RIVERS AND HARBOUR.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 285, 17 November 1923, Page 4

RIVERS AND HARBOUR.

In the supplement issued with to-1 day’s “Tribune” we have republish-' ed at full length the report of an address on flood prevention which was deliverel by Mr. George Melson at the’ time when disaster from overflowing rivers fell upon more than one fertile and prosperous districi of the South Island. We do this in the hope that at least the more ; thoughtful section of our readers will peruse it with due regard to the close application which very much he then had to say has to conditions as they are with us on the lower levels of Eastern Hawke’s Bay. More particularly is its publication designed just now as a matter of enlightenment and education to 'those who at the beginning of the new year will have the responsibility of electing members to the Hawke's Bay Rivers Board. Beyond this, too, it should be impressed upon all that effective dealing with the rivers that have more than once heretofore shown themselves unruly is almost an essential factor in the reclamation plan that is of such vital importance to the carrying out of the Inner Harbour scheme. In both of these great works Mr. .Nelson has interested himself very deeply, bringing to bear a great measure of personal observation and experience as well as of technical training. One of the greatest drawbacks to this country’s progress in the past has lain in the fact that our development and protection works, on which such an immense amount of money has been spent, have almost invariably been considered and executed piecemeal without any proper regard to their bearing upon one another. It is imperative, if we of Hawke’s Bay are to get the best results from expenditure on river control and harbour reclamation that both should be discussed in their relation one to the other.