Correspondence

Hutt News, Volume 11, Issue 12, 18 August 1937, Page 5

Correspondence

(To the Editor.) THE HON. WALTER NASH. Sir, —Mr. Nash will soon be with us again after an absence of many months spent abroad engaged in work of great importance to this country. 1 feel that a real warm welcome back should be tended to him showing an appreciation quite apart from any political consideration. It is an honour to the citizens of the Hutt Valley to possess a man of such outstanding ability and whose lofty ideals and gentlemanly qualities have reflected so largely in raising the good name of New Zealand in the Old Country. I trust his reception will be wholehearted and spontaneous and representative of every class and not confined to any particular Party.—l am, etc. M. W. REDDINGTON. RIVER STOP BANK. Sir, —Now Unit the shouting lias ceased and the tumult died down and the Springboks are beaten by fourteen of New Zealand's stalwarts, we may perhaps be expected to resume the even tenor of our ways and give seme thought to what is happening in home politics. From reports I have read in the L'ress and from enquiries I have made it seems to me that a determined effort is being made by the Borough Council to jeopardise the safety of the Valley by removing the river stop bank in the centre of the town. It has come to me as a great surprise that the chairman of the Board and two other members should have the temerity to oppose the expert advice of the Board's engineer although one of the number was frank enough to admit (if he lie correctly reported) that he knew nothing of engineering. During my residence of some 20 years in the Hutt Valley I have admired the attitude the Board has always adopted in regard to tlie stop banks. The policy hitherto adhered to most religiously has been "no interference with the protective works." It is unfortunate thai so few of our ratepayers appreciate the valuable services 'that are rendered to the district by the Board which is responsible for the control of a river which might any day, were it not .properly controlled, sweep through the whole of this Yulley to precipitate one of those awful tragedies of which we have read with horror in our newspapers from time to time. Whilst I can quite appreciate that from the Couwil's point of view the loss of area in these sections may mean a loss of several thousand pounds. 1 fail to see that that is sutlicient justification for endangering the safety of the whole district and to my mind presents an excellent argument against amalgamation of these two local bodies. In this apathetic age we arc prone to forget what we owe to those great men who pioneered the protective "works o) the Hutt River and made the Valley safe for future generations to live in and enjoy. 1 hope, Air. Kditor, that these few 'remarks will be the means ut awakening people to the importance ot the situation and the risk it involves to their property and that they iind some means of voicing their protest against what must he regarded as tempting Providence. —1 am, etr. HAFETV I'll!ST.

The following letter on the question of removing tin. 1 slop bunk lias beru receiveil by Mr. J. Brasell, who with Mt. T. J. Jones is congratulated by Hi" writer 011 the ,«tand taken at tne la.-! meeting: "I take the long view that before any decision is arrived at this matter should be put before the ratepayers concerned who sanctioned the stop bank -,o be built in the iirst place. The liiver Board are voted in by the said rahpayers to maintain that same stop bank in a thoroughly ellicient manner, Within the past years I have once been unable to go to work. At the east end of Melling Bridge the road was flooded a goo'i knee-deep, anil the Hoo-i carried a portion of tree bewl about 7ft. long and (iff. in i-ircumfereiu-e and left it at 'the side of the railway line in front of the shelters at Melling Station, and the paddock fences and posts were washed away on both sides of the road. "This is not the only case during the 34 years that I have been in constant contact with the river in the district between Upper Hutt and the mouth of the river, and a Boar:! 'ratepayer for just over 20 years/*