DAMAGE BY FLOODS

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10985, 7 November 1928, Page 7

DAMAGE BY FLOODS

MINISTER INSPECTS LANDS. Electric TeTegrapTi—Press Association MASTERTON. Last Night, lion. A. t). McLeod, in his capacity ax Minister ol Lands, made an inspection of the Lower SVairnrr.pn Valley to form an idea of the damage done by recent floods. I lie Grown areas most seriously affected comprise the Tawaha and Piliauten. -settlements and at the .Minister's direction the Commissioner of Grown I.a mis, Mr Macintosh, visited tlie settlements and discussed matters with the settlers concerned.

At his Pihautea meeting, Air McLeod denied emphatically an alleged rumour which lie said had been circulated throughout the district that the Government had power to prevent the erection ol certain private stophanks and that they could not have been, erected without authority of an Order-in-Counoil. Speaking a-s a Minister. Mr Mi l,cod said definitely that the Government had nothing todo with the matter and, that it could not prevent anybody endeavouring to protect his own lands from being inunch.ted by flood waters. The Government had no authority to interfere in such cases. All that legislation did was to provide facilities for action in law where an individual or group, oif individuals, considered they had suffered damage as > lie result of protection works. The Minister stated that the question of sto>pblinks in tile lower reaches of the Ruamahanga river was now more or less involved in a comprehensive scheme affecting the whole district and in that connection the opinions of the Government experts would be at the disposal of settlers. They would also advise in individual cases where sett-lens desired.