DRAINAGE MEETING

Northland Age, Volume II, Issue 35, 3 September 1930, Page 7

DRAINAGE MEETING

(Concluded) Mr. Reynolds next spoke on the matter and said that although he was not a member of the drainage committee, he nevertheless took, and had taken a very keen interest in the work of the scheme. In endorsing the remarks of the previous speakers, he said that he felt that Mr. Lewis had put the matter in a nut shell. Although he was not in favour of one of Mr. Lewis’s suggestions that was regarding more cuts, he strongly supported the question of stop banks, and had, as a matter of fact, himself designed a scheme which he, as a layman, felt would be cheaper and more affective. He presented his scheme which dealt with three vital points which clearly indicated that the method of stop banking would certainly be the more practical and less expensive. He stated that he had visited the river during most floods and had come to the conclusion that if the spillway was to be of use, the water must be kept to the main channel. His investigations during these tours had given him valuable information and he had constructed his scheme giving due consideration to what he considered to be the 3 vital weaknesses in the river’s course between Johnston’s corner and the present cut.

He suggested that they may overcome the difficulty by raising the level of the road, but realized that this scheme would prove too expensive. He felt that the most successful scheme would be to stopbank the river on the far side of the road.

Mr. Masters also supported the previous speakers contentions and said that although he once disfavoured the continuation of the scheme beyond the Sunray Park cut, he now had learned from the work done by the operations to date, that he was not correct in the objections. He now realized that if the scheme was to fulfill its ends, operations suggested by Messrs Reynolds and Lewis must be undertaken. Mr. Clem Matthews was the last to comment on the suggestions put forward by the previous speakers and he said that it was of dire necessity that some move be made to retain the services of the dredge. He said he lived within close proximity of the cause of the trouble and from long experience had learned to realize that to end work at the school cut would be a great disaster.

The meeting was concluded with a vote to the chair and the passing ot a resolution calling for a meeting of the Drainage Board, and members of the drainage area to be held in the Library Hall on Saturday September 6th.