AFTER THE FLOOD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18851, 2 May 1923, Page 8

AFTER THE FLOOD.

The flood waters have practically vanished so far as the city and suburbs are con cerned, and the work of clearing up the debris is now being gone on with. The question whether Port Chalmers and Green Island should be allowed to participate m the relief fund has been referred to a committee consisting of the Mayor, Messrs Speight, Rosevoar, and Waters. It is understood that relief may be granted to the residents of these districts if there is any surplus after the wants of the people in Dunedin and suburbs have been met. Whether the relief fund can be called, on to meet more than average losses will bo considered later on. The Mayor states that it will be a wise precaution if those people who were flooded out take steps to nave their houses thoroughly dried before taking up their abode in them again. SYMPATHY OF PRESBYTERY. The matter of the recent disastrous flood was brought before the Dunedin Presbytery yesterday, when the clerk (the Rev. J. Kilpatrick) said it was the desire of the Pres bytery to express sympathy with all who had suffered in this way. Ho, moved that the Presbytery express its sympathy with all who have suffered through the flood, its pleasure at the generous response being made to the appeal for funds, and itg gratification that its ministers are heartily co-operating in the relief movement. “As coming from the flood area,” the Rev. R. Scott Allan seconded the motion, 'which was carried unanimously TlfK TAIERI. Hie water on iho Taion Plain has now subsided greatly. There are still, however, considerable tracts under water in the neigh hourhood of Otokia and Hefiley. On each side of tho railway lino the fields present the appearance of a large lake, and stacks, hedges, and posts are surrounded by tho waters to a depth of between 2ft to 3ft. Careful inquiry shows that the loss of slock was remarkably small, considering the extent of tho flood. Mr Robert T. Sadd (chairman) and Mr B. B Couston (engineer), representing the Taicri River Trust, inspected tho Taieri on Monday for the purpose of gathering definite information to lay before the meeting of the trust to be held next Monday morn; ing. The whole position will he considered at tho meeting. In the meantime certain Works have been authorised, as some measure of insurance against a repetition of tho flood. The embankment at Blair’s is to he repaired and raised about 4ft, and authority has boon given to complete the old wing dam at Otokia, near the railway bridge. MEETING AT ST.- KILDA. A very large meeting of the residents of St, Kikla was held in the Coronation Hall last evening to consider and discuss tho position of mutters brought about by the recent floods. The Mayor of the borough (Mr J. \v Dove) occupied the chair, and said ho had called the meeting at the request of numerous persons. Statements had been made with regard to certain affairs during the recent flood, and if those statements were correct those to blame should bo held responsible; if otherwise they should not ue blamed. If there had been no monetary loss, there had been a great deal of mental anxiety. Ho had invited Mr M'Donaki, who was a ratepayer of the borough, to place before the meeting some facts as they appealed to him with regard to the drainage of the southern area and the operations carried out at, the pumping station. Mr J. M‘Donald said it would have been bettor if some other members of the Drainage Board had been present. There were two or three members of the .Drainage Board, Messrs Wilson, Hancock, or their cx-Mayor, Mr Edgar, or perhaps the drainage engineer, or the pumping engineer, who were in a position to put matters more clearly before them than he could He had had two years on the Drainage Board. There was a drainage scheme that the whole of the drainage went to the pumping station, and another that took away the storm , water. His opinion as a layman was that the board should secure as much pumping accommodation as was possible. If the lowlying parts of the Flat were lower than high-tide mark, it was impossible for the storm water to get a way into the harbour, and so the only alternative was in the direction of the pumping station. The ques tion of increasing the capacity of the pumping station had come prominently before tho board, and a section of tho board had been in favour of that step, another had maintained that the water that was pumped by'the station cam© from the harbour, and another had contended that fresh plant should not be installed until there was sufficient power to drive it electrically. Mi- Jacobsen had constantly impressed uppn the board the necessity for increasing tho pumping ■ accommodation. At present there were two 20 inch pumps and one of 15 inches, tho two larger ones being driven by Deisol engines and the smaller by electricity. If tho maximum amount ot ramtall was two to three inches it took the engines all their time to pump it out of tho rising mam, and he thought Mr Jacobsen was quite right in asking for what he had. He did not think that even tho plant would have been able to cope with the downfall of last week, but. after the rain ceased he thought that if there had been additional pumping accommodation tho flood water could have been got rid of on Monday. He thought the members of the Drainage Board were •unwise when they decided to put in a new rising main without sufficient pumping accommodaton to clear away the water at flood time. He was not going to cast any reflections upon anyone, but ho wanted to help, if he could, and ho believed that the whole of the citizens would join with him in trying every possible avenue to save them from a repetition of the shocking condition they had been in. He could not very well deal wjth the sewers, but it sounded to him impossible to lead the lower lying water from the Flat into the harbour without some power of some kind. Mr Anderson had made some provision for outlets along tho foreshore, and Mr SHngcr had made some recommendations as to increasing the pumping accommodation. He thought it was the duty of everyone- to insist that tho pumping station should not bo only sufficient to deal with from four to five inches of rainfall. Surelv for the sake of a few thousand pounds it was only reasonable to ask a public body to spend that money. The paramount question was the pumping station This vexed question hud been before tho board for four years. The pumping station was not sufficient to cope with flood waters. Replying to questions, Mi- M'Donald said that Mr iVl'Ciirdio was present at meetings of the Drainage Board. Mr Jacobsen was not present. His reports were sent to the engineering department, and interpreted to the board by Mr M'Curdie. An explanation was asked as to how it was that there was no decrease in the water in Musselburgh between 2 and 5 p.m. on Monday. The Chairman said it was caused by tho fact that the main storm water carrier along Anderson’s Bay road was running to its full capacity, and other water was being dammed back. He and Mr Griffen (town clerk) had waited upon the Mayor of the city, and had urged that permission be given to blast open the main carrier at the end of Bay View road Mr Douglas would not take tho responsibility of granting permission, but said he would interview Mr M'Curdie on Tuesday morning. At 9.30 on Tuesday morning lie again waited upon the Mayor, and found that Mr M'Curdie had decided to blast- open the main carrier at tho end of Bay View road. Two other openings hiid been made in the main carrier towards Kensington. The Harbour Board engineer undertook the task of opening tho main carrier, and put on 30 or 40 men to cut an inlet. Immediately after the last shot was fired tho water subsided in Musselburgh. It was impossible for the pumping station to cope-with tho water until late on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr D. H. Hastings moved—“ That this meeting of St. Kilda residents, nearly all of whom arc sufferers from the recent flood, urge upon the St. Kilda Bofough Council to have a commission set up to inquire (1) into the efficiency, or otherwise, of the storm water drainage of the southern area— that is, the Flat; (2) the efficiency, or otherwise, of the pumps installed at the pumping station'to cope with an emergency.” He said that they were going to do their utmost to get compensation for the damage they had suffered through somebody’s fault. The water had got into the houses, three, four, or five inches, and if the New street drain had been running their; sections would have been flooded, but the water would not have got into their homes. Considerable damage had been done in .Central Park ward. Mr H. Harris seconded the motion. Mr R. W. Hall drew attention to the fact that those at the north end of the city had suffered worse than those at the south end, and he hoped they would take a broad view of the matter.

Mr M'Allcn expressed surprise that the Drainage Board had not been guided by the throe experts. If it had been the trouble might have boon avoided. The motion -was carried unanimously. Mr O. Todd, the Mayor-elect, said that if the meeting had not been held he would have considered it his duty to bring the matter before the Borough Council at ita

first meeting. The resolution would strengthen the hands of the council to a very groat- extent. He thought that there should have been greater facilities provided for getting rid of the water. There should bo extra lifting power if necessary. The matter would receive the first consideration of the council. Ho thought it was purely an engineering question. This concluded the meeting.