COLAC BAY DRAINAGE.

Southland Times, Issue 21716, 31 May 1932, Page 3

COLAC BAY DRAINAGE.

To the Editor. Sir, —I notice in your report of the Wallace County Council meeting that Mr Robert Sullivan (of Colac Bay) notified the council that the local Unemployment Committee was applying to the council for an outfall ditch from the railway to the Oraka Creek, parallel to Kauri street, claiming that between 250 and 300 acres of valuable land would be brought under cultivation. I notice my name, among others, is mentioned, as though I were trying to obtain drainage. I wish to protest against my name being used without my knowledge or consent in furtherance of a scheme which I do not believe will increase the agricultural production of the district to the extent of one penny. This Unemployment Committee, without seeing or knowing anything about the properties concerned, is apparently applying for work to be done, which was completed by the Public Works Department about three months ago. How are the men going to put in time doing work which has already been done? Mr Robert Sullivan, (of Colac Bay) gives the names of several people, stating that they would benefit by this drain. Mr Font’s name is given first. Mr Font’s farm, and my property, are properly drained. Mr Pont has stated that the drain put in beneath the railway by the Public Works Department is thoroughly satisfactory. Why mention his name as a person likely to benefit by Mr Sullivan’s proposed scheme? This drain which Mr Sullivan’s committee is applying for, for the benefit of Mr Pont and myself, runs through my property and is giving me all the drainage that I have any desire for. Why mention my name as that of a person likely to benefit? Another name is that of Mr Campbell. He owns one acre. When he bought his section some years ago he attended to the drainage and was satisfied with his outfall which is still satisfactory. Mr McCulloch, still another name mentioned, is. away mutton-birding. He had a man ditching in his one-acre section about six months ago. lam under the impression that his one-acre section, which adjoins my property, is already drained, with an outfall into Mr Burtenshaw’s.

With regard to the drain through Mr Burtenshaw’s property, that work was done at my expense about nine or ten years ago and had an outlet into the drain which has just been completed on Kauri road. The Kauri street drainage work was done at my expense about twelve years ago and was lately completed, as I have just mentioned, by the Public Works Department continuing the drain across Drury street under the railway from my property to Mr Font’s. I had the drain through Mr Burtenshaw's connected with the Kauri street drain, thereby clearing all the swamp land on his property of water nine or ten years ago. Now the outfall from his place into the Kauri street drain is choked with a rank growth of weeds. The water from ' is land got away very much better eight or nine years ago. Another name mentioned is Davis. The property referred to under this name is Maori land, and is being dealt with by the Government under the Maori welfare scheme under which, I understand, the Government is paying the Maoris wages for improving their own land. No other resid-nt, ten or twelve years ago, was troubling about drains. To obtain outfall for my own land I continued the Kauri street drain through the only outfall available at the time, which was through the Maori bush land to Oraka Creek. I have done nothing lately to the lower portion of the drain in the Maori property as the bush has been cut down on the lower slope of it and that portion, without having any effect on the properties just mentioned, will continue blocked until the Maoris