OTAGO CATCHMENT DISTRICT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26541, 16 August 1947, Page 9

OTAGO CATCHMENT DISTRICT

STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE COMBINED LOCAL BODIES IN THE CLUTHA RIVER WATERSHED, JUNE 19, 1946. At a meeting of local bodies in the Clutha River watershed, held at Roxburgh on Saturday, April 27, 1946, the following resolution was passed;— “ That the local bodies in the Clutha River watershed are of the opinion that community of interest should be a guiding factor when fixing the boundaries of a catchment board area in Otago, and consider that this area should be (a) area served by the Port of Otago; (b) served by road and railway systems based on Dunedin; (c) served by financial and business interests of Dunedin. This area would cover the Whole of Otago with the exception of the Waitaki basin, which is served by the town of Oamaru and the Port of Oamaru, and embrace an area of 12,600 square miles, a population of 130,600 and a capital value of £43,110,000.”

These local bodies are of the opinion that soil conservation and rivers control •are national responsibilities and should be paid for mainly by the Consolidated Fund. The Government, however, in 1941 enacted legislation for this work to be undertaken by catchment boards financed by Government subsidies and rates levied on land and property. These local bodies consider that under this legislation, soil conservation and rivers control for Otago should be a provincial responsibility and that community of interest should be a guiding factor in fixing the boundaries of a catchment district for Otago. We wish to point out that the proposed Otago catchment district compares favourably with the North Canterbury district for population and capital value, and with the Southland district for area. It is a compact area and docs not conflict with the Act in any way, and obviously the work to be undertaken in Otago would be carried out at less cost by employing one administrative staff only. The discovery of gold laid the permanent foundations of Dunedin s internal economic stability and was also responsible for a tremendous increase in its population. It is now recognised that mining, carried out continuously in the rivers of Otago since gold was first discovered by Gabriel Read in 1861, is largely responsible for the necessity of spending very large sums on river control and as Dunedin has always been closely identified with and benefited from ill these mining operations, it is tlie considered opinion of the local b £dies m the Clutha River watershed that Dunedin should now assist .financially in connection with the remedial measures about to be "Dunedin’s most lasting basis proswlierT’the 0 first refrigerated SS meat from New Zealand was shipped from the Port of Otago. Dunedin’s prosperity still depends on Otago’s overseas exports and in this connection we wish to stress tlie Set that increased production will accrue from soil conservation and control in Otago. All will agree that punedli. will benefit directly and indirectly from this increased production, and, therefore, this is a cogent reason why the should assist financially to rehabilitate Otaro. Is it not reasonable to expect that those county ratepayers, almost as re l ™”;® from the mighty Clutha River as people of Dunedin, and themselves receiving no benefit from catchment board expenditure, should at least be placed on the same rating basis as the residents of the city and its environs? Dunedin derives many advantages from our country districts —for instance, its highly lucrative electric power supply from the Tuapeka County and its mam city water supply from the Taieri Countyv The advantages and disadvantages of our province should be shared by all, hence there should be one catchment district for Otago.

As the trading centre of Otago, Dunedin has a direct responsibility in connection with the progress and welfare of our province. The Port of Otago is the natural gateway of Otago, and, in common with Dunedin, its future expansion depends largely on a progressive increase of Otago’s primary production and population. It is worthy of note that, although Otago depastures 12J per cent, of the Dominion’s sheep population and produces 11 per cent, of its fat lambs for export and 12 per cent, of its wool, the recent census disclosed an alarming decrease of its rural population in the Clutha River watershed. This trend, however, can be arrested. The development of all the potentialties of the river basin will inevitably mean a large increase to its population. It is hardly necessary to stress the benefits to be derived from a more scientific control of soil erosion, regeneration, and rivers throughout Otago. Briefly, it is now realised by the local bodies in the Clutha River watershed that for maximum efficiency and the greatest benefit of our province, remedial measures should be planned and developed by one authority. In so far as Otago is concerned, our opinion is (hat co-ordinated provincial planning should be the order of the day. The proposals endorsed at Roxburgh on April 27, 1946, have since received pro-vincial-wide support. At the annual

Otago Provincial Conference of Federated Farmers held in Dunedin on June 6, 1946, and at which delegates were present from all 33 branches representing upwards of 2000 members, the following resolution was passed almost unanimously; This conference considers that under existing legislation soil conservation and rivers control in Otago are provincial responsibilities, and supports the local bodies of the Clutha River watershed in their endeavour to have the catchment district constituted embracing the whole of Otago with the exception of the Waitaki basin, but reserves the right to further press for legislation for the financing of such undertakings by the State. Again, at a meeting of the Lower Clutha ■ River Trust held in Balelutha on June 11, 1946, it was unanimously decided to support the constitution of the Otago Catchment District based on the Roxburgh' decision of April 27. It is important to note that these decisions represent the considered opinions of ratepayers from all rural parts of Otago and of Clutha Trust members who, from actual experience, have a full knowledge and appreciation of the magnitude of the task ahead. , In conclusion, we wish to stress that' we are firmly of the opinion that, soil conservation and rivers control throughout Otago would be earned ou. more economically and with greater efficiency under one catchment board, as its greater financial resources and widened scope warrant larger and better plant its operations. In common with these organisations we, the local bodies in the Clutha River watershed, believe that our proposals are in the best interests of Otago as a whole, and we cordially invite their acceptance. Statement Still Unchallenged This statement was placed before a conference of all Otago local bodies held in Dunedin on June 19, 1946, and convened by the S.C. and R.C. Council, which was represented by Mr A. J. Davey, a member of that council. At this meeting a resolution was carried endorsing one catchment district for the whole of Otago with the exception of the Waitaki basin. Later on, when at another conference held in Roxnurgh or. October 10, 1946, the chairman of the S.C. and R.C. Council, Mr Newnham, remarked that the Otago catchment district was too large, it was pointed out to him that it was only 10 per cent, larger than the Southland catchment district, which had then just been constituted.

(Published by arrangement for the Waitahuna and Lawrence branches of Federated Farmers. Farmers please retain this copy for future reference.)