OTAUTAU IN DANGER.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 13, 26 July 1905, Page 2

OTAUTAU IN DANGER.

THEKEScdt. '*'

At the. meetiug of the Wallace <-ou:ity Council, on Friday last, Cr Ciipples (representing the OfcauUu Riding) moved the following resolution :" That application be made to the Minister of Railways (Sir J G Ward) to plaes ,6500 on.tha Kstimatea this session tor river protection at Double Cabbage Tree, with a view to saving the Otautautowiiship, and the present line o| railway above Otau-v tan for a length of tiiree miles." If tiie matter; wldre rightly put before •the Minister ths vote-would probably :be got. 1^ \v^s a very urgent work and the Council were not m funds to cope with the inroads of the river He believed that, unless the Govern-' ment gave the Council assistance m this matter to enable something to be done, the river would invade and ruin the township, and destroy three miles of railway which it would cost JG3OOO or £4Q00,.t0 replace. Sir JoS knew the danger Otautau stood In from the river as well as the Council did. '■■;■■■ Cr Newton said it was a very ur gent work, and the money should be got >t possible. This matter had been a continualtrouble, and if the " Douole Cabbage Tree did come down, Otautau) would be mi nu n dated - Let triem get what they could put 6f thq

GJvern:neut by aM means. It woulJ be money well spent. Cr King considered this one of the most important works -.in the VV.iliace County. If" the river Jd £?a a vay a f any time, t'-e while township- wo:ild be"und^r vvaler. Tivjir Kite Eiigineer had shown wVint mi.^ht hnppc-i. '1 htop of Mr Stoiey's houl^s was levei with the botto-n of th j r'v.r. I' wt> m a mo-t dangerous po-ition, more so lha" people thought. Cr Newton : The level of tue river is 141t above the railway. The motion was then put and carried.