WHAKAKI DRAINAGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19335, 27 May 1937, Page 16

WHAKAKI DRAINAGE

SCHEME FOR THE SWAMP REQUEST TO GOVERNMENT (Special to lliu Herald.) WAIROA, this day. During the past 25 years efforts have been made by Wairon local bodies to find ii solution of the problem of draining the Whakaki swam]), ami the (government has been approached on several occasions, but so far it has not been possible to find a workable scheme. A successful scheme would confer a great boon on Wairoa and the district, and yesterday the Wairoa County Council decided'to give its utmost support to representations which were being made Id the Governmenf by the Wairoa Power Hoard.

"I am directed by the board to request the Government to undertake a thorough inspection of and submit n comprehensive report on the problem of draining the Whakaki swamp lands with a view to devising an effective scheme for draining the swamp." wrote the secretary of the Power Board, .Mr. li. (!. Sign'all.

"The swamp adjoins the Borough ol Wairoa, and it is estimated that when drained an area of approximately 4500 acres at present useless and unproductive could be brought into cultivation and made available for closer settlement in small dairying holdings. "At present the area 'is under the control of the Whakaki Drainage Board, which has done very good work, for which loans totalling £7OOO were raised, in draining lands in its district, apart from the area of 4500 acres mentioned above, but the Drainage Board i'inds it is unable to proceed with a scheme to drain the latter area on account of it being native land, as its experience is that it would be impossible to collect from the native owners rates to cover the charges on any loan that might be raised to drain their lands. "Some settlers in the drainage area have installed electrically-driven pumps to deal with ihe water on their farms, but as the water deait with is only diverted to some other part of the district without, any definite plan of outlets being considered, no great benefit will he derived by the district as a whole, but the board is of Ihe opinion that it would he possible to devise an economically sound pumping scheme. particularly as electric power for pumping could be made available. "The board desires to put forward the following suggestion in connection with the problem : "That if after investigation it is found that a sound drainage scheme is practicable, that the Government undertakes the drainage of the area, and to meet the cost of the scheme a sufficient area of the swamp be set aside as Crown land.

"Under this proposal the native owners would not he deprived of their lands to any great extent, as the drained area when brought into cultivation would be more than ample compensation for the area they would be (ailed upon to vest in the Government to cover the cost of the scheme. "The board understands that some few years ago the Public Works Department, at the request of the Drainage Hoard, did make an investigation, and submitted a thorough report on the problem of draining the Whakaki swamp, but it is desirable that a further inspection should be made, as the severe earthquakes of 1931 and 1932 have affected the levels in the swamp to a considerable extent." •