Mr. Hoggara recognised th.it bto . banks were, liable to T ,rnvc dange v t not constructed according to a piopor pbn.and after saying that tho, nmo > of shingle carried down by the m c was infinitely more than was_ taken out of it he remarked that the Kiver hoard probably luruv more about tlu: tivcv than cIW the rest of lUem am should be able to bring forward helpful pro-

r°MrV TiCighton: "Ho yon mean Ihftt Tv-e" li'avc done no work in th" llutt

C°Mr ilopgarrl: "You liavo not ]*rot.octed our Toadß, and I think that pubHe property shoulfl be protected as much fts private property, probably more so.' % Hewer' "It soems to mo that Iliil' poiifcroncß was called to critleisc JpS Unit the Biverßoard,™,!*! ,onoider any proposals for «te».d».R Us iuvisdieiiou that ca.no l.cf.uro )t. Mr LeiKhlon saia tliat tho board, was ~ot destroT... of takin- such a step. It, Ind to consider the interest* nl tlie people, in tho lower n-nthes as well ;ik in the upper rea'-.he.s. Mr. BJacklov. "Tl.r,, the ntl.pr :.HeTTiativo srems to be Die foriEwl.ion of anollK-r river board." H' '■'"' I"-1.1 would hpend money furihor north in re-afforcatation Ihe flood f.i-onWo cotilfl be. overrome- within a .few years. 'Mr. I-fpwcr replied that tho board had no power to spend money for r-wh a pur- j posh. and. Mr. IV.ightoii Ff.irt that not | 2000 acres of bush hud l>.:en foiled in | the last twenty years. IN TJ3PPEK TTCTT. Mr. M'Curdy r-.-.'id that ji. was absurd) to speak of siop-bank'i in the. upper reaches, ,-itkl. he ouflined proposals ivhieli he intended to place bo/ore his council to secure Upper .Unit against floods.

lie said that the Hivc-r Hoard could not colled more fhau about :CJSOO ,I'roni the Upper Hutt district, ho thai: Uierc was no money iv it. People who had bought; properties which woro li:ibl(f to be Hooded had known tho posit ion when they bought.

There was some discussion, between Mr. Hewer anil Mi: Uuggurd as to the desirability of getting an engineer to make a report on the matter. Mr. Hewer

en id that his board conrd not. lake the responsibility of paying an engineer to report on the upper reaches, and Mr. Uoggard pointed out that the ratepayers to [lie north could not afford to undertake the responsibly. Further, a report on tho upper reaches alone might be injurious to the area controlled by the Kiver Board. The properties themselves were really nut. worth protecting, and it might lie advisable to take them under ihe Public Works Act, carry out the necessary protection work, and sell them later at an enhanced value.

Purther discussion appeared to bring the matter no nearer solution, and an closing the conference. Mr. Hoggard said that something would have ta be done, and possibly it would mean finding work for tho unemployed in the Valley.