RIVERS COMMISSION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4318, 16 September 1921, Page 3

RIVERS COMMISSION.

FINAL ADDRESSES.

OHINEMURI COUNTY.

Mr J. F. Montague (Ohinemuri County) said he came before the Commission ,as strictly neutral- . They were quite willing to pay, as they had benefits. They did hot know that it would cost £625,000 and they would have to bear one-sixth. This would be a huge burden on the ratepayers. That was a highly rated county. They

may als.o have to pay a Thames Har-

bour Bo.ard rate. He qouted a case > ,of hardship if the rates would be levied according to the suggested allocation. At present, in putting up

stop-banks, they h,ad lost the use of

acres of land taken up by stop-bank ;. The evidence that the county received benefits from navigation was only in general terms, with the exception of a small portion. The land in the county was valuable before the stopbanks were erected. The prospects of the works’ being stopped’ did not concern Ohinemuri.

MINING COMPANIES’ VIEWS. Mr Richmond (Waihi Mines) congratulated Mr Porritt on a moderate and fair statement of .the position. It was a fair and unbiassed opinion and represented a large portion of the community. It was a pleasure to hear the common sense arguments in contrasts to some arguments put up from other quarters. The Chairman: I would have the address recommended. Continuing, Mr Richmond said that there was not a possible hope in the world to get navigatipn back to Paeroa. He disputed Mr Hanna that only a little of Paeroa was ever floodedWas the 1910 Commission mad to re-

commend such .an extensive scheme just because one little flood came over ’ As to the navigation business, the Northern Company would no.t now come up to Paeroa. When the P.ae-roa-Pokeno railway was formed there would be no more navigation further than Paeroa. Commenting on “the gentleman who represented'the Government—the people who were too proud to pay”—Mr Richmond said that the mining industry was asking relief on £150,000, and they did not' know of anything more except a little extra expenditure. If the Commission thought fit on the meagre evidence before it, it would be a secondary report, but the primary reppr.t was on the £150,000. The whole of that matter was entirely outside the order of reference. The 1910 Commission was obsessed with the idea that therp was extensive damage to land, but since then it had improved considerably. That 60 per cent, of slimes had settled was totally disproved. That the mining industry was doing continuing damage, he contended, was incorrect. He could find no evidence except small patphes of \ slimes at curves and bends that there ■ was any damage done by slimes. The Ohinemuri River at its slackest point could clear out all slimes. The river was also clearing itself.. There was no evidence that the W.aihou River was shoaling due to mining sands. The richest deposits of mine tailings were 20 per cent.-, and those at a few selected spots. All deposits would come into the slack water. There was more admitted shoaling in the upper Waihou than in the lower Waihou. It was a pitiable .thing for a Department which had spent such a vast amount of money if it could do no better than it had done. The banks of the Ohinemuri were devoid of any slimes. The mining industry was coolly told it had to pay 60 per ceptr The cross-section of the river had been improved considerably. The river was no.t filled with mining tailings but with river sand. Except in a shallow in -the Ohinemuri there was no accumulation of tailings. He wish- ... ed to point out that the Government had allowed the companies to use the river as a sludge channel, and if that right had not been granted they would have had to find other means. The companies, especially the Waihi Company, had contributed enormous sums to the Government revenue, and now it appeared that it w.as to be treated as nil. It would be downright robbery—“or give us a rebate, on our income tax,” he said. The same principle applied to the shareholders in the mining companies. The shareholders were constantly changing and it would be ludicrous to ask the present shareholders to pay money which should hav.e been paid by the former ones. It had paid New Zealand very much that it enabled the gold to be taken out. It was beside the point to

endeavour to hold before the Commission that the mining companies had cash reserves. The mines were quite ready for a sliding scale. It did not hold .that because <ll6 mining companies had a large area that it was a great and prosperous mine. If it was they would gladly pay put. if the , companies were to be sold out now they would npt sell out for more than 8s 6d. It was impossible to attempt to make a comprehensive review of the evidence, and he would not attempt it. He had npt the slightest desire to put the blame on to the farming community or anyone else.i There was no greater absurdity than that a vast amount of damage was done by the mines. The peculiar irrelevancy of the case for the Crown was that it attributed the cost due to the mines as £97,00Q, and with the Borough over £150,000. The c.ase for the Borough was almost intact and was unassailable. The evidence in the finding "f the 1910 Commission that the mine's were doing no damage was correct. Even if there were a quantity of river sands in the Ohinemuri River it would not matter. There had not been any evidence as to .the cost of the menial .work. The mines were to be charged for the stop-banks to be put up at Paeroa. The Ohinemuri now was just as capable of carrying a flood as it ever Was.. The Public Works Department had certainly not cleared out the river, but it was the

mining industry that had done it. It had snagged and presented the district with .a clean river and paid gold duty as well. The Department had

not done any snagging. Only biieflfth of the money had been spent on

the Ohinemuri, but five-sixths had

been paid by, the mining industry. The farming community had np.t paid a cent. The mining had paid interest on the sinking fund, much more than it should have done. It had been said that the necessity for stop-banks arose because the river had been inpregnated by slimes, but lie contended that the evidence showed that tire first fresh dismissed the slimes.. The mining companies’ output was onethird of the amount it was in 1910. The grinding had been done far beyond the finding laid down by the 1910 Commission. It was inevitable that the Waihi tonnage would fall rapidly, and the matter may be reduced to an absurdity. If the two mines went out of existence, who would dare to start a mine under those conditions ? A scheme, set out on the lines of Mr Porritt, he thought, Would suit the case.

None of those present except the Public Works representatives had known what 'the scheme would cost and it was dragged into light by the mniing companies asking for relief. It was essential that they should attack the Public Works. The Commission must do justice no matter whosoever it offends.

