DREDGING THE WAITOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18498, 7 September 1923, Page 10

DREDGING THE WAITOA.

CONFERENCE OF BOARDS. EXTENSION by TWO miles. 1 GOVERNMENT AID ASKED. Th<> proposal to continue the dredging, of the. Waitoa River for some 170 chains " north of . the ■ point ■■ where ~ work was ceased -by the : Public . Works Department was discussed at a conference of representatives of tho Waitoa, Hungahuuga and - Eliifcow Drainage Boards held at . Waihou . yesterday. The chairman of the Waitoa Board, Mr. F. W. Walters, presided. . : Tho question was under discussion some four years ago, when it was agreed to hold over tho matter of formulating a scheme of works until the Government j work,, then in progress, had proceeded up- i stream to the junction of the Ohine Creek. The dredging work has been kept going steadily until about' four months ago, wl)en tho point of intersection of the North Road was reached. Tho Public Works Department then advised that before going any further with tho scheme it would be • necessary to make some arrangement with the drainage boards operating in the upper districts to bear a portion of the cost. Estimates ■ having been compiled, the department considers that • the drainage boards should bear, at least two-thirds -of the total estimated cost of £7000. Tho Waitoa and Elstow. Boards ' wero riven to understand that the stream would bo dredged to tho Ohino Creek and .were surprised to learn that -it was now proposed to burden the lands ir their respective districts with part of the cost. Consequently they; have made . representations protesting' against the ' departure from the original arrangement, but without result.' They have now i asked that, the dredging bo carried out by the • department as far as the crossing of tho Paeroa-Tahuna •Tho •. area estimated v- by tho aitoa Board's engineer, Mr. W. R. Johnson, to be benefited by the works m the Waitoa drainage > district. is approximately 1440 a crest, and the ratable value £23.040, *or appro:dmatelv £16 per aero. The area in the Elstow "drainage district is approxi- ■ mately 2074 : acres, and the ratable • value is £15.555, -or approximately £7 10s per • r acre. The . Hungahnnga Board is not -at present directly interested, but ultimately, as tho work • extends up the river, it will be directly concerned. ; : . i , J ■ Tho area of Crown land is approximately 3057 acres, and the approximate ratable, valuo is £24,456. or .about £6 per acre. | Based' on tho above data, each of the contributing partial liability would be: • Waitoa • Board, ; annual cost per acre, Is 7|d; Elstow Board,- Is 7|d; Crown lands, The conference, decided to write the chief drainage engineer; asking that the dredging . work by the' department be carried out up to Baker's Outlet, as most of tho land, to bo ' benefited within this area is .«Crown land. It; was. agreed to ask . Messrs. H. Poland and O. E./ Macmilbn, , M.P.'s, and one of the Land Drainage Depart■fment's engineers, tb 'visit the area of the proposed'" scheme. ; *>, , j