FOXTON

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 270, 14 October 1929, Page 10

FOXTON

MOUTOA DRAINAGE BOARD. (From Our Own Correspondent). FOXTON, Oct. 11. The monthly meeting of the Moutoa Drainage Board was presided over by Mr J. Chrystall (chairman). Also present were Messrs W. E. Barber, B. G. Gower, R. Bryant and D. Purcell. The financial statement was adopted as follows: —Bank of New Zealand account overdrawn, £209 18s 9d; Post Office Savings Bank in credit, £77 15s 4d. Tho General Account was in debit £209 10s 7d, the Interest Account 8s 2d overdrawn and the Workers’ Dwelling Loan Account £77 15s 4d in credit.

Accounts amounting to £26 8s 4d were passed for payment. The foreman (Mr T. A. Robinson) reported as follows“ During the month tho following work has been carried out: Cleaning 53 chains of the Kara Kara Drain and also removing the big slip at the mouth of the Kara Kara South Drain. The time taken on the work was 23 working days. There still remains 24 chains of swan grass*to be cleanod in the upper section. This portion of the drain is in a very dirty condition, and it would be a good idea at the commencement of the next general cleaning season to have all the swan grass removed when the drains are cleaned. The drain will take fully a fortnight to complete as a foot of silt as well as swan grass will have to be removed. Langley’s North Drain will bo cleaned as soon as tho Kara Kara is finished. It is probable that the whole of Langley’s Drain will have to be cleaned as the lower end was done during last summer and had a good aetumn growth on it before the winter set m.’’—The report was received and the foreman was instructed to proceed with the cleaning of Langley’s North Drain. A letter was reoeived from Messrs Cooper, llapley and Rutherfurd, solicitors, relative to Mrs Terrill’s demand in connection with the newly erected bank at Moutoa acknowledging receipt of tho board’s letter containing a copy of tho resolution passed at last meeting, stating that they were aware that a certain portion of’.the bank was originally erected by the Manawatu County Council, but that the board’s statement that the bank was re-erected by the settlers in the dis,trict was not correct as it was contended that the board had tfbntributed towards tho cost of the bank.—The letter was re ceived. Mr Barber suggested that the Public Works Department be again written to with a view to ascertaining when the £2OOO loan money would came to hand. The secretary reported that the board’s plans and specifications in regard to the proposed work had been approved of- by the Department with the exception, of proposed yellow stop bank. The Mana-watu-Oroua River . Board had approved of the board’s proposed flood gates. Mr Barber considered that despite the fact that the board had cancelled its proposals in regard to the Yellow Bank the loan should not be withheld on that score. A motion was carried that the department be again written to pointing out that the Manawatu-Oroua River Board have agreed to the works proposed to be carried out with the loan money and that as the board was anxious to proceed with portion of the work immediately they would like to know the position with regard to the £2OOO loan.

Mr C. R. Barnicoat, M.Sc., of the Dominion Laboratory, Wellington, who has been investigating the Hcdberg flax bleaching process in Foxton , during the week, returned to Wellington yesterday. I-Ie took away with him several hanks ot prepared fibre for testing. , Aviation experts who have landed and inspected the wide area of firm sand foundation at the local seaside have declared that with a little expenditure to remove some of the hummocks it., could be converted into one of the besi, landing grounds in the Dominion. Portion of this extensive area was once the bed of the Manawatu River and lies to the north ot the present outlet. A visitor interested in aviation who visited Foxton on lhursday expressed, the opinion to you? representative that- Foxton possessed at the seaside a more suitable ground for aviation purposes than could bo obtained in Palmerston North. In his opinion it would not be long before commercial aviation would be established and Foxton could not be overlooked as a suitable depot. The land referred to is portion of the hoxtpn Haibour Board endowment and possibly the board would favourbly consider any proposal to assist in establishing an aerodrome at the seaside.

RIVER BOARD BILL.

A protest relative to the proposed legislation in connection with the ManawatuOroua River Hoard’s Amendment Act was made at the monthly meeting of tlie Moutoa Drainage Board. The secretary (Mr Alf Fraser) read an extract in reierence to the amendment before the local bills committee .dealing with special Areas in the board s a\stnc. The chairman (Mr J. Chrystall) said that he had, received a letter from the sccretaiy of the local bills committee asking tor any comment on tho proposed amendment to the Act and ho-had replied, stating that ho thought it would bo exceedingly dangerous to give the River Board power to make cuts in the river at tho upper end of the district Mr Chrystall considered that cuts should bo confined to the lower end and that, if power was given to tho board to so operate, the restriction should bo made to the effect that no cuts should bo allowed above Cole V’s Point, at Moutoa. . Mr B G. Gower said that a clause in the proposed bill provided that no other work exceeding £IOOO could be carried out without the sanction of the ratepayers. Ihis would bo a safeguard. The board, however, had not tho sliightest intention of carrying out any cuts in the upper portion of its district and had already turned down a proposal in connection with Hamilton b Bond., The chairman: W© aro quite satisfied that the present board would not allow such works to be carried out, but some other board in tho future might not bo of the same opinion. It would be better to withhold any legislation on the matter. Continuing, Mr Chrystall said that the position was fraught with great danger to the settlers in tho lower end of the district. If the board was allowed to set up special areas tho ratepayers in tho lower area would not have a vote on matters concerning the top end. - Threequarters of the ratepayers would thus bo deprived of any say in a proposal to be-put..in. hand, in the upper portion of the district. In his opinion legislation should bo withhold which would give the board tho right to carry out cuts in tho top end. Mr Gower said he. did not think people would allow any such cuts to bo carried out in the top end of the district. The chairman: If they have no legislation they will have no power to do such a thing. Mr Gower said that ho would not like to see the board do anything that would hang the matter up for the Manawatu-Oroua River Board. Mr W. E. Barber said that if a docent bank was erected from the Maori church at Marotiri to Mr W. Smith’s property at Moutoa it would make things fairly safe in the lower portion of the district. The chairman said that he did not think there was any possibility of successfully carrying out such a banking scheme. JVhen the Manawatu rose to 12 feet above normal at Fitsherbert Bridge it commenced to spill over and fill up the Taonui swamp at present, but if a short cut was made at Hamilton’s Bend the lower end would be drowned out as it would be called on to tako 4000 acres of water in a few hours. In his opinion the board should protest through Mr Linklater, as member for the distriot, against the proposed legislation and urge that such legislation be confined to the lower portion of the river. If this were done, said Mr Chrystall, it will mean that no future board will be empowered to swamp them out. He did not want to block the whole proposal, but he certainly wanted to see the lower end safeguarded. On tho motion of the chairman and Mr \V. E. Barber, it was decided to write to Mr J. Linklater emphatically protesting against any legislation being passed which would give power to the Manawatu-Oroua River Board to form separate areas above Coley’s and Maori Points in the Manawatu River for tho purpose of making cuts therein and that considers that if any cuts were allowed in the upper reaches of'the Manawatu or Oroua Rivers it would prove completely disastrous to tho people, resident-in the lower, areas. • -—•