DRAINAGE MEETING

Northland Age, Volume II, Issue 34, 27 August 1930, Page 4

DRAINAGE MEETING

A meeting of the Drainage Committee met at Foster’s roc ms on Saturday evening 23rd inst. Among those present were: — Messrs T. S. Houston (chairman) D. H. Lewis, J. B. Reynolds, Thos. Baker, W. Masters, B. Ramsay, E. Ramsay and E. C. Matthews.

Mr. D. H. Lewis proposed that Mr. E. C. Matthews be appointed temporary chairman.

Mr. W. Masters seconded this proposal. Ihe Chairman in his opening remarks said, that the object of the meeting was to discuss the question of the cessation of operations ot the dredge on completion of the School Cut.

He pointed out that the object of the drainage scheme was to drain the Kaitaia Swamp, and said that he much doubted if this would be achieved, wCTe operations to cease at the end of the

present cut. He felt that when the dredge reached the end of this cut it would then be nearing the most vital spot in the whole scheme, for it was beyond‘this point that th*e whole flood waters collected. He considered that it would be false economy to allow the dredge to leave the district, when so much money had been spent on a scheme which, to his mind, was incomplete and showed little promise of fulfilling its object. Ihe cost of the extra work would be small when compared with the money already spent on the scheme and as it was a matter of success or failure, he felt that in view of the comparative small cost, the dredge should be retained until it completed work upon which depended the success of their whole drainage scheme. Mr. Baker in endorsing the Chairman’s remarks said that from his observation the cause of the flooding ot the swamp was attributed to the flow in flood time, of the Awanui River swelling the waters of the Okahau stream.

He said that unless cuts were made beyond the present cut he too doubted the desired benefit of a scheme which was to effect not only the area of Larmer’s road, but the whole swamp down to

Awanui. Mr. Lewis suggested that to terminate the work at the present stage was merely turning the swamp into a summer grazing proposition.

He pointed out that as conditions were at present, the land affected by the floods would never be tenanted, because there would always be a great risk of the loss of cattle immediately a flood occured. He was not concerned greatly with his own property which was comparatively small when considering the whole area that suffered as a result of floods, but he felt that if the scheme, which was promoted with the view of opening up more land for farming and thus promoting the growth and prosperity of the district was to succeed, firm measure should be sought to ensure that this end was attained. He favoured further cuts in the direction of Johnston’s corner xir some alterative work that would prevent the overflow from the Awanui swelling the waters of the Okahau.

(Continued)