The Commission must decide on whom the charges were to be imposed and' who spent the money. When a fair amount was proportioned on those who should pay, the remainder should go to who spent the money. The he,ads of the Department had let the matter muddle on from year tc year, and at the last moment had to send Mr Baker to represent it. It was a Government office which had landed .the district into a most unfortunate position..

THE WAIHI BOROUGH. Mr Johnstone (Waihi Borough) desired to uphold Mr Richmond in his congratulation of Mr Porritt. He was quite prepared to adopt those suggestions with slight modifications. The whole of his opening address was based on the assumption that the Waihi Borough .would have to find £5OOO. It had been seeking relief from £5OOO. The Public Works representative had admitted some relief had been necessary, The Commission had to consider that £5OOO alope, based on the £150,000. His witnesses were not called on the assumption that the charges were based on £625,000. He had proved conclusively that the Borough was, owing to the fall of the gold duty, unable to pay. The population of the Borough had declined 2500 in 10 years. There had been no building permits issued for six years. Over 270 houses had beien removed to. places on the Hauraki Plains. The Borough had substantially reduced its overdraft, but it now stood at £7433. Together with the mines it had contributed in round figures £23,000. There had been n'o proved extravagance during the last 10 years.- The Mayor had’ stated that the Borough would not be able to pay its way throughout the coming year, and .that statement had not been challenged. The financial position of the Waihi Borough was now in a precarious state. The duty had declined so seriously since 1910 that the Borough, through n’o fault of its own, found itself in, its present state. There was no likelihood of Waihi ever attaining the prominence that Thames and other places had been able to do. A recommendation could be made to the Government for £lO,OOO to enable the Borough to carry if through , to be paid back in 10 years in installments. They could not agree that rating of mines would avail. The gold dutjwas a more satisfactory scheme. The Public Works Department’s counsel had admitted that .the Waihi Borough 'was entitled to relief. The Borough wanted £5OOO from the gold duty before the sliding scale came into operation. He could not see that that position could be attacked from any point of view. It’ was conceded on all hands tha,t the Waihi Borough was entitled to some relief. Mr Clendon had suggested that, while giving with one hand, the Government had saddled the Borough with more by basing the estimation on £625,000. The allocation on the Department’s own showing had been four times' what it should have been. Mr Clendon’s attitude had been that he was to saddle the whole lot with £625,000 instead of £150,000. When the present Commission had been set up it was not right that the £625,000 had been necessary. Had the Waihi Borough Council not made that application it may have blundered on for years, -and for that the Department should meet them in the matter of costs. He contended that the Department’s offi- 1 cers - had not been authorised to expend £625,000. The position was that the Government should pay the difference of the amount themselves or give the people the right to say whether they should have the work or not. The £625,000 may never be provided. He submitted that the Public Works Department should bear -the assessment. suggested by Mr Porritt. In the 1919 Commission one man had ' condemned his own Department. The £625,000 was Mr Baker’s alone, and it should not be submitted without being challenged. Engineering estimates were notoriously unreliable things.. Mr Clendon had treated the' Commission with a great deal of bluff. Nothing had been done by the* Department to improve the Ohinemuri waterway except clearing willows and putting a stop-bank on one side of the. river. It was not found that the farming community had suffered in the least degree by the alleged engorgement of the stream. Th? damage done by the Ohinemuri was negligible. The stop-banks would have been erquired in ,any case. The graph submitted to the Commission showed that the sands of the Ohinemuri were continually on the move. The cross-section was as good now as in 1915. The mining sands went to sea and there was no damage in that direction. ■ It was curious to note that whereas in 1910 extensive damage had been done, evidence now showed only a trickle had come in. On the whole evidence by the mines, the Ohinemuri was negligible. Fifty million tons of silt had gone from the Waihou *River to the Firth of Thames. Waihi benefited from the

river, but evidence from Mr Silcock showed that Waihi was using the river less and less. Provided the Waihi Borough was allowed one-fifth of the gold duty with a minimum of £5OOO the Government would get the rest. The only source of revenue was from the gold duty and a little bit of rates it could collect. About seven-tenths of the matter put before the Commission was irrelevant. He thought the Commission would have no difficulty in finding that he had made out his case. CONCLUDING REMARKS. Mr Johnstone’s address, which finished at 10.20 pan., concluded the Commission business. The chairman, before declaring .the Commission closed, said that after about a month's sitting, the end had come to the enquiry which had been an exhaustive one. He thanked the counsel and witnesses lon the careful and painstaking way they had put the matter before the Commission, which would consider the matters carefully and report to the Governor-General. Mr Richmond, on behalf of counsel, thanked the chairman and the others of the Commission for the courteous and able manner in which they hadconducted the proceedings. They had worked long hours to bring the work to a speedy close. The chairman thanked Mr Richmond for his remarks.

A FEELING OF SECURITY. Coughs, colds, and croup are quickly relieved by -Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy. It counteracts any tendency of a cold to result in pneumonia and when given as soon as the first symptoms of croup'appear it will prevent the attack. It allays the irritation in whooping cough, keeps the cough loose, and lessens the violence of the cough. Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy contains nothing injurious. Mothers give it to the little ones with a feeling of perfect safety. Sold by all chemists and storekeepers. HOW TO KEEP FIT. Eat moderately, masticate your foot! thoroughly. Let at least five Hours elapse between meals. Drink a glass of water when you first get up in th? morning. Take a regular outdoor exercise every day. Keep your bowels regular by taking Chamberlain’s Tablets when required and you will qoon be fit as a fiddle. Sold by all chemists and storekeepers.