MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 4401, 6 October 1934, Page 2

MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER BOARD.

A mooting of the AlanawatuOroua River Board was held in Pal merston North on Thursday presided over by Mr A. A. Mitchell (Chairman). The financial statement showed all the four separate rating areas were in debit, the amounts being £259 18/11, £247 3/8, £l2l, 0/1 £3O 5/-. A credit in the general account- of £6OB 10/8 miade the net debit £49 17/-. Rates outstanding were: Administrative £985 14/10; No. 1 area, £245 14/1; No. 2 area, £2Ol 3/-; No. 3 area £3BS 19/5.

It was decided! to advise landowners concerned that they had no authority to undertake banking works without the board’s prior consent.

Mr B. Cr. Gower said that the Foxton Harbour Board had considered favourably the representations made regarding drifting sand. He understood that a scheme for planting the coastal dunes had been formulated, but whether the operations would extend far enough inland to assist the River Board was not yet known. Mr Law said the board must cooperate in any tree planting works, as even if no scheme for flood clearance were authorised, the drifting .sand must bo arrested. However, they could not expect the Harbour Board to take full responsibility for any woilk that would benefit- the River Board also. The board received from the Palmerston North Borough Council an invitation to a local bodies’ conference in Palmerston N. on Sunday afternoon to discuss unemployment.

“They must be short of time to fix these meetings for a Sunday. It is cutting things a bit fine,” said Mr Gower.

The chairman considered that the board should be represented at the conference and the chairman was appointed delegate. A letter was received through the Manawatu Drainage Board from the solicitors for Messrs Rowland Bros., stating: “Messrs Rowland Bros., the owners of a section at Karere, upon which your board is constructing protective works, instruct us to notify you that the work is not being done satisfactorily so far as the owners are concerned. The scooping operations appear to extend over too large an area with the result that an undue amount of best soil is being removed from the land. One of the results will be that practically the whole of the hank will be useless between the old and new structures. Our clients will require compensation for the loss sustained.” The chairman said: none of the main soil had been taken. It had been been taken off the old river bank and trucked up. The job was excellently finished. The complaint was referred to the Kairanga represenatives on the board.

Mr Callesen pointed out that this part of the land of the Rowland Bros, had been taken out of the rating area. The Levin branch of the New Zealand Farmers Union advised that at its last meeting the case of Air S. Sloan’s stop hank work had been again discussed, and the following resolution passed“ That the branch draw the attention of .the Alanawatu-Oroua River Board to Air Sloan’s case as being unfair in that, after certain work had been carried out to the hoard engineer’s approval, they consider he should be exempt from any administrative rate, and that failing power under the existing Act, asks whether the hoard is willing to have an amendment to the Act enabling it to give rebate to this class of rate.” The union is to be advised that Air Sloan’s land.is classified in conformity with that of other settlers in the area, and the complaint is made under a misapprehension. The board has no authority to amend its powers. Air Gower asked if the Hamilton’s Bend stop banking would he nearing completion at the expiration of the six mouths’ term. Thereafter the River Board became liable for transport, he said.

Mr Callesen, said he did liot think the work would be finished, by then.

Mr GoAver: Then we will be called upon for transport?

The Chairman: That is not likely. What is left we can do by contract.

The Clerk reported on the progress of the loan conversion and said that no dissensions, had been recorded.