CLUTHA RIVER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26033, 22 December 1945, Page 4

CLUTHA RIVER

CATCHMENT DISTRICT PROPOSED BOARD TO BE APPOINTED Steps are to be taken early next year to establish a catchment district and to appoint a catchment board to control drainage, flood prevention, and soil conservation in the whole of the Clutha River catchment area. Official advice to that effect has been received from the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council by the eight county councils and nine borough councils affectedIn a circular letter to these local bodies and the Lower Clutha River Trust, the chairman of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council (Mr W. L. Newnham) states that a meeting will be convened, probably in March, 1946, but that details wore being forwarded for prior study by the local bodies concerned. Boundaries Defined Defining the boundaries of the proposed Clutha catchment district, Mr Newnham stated that it would include not only the whole of the drainage basin of the Clutha River, but in addition that portion of Lake County between the Westland and Southland catchment districts; that was to say, between Awarua Point and Blign Sound. To the east, it would run from Mount Ida along the Rough Ridge divide, approximately along the boundary between Maniototo and Tuapeka Counties- along the Waipori River divide, and tnen'ce to the east coast at a point about eight miles east of Kaitangata. Mr Newnham pointed out that the catchment of the small Tokomairiro River and the Borough of Milton would not be included in the proposed district. In the south, he stated, it would have a common boundary with the Southland catchment district. Such an area embraced the whole of the Clutha and Vincent Counties, negligible portions of Waitaki and Southland Counties, about 50 per cent, of Bruce, 90 per cent, of Tuapeka, 25 per cent, of Maniototo, and almost all of Lake County. Also included were the boroughs of Balclutha, Kaitangata, Tapanui, Lawrence, Roxburgh, Alexandra, Cromwell, Arrowtown, and Queenston. Representation on Board “The Act provides that the membership of a catchment board shall consist of elective members or of both elective and non-elective members,” Mr Newnham continued. The number of elective members, however, must exceed the number of non-elective members, and the total membership of the Catchment Board should in no case be fewer than eight or more than 15. In cases where there were more constituent districts than seats available, as in the proposed Clutha Catchment Board, the Act allowed the combination into one or more combined districts of any number of the constituent districts for the purpose of the election of representatives on the board, but it was expressly stated that no borough or town district should be combined with a county or road district. The following membership was proposed, the letter continued:—The whole of Clutha County and a very small portion of Southland County (Jointly), 2; portion of Bruce County, 1; portion of Tuapeka County, 1; whole of Vincent, portion of Maniototo and a very small portion of Waitaki County (Jointly), 2; portion of Lake County, I; boroughs of Balclutha, Kaitangata, Tapanui, and Lawrence (jointly), 1; boroughs of Roxburgh, Alexandra, Cromwell, Arrowtown, and Queenstown (jointly), 1; total elective members, 9. The six non)-elective members of the board would be the senior officers of the Departments of Public Works,’ Lands, Agriculture, Forestry, Scientific and Industrial Research and Mines, whose technical advice and departmental facilities should be of considerable value to the board and its officers. “ From the experience gained in the establishment and operation of existing catchment boards,” Mr Newnham’s letter stated, “the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council considers that the foregoing proposals should result in the formation of a strong and effective board to administer your area, the combined rateable capital value of which would be about £9,000,000. Needless to say, after the Catchment Board is established, there will be a vast amount of preliminary investigation to be done before a programme of soil conservation, drainage and flood control can be undertaken, but the experience gained by other catchment boards will be available and should be of assistance.” Proposal Discussed The proposed catchment district has been discussed at two local body meetings in South Otago this* week. The Clutha County Council, at its meeting on Tuesday, decided to lend its support by offering the use of its offices and the services of its clerical staff in the preliminary phhses of 'establishing a catchment district and setting up a board. When the circular letter came up for discussion at the monthly meeting of the Lower Clutha River Trust it was merely received, the chairman (Mr J. G. Weir) observing that the nine boroughs, with only two representatives, appeared to have been unfairly treated, while the proportion of Government nominees seemed to him to be unduly high.