Artesian Water

Hutt News, Volume XII, Issue 22, 17 November 1948, Page 12

Artesian Water

CONTROL IN HUTT VALLEY

URGENT LEGISLATION NEEDED

At a recent meeting of the joint committee representing Hutt. Valley municipalities Mr. 11. R. Bach, City Engineer to the Lower Hutt City Council, said that over a long period efforts had been made to enable a measure of control to be exercised over artesian water in the Hutt Valley. The matter came to a head recently, when the Gear Meat Company noticed Wellington increasing its draw. The company wrote to the Hutt River Board and the Petone Borough Council in the matter and this information was passed on to Lower Hutt City Council. He was anxious to obtain support to an amendment to the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act, which would give control over the situation probably to a Catchment Board or some similar independent authority working under that Act. However, there did not appear to be much chance of getting the proposed amendment through this year. He had had a meeting with Gear Company and Ford Company representatives in the hope that full support of the industrialists would he forthcoming with local bodies in trying to give the necessary- legislation a move along and get it through in the last session of the present Parliament. The Ford Company, however, had indicated that it. was uol prepared‘to give its support, but preferred to rest on its rights as an owner. In the circumstances it looked as if it would he best to go ahead as local authorities. He therefore recommended that a deputation he arranged to meet the Minister of Works before Christmas and possibly again in February with a view to getting the necessary legislation through at the last session of the present Parliament. The Government was not in favour of giving control to the local authority in any particular area, because it considered that there would he too much opposition to that from other interests, but under the Soil Conservation Act control could be given to a Catchment Board or some similar independent body. The position was getting verycritical with artesion bores running to waste all over the Valley.

It was resolved on the motion of Mr. E. P. Hay, Mayor of Lower Hutt, seconded by Councillor W. C. Gregory, that the committee recommend that the four Mayors of the constituent local bodies, together with their engineers, form a deputation in conjunction with the Hon. W. Nash, Mr. H. Combs, Mr. M. Moohan and Mr. J. Maher as local members of Parliament, to meet the Minister of Works with a. view to ensuring the passing of the necessary amending legislation, which is already in draft form, for the control of .artesian water in the Hutt Valley.