Soil Conservation, River Erosion Bill Introduced

Northern Advocate, 4 September 1941, Page 4

Soil Conservation, River Erosion Bill Introduced

fFer Press Association. —Copyright] WELLINGTON, This Day. Moving the second reading of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Bill, the Minister for Public Works (Mr. H. T. Armstrong), said the Bill j was the outcome of the work of a 1 select committee which had been set up to consider the problem during the | recess. j He traced the history of river pro- i tection work in New Zealand since 1912, and said that so far we had only been tinkering with the problem. That seemed to be the general opinion both inside and outside the House, and without some measure such as that which was at present before the House, they would never be able to deal with the matter on broad national lines. He- paid tribute to the work of the members of the select committee and the previous Minister for Public Works (Mr. Semple), in connection with the Bill, and said they had had more to do with the recommendations •than he had. Mr. W. J. Poison (Opp.-Stratford): Why this sudden modesty? Mr. Armstrong: Because I believe in giving honour where honour is due. A General Demand Continuing, the Minister said there had been a general demand for a measure of this nature, but even now he was inundated by telegrams requesting that the Bill be delayed in order that different organisations should be able to make representations upon it. If the Bill were delayed for another 10 years, as it had been delayed for the past 10 years, they would still have Rip Van Winkles waking up and saying they had not had a chance of making representations. Mr. Armstrong said he had read a great deal about soil and river erosion in countries other than New Zealand, and quoted the United States as a case in point. This country, he said, had neglected the problem for about the same time as New Zealand, and was now spending hundreds of millions of pounds trying to catch up. The problem was just as serious, relatively, as regards population and area in New Zealand, and he hoped we would not let another year go by without tackling it. Financial Help The Bill offered facilities to do the job. The Minister referred to the difficulty local bodies experienced in financing big protection works, stating that the present measure would enable these jobs to be done systematically. He did not claim that the Bill was a perfect one, and expected it. would meet with criticism from the Opposition, and perhaps also some from members on the Government side, but he would say that the Bill had been submitted to a committee of practical men who thoroughly understood the problem, and everybody had to sacrifice some point in order to bring a unanimous recommendation to the House.

After explaining the various clauses in the Bill, Mr. Armstrong said that after the second reading, which it was hoped would be completed by tomorrow, the intention was to refer it back to the select committee responsible for it so that all who wished could make representations on the measure within the next week or so. The Minister refuted a suggestion that catchment boards would be dominated by the Minister, and said that where river boards and county councils were doing the work satisfactorily there was no intention of replacing them. Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Opp.-Riccarton), said the measure was a fine example of what could be done in the national interest when two opposing parties got together. He believed that never before in the history of the Dominion had there been such a complete unanimity over any scheme placed before an inter-party committee. Unanimity had also marked the deliberations in regard to the principle that had been embodied in the Bill. So far the matter of river erosion had been neglected in New Zealand, and until today the question was whether we were going to preserve land for future generations, or see vast areas washed away into the sea. Huge Waste Annually Continuing the debate last night Mr. J. O’Brien (Govt.-Westland) who was the chairman of committee which took evidence, said he estimated that lack of efficient control had cost New Zealand £500,000 a year. As far as the Bill itself was concerned every right of individuals and local bodies had been carefully preserved. The measure was designed to start a national job that had become a necessity, he said. He wished to thank other members of the committee for work they had done. It had been a non-party committee on which the Opposition members had been very helpful. Opposition Support Supporting the Bill Mr. G. W. Forbes (Oppo.-Hurunui) paid tribute to work done by the former Minister for Public Works (Mr. Semple) in helping in the solution of a most difficult problem. There was no need for further delay, he said, and the measure was overdue. Its success would depend on its administration and a great deal also depended on finance and a loan of some description would be required initially if the job were to be tackled in a serious way. He added that high country pastoralists would not be in a position to find additional money at present because they were having a tough time. However many acres of soil were being swept out to sea and the Government would be false to its trust if it allowed this condition of affairs to continue. Mr. W. C. Denham (Govt.-Invercar-gill) said a mistake had been made in the past, in tackling the problem in a piecemeal way. The only possible manner in which to deal with it was on a national scale. He described the effects of erosion in many parts of the world, and said that in New Zealand damage from erosion was far more extensive than most people dreamt of. Rabbit Pest Mr. W. A. Bodkin vOppo.-Central Otago) suggested that clause 34 of the Bill which provides for control of stocking Crown leases, should be deleted or at least not applied to Otago. The damage to hill country growth in Otago was almost entirely due to the rabbit pest and extermination was the solution. The main problem in Otago was the flood of the fertile Taieri Plain caused by the melting of snows and the only real solution was to dam the headwaters at Styx. A dam would also irrigate a large area and provide hydro-electric power. Mr. E. P. Meachen (Govt.-Marl-borough) said, although the Bill was most important, there appeared to be some lack of interest in the measure

inside the House. He did not think there was a lack of interest among the people who, he was sure, would be enthusiasm in co-operation with the Government in carrying out-the provisions of the measure. The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 10.30 p.m. when the House rose until 2.30 p.m. today.