RAUPO SWAMP DRAINAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14219, 16 November 1909, Page 6

RAUPO SWAMP DRAINAGE.

HARDSHIPS OF SETTLEfIj * ' APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT. ' [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESrONCtsjj V ' ' '■ J ■«' i Wkllington, . Monday/, 1 The hardships entailed" upon the aiiflil on the Raupo Swamp, m the Nortlfe l Wairoa district, by the frequency of S ; v : has led a deputation to come to'-WeSm 1 ton to seek relief from the ; 'Goylt|j The deputation consists of Messrs. Gort $! Coatee, R. C. Smith, and W. TJ-BrijS 5 ,' (members of the Otamatea County <2: cil), G. Bradley (chairman of the torn* Drainage Board), and R. J. fi' a gineer of the Otamatea- County CoiuX I Mr. Stall worthy, M.P., accompanied «tf deputation, which waited, in place, to-day upon the Minister for lie Works (the Hon. R. McKenzie). * V | Mr. Coates, . in speaking of the iaiai2i<; tions, stated that during one of ■thc'-Sil".! cent floods the water was from sft toWl deep in many places. The County CoSS cil and the Drainage Board, he said to. conferred on the matter, and a plan Hid been prepared showing the"' necfe'K work. Mr. Bradley said that in many-'fa stances the settlers' stock had been stand* ing in water for a week, without food' 1 owing to the floods, which, he sald^ft largely due to the watersheds of "'tlfeMf,# country. 1 •','^"••■l;!*

Mr Smith said that the outlets were quite insufficient toTcon® with the large volume of flood wSjl?# One particular drain that he had MB tioned had, he said, a capacity double! that of the outlet. He said that the Uadfll was now flooded more than drains were constructed, the reason few? that some thousands of natural had been blocked and that the artificial : ones provided were quite inadequate "to * carry the same quantity of water.-" « * Mr. Hunt gave particulars of the f ffillj required, and Mr. BafT, by means oH plan, gave a further - explanation. ' estimated cost of the work was £18000 Mr. McKenzie said that this was a Wv large order, and that probably it trftiiM!;! pay the Government better to give &ft|» T the whole of the land than to carry oat such a costly scheme. ' Mr. Stall worthy pointed out thatalattis revenue was being derived by the mer.t in royalties on the timber at Raapo •' Mr. McKenzie said that no doubt' some, thing would have. to be done, but the question of a Government grant was oflW for the Minister for Lands ■to decide. The deputation subsequently waited upoa the Minister for Lands (Sir Joseph Ward) and stated its case. Mr. Hunt eaid tW the settlers, who were already rated for 'various purposes up to nine farthingsin the £, proposed to raise a loan.of £3000 *' for the drainage, and to ask for a Govern, f ment subsidy on that. The GoveiuMttf was at present deriving some £24,000 a year in royalties from timber on the lafid and it was urged that half of this ehoald be spent on the drainage of the swamp. Sir Joseph Ward suggested that the settlers should guarantee to pay ; cent, interest and a sinking fund of -rl'VwKt cent, on the cost of the undertaking. would amount to £810 a year. He would 1 look into the matter with a view ?of ■«« certaining the best course to be tafcti:, but he could not promise that the reqoenfcl for one-half of the timber loyalties would be agreed to. The work, he agreed, Wat quite necessary, and • the only questionto consider was the best way of cartt* ing it out. ' 'Wfe ================ otitis'