CLEARING THE KAIPARA.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 24 January 1918, Page 2

CLEARING THE KAIPARA.

IMMEDIATE ACTION URGED

A DEPUTATION from the Kaipara River Clearing Association asked the Waitemata County Council last Friday that a start be made at once in the work of clearing the river in order to minimise flooding, pending the constitution of the Council as the Kaipara River Drainage Board. The deputation stated that the Council had the power and the necessary gear to use at once the £100 towards the work voted in equal shares from the funds of the Kumeu and Mairetahi Ridings. It was pointed out that the formalities for the constitution of the Board could not be completed until the winter, when no work could be done. Meanwhile if nothing were done some thousands of acres would be rendered useless by the floods. The position, it was urged, was very serious, as s&me_of_the._best land, in the district "vva? -aTtnost continually under water. At Rewiti recently during a fresh the river rose over 3ft in 54 minutes. ' After the deputation had withdrawn a letter was read in which the Minister for Public Worksstated that he would grant a subsidy of £100, £ for £, for the work when a Drainage Board had been establissed with jurisdiction over as much of the river as the district public works engineer considered necessary. The engineer had been instructed to investigate the matter of the proposed boundaries of the Drainage Board area.

The County Engineer, MrG. A'. Jackson, asked for instructions' as to whether the area would consist only of land over " which the flood waters actually flowed ?l « thf J allotments containing the flcoded area. / It was resolved that the Chairman, the County Engineer, and *?. c,. member for the Kumeu Riding Mr J. W. Harrison, interview the Public Works Engineer .with reference to the boundaries. No decision in regard to the deputations' request was arrived at.