IMMEDIATE ACTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 85, 7 October 1941, Page 6

IMMEDIATE ACTION

FLOOD DAMAGE

CITY COUNCIL ACTS

HELP FOR OWNERS

After hearing reports from the * City Engineer and the chairman of the works committee, the City Council last night gave authority for urgent work in repairing storm damage to be put in hand at once at a cost not exceeding £10,000. A decision was also made to ask for the passage of legislation immediately to empower the council to spend money raised under the . authority of the Local Bodies Finance Act, 1921-22, to meet flood damage, and to assist property owners. Councillor W. Appleton, chairman of the works committee, presented a preliminary report of that committee from its urgent special meeting. It was apparent that there were many works which would have to be done by the council, said Councillor Appleton. Parliament's authority must be secured this session. To a great extent the help to be given by the city was a community matter. In places where people could meet their obligations, they would have to do so, but in other cases the council would have to help. The suggestion was that committees should be set up to bring reports before the works committee for its approval. There was an immediate necessity. INADEQUATE FUNDS. The position created by the storm and by the lack of funds available to his department was set out by the City Engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke. Mr. Luke said that for some time past he had been gravely concerned with the provision made on the street works vote to deal with normal maintenance of streets and footpaths and for special works for the development of the city. Mr. Luke set out a comparison, covering seven years, of expenditure upon services essential to public health, showing that while costs of water, drainage, street cleaning, and house refuse collection services had steadily increased, the total vote of the City Engineer's department hatd remained fairly constant. "In consequence," continued the report, "the amount voted for street works has been steadily reduced, particularly during the past three years." During those years, said Mr. Luke, Wellington had been subjected *to storm damage of greater severity than in any previous years, and the department was still dealing with damage resulting from the December, 1939, and the August, 1940, storms. The damage in both ..those1 years had severely crippled the street works vote. Further, stated Mr. Luke, the votes of his department had been seriously affected by increases in wages. This had resulted in the street works vote, which carried a higher percentage of material costs than other votes, having less money available for the purchase of. materials'. Mr. Luke surveyed the position of the several votes in detail, and continued: "It will be quite impossible to, undertake the huge amount of work required to reinstate corporation property and probably assist private property owners in certain directions to reinstate their properties." PLANS AND FINANCE. Detailed plans and estimates would be required for many of the $torm repair works, and with his depleted staff he could not provide such details except in a progressive manner.^ A considerable sum would be. required ,to cover the repair work, particularly 'if the council intended to assist owners to make good damage on _their approach paths as well as work for which the council should accept full responsibility, continued Mr. Luke. He suggested that the City Solicitor, the City Valuer, and himself should be authorised to decide which cases the council would be justified in assisting and assessing the proportion of contribution from private owners. The, committee would also decide which works the council should accept as its own liability, all settlements to be ratified by the works committee. Footpaths and sealed roads had suffered extensively from successive storms. ■ The flooding at Karori would have 'to receive special consideration, for flooding would always occur while the stream ran through private property, and to provide any relief would necessitate the council going on to such property, apart from any question of dealing permanently with the stormwater nuisance by the construction of an adequate culvert. MATTER OF URGENCY. Councillor Appleton said that it was proposed to advance £10,000 from the district fund. The remainder , would have to be raised by loan. That was a very big question, said Councillor M. Fraser, and there was na time for examination of cases if things were to be done in a sudden way. "The whole thing must be tackled now" said Councillor Appleton. Councillor R. A. Wright said the £10 000 was to carry out absolutely necessary work. Those who had seen the damage knew that something must be done to assist people who were without access. Some were without light and water. There would be cases where people were liable but who nevertheless needed assistance. Mrs Knox Gilmer said that in some cases the council might be helping private owners, and the question was bein« asked if the council intended to do the work and make the charges on the property owners or to let. the owners do the work and collect the money. The sooner the help was given the better, but those points should be settled FIRST NEEDS. There were two phases, said the Mayor, the necessity to clean up the slips and do a certain amount of work in housing the people. The committee asked that the council should go ahead with the spending of the £10,000, and they could safely agree to that. There might be certain curtailments in other directions, and the whole of the £10,000 might not be required. Some of the money could come back out of city rates. Probably the works department would have to divert the whole of its labour on clearing up. The second job was assisting people who had unexpected disasters forced on them. Legislation should be sought at once. They were told it would be given. There were certain safeguards in the proposed legislation. Advances made would take priority of other charges such as mortgage charges. In cases where people had no security advances could only be made when it was proved that they could not proceed without them. He did not think anyone could ask the council to assist in any other way, by free grant, for ■ instance. The whole problem of flood damage and provision for its treatment should receive full consideration, not in five years, or after the next flood, but immediately, said Councillor Fraser. After what they had seen last Saturday, no councillor could expect that such visitations would not recur. Very extensive damage to private property might have occurred of which the council was not yet aware, said

Councillor Nimmo. He agreed that the people should be t helped, and quickly. The whole thing was, in, effect, an act of God. Was it not possible to find the money from the State? There was the case of the Esk Valley, a greater flood certainly. He knew of no borough or city in New Zealand which had taken such a responsibility. ASSISTANCE FROM STATE. The Mayor said that the council would require the proposed legislation, but that would not preclude it from asking for some assistance from the State. The legislation proposed, said Councillor R. L. Macalister, was general legislation providing for assistance to any other city in like circumstances. It did not commit the council to anything; it was merely empowering it 'to give assistance. It needed no thought to see the necessity of carrying' the two proposals, said Councillor L. McKenzie. Councillor C. M. Bowderi agreed with the proposals. The council woulte act with the utmost sympathy, but it was at present dangerous to catalogue specific instances, or deal with individual cases. The council should take power to stop people building in certain areas, said Councillor W. Duncan. There was a hillside in Houghton Bay in that category. The Mayor: Did anyone know beforehand? Councillor Duncan: We are learning a lot now. The' works committee's report was merely preliminary, said Councillor Appleton. Matters in detail could be thrashed out later. All cases, however sympathetic the council might be, must be dealt with on their merits. Amounts spent could be repayable over a period of years. The Mayor heartily.commended the work of the City Engineer and his staff, many of whom had worked all night long and in the day also It had been a hard job. There should be some form of rationing in such extended working periods. In future a travelling canteen would attend to that. The reports were adopted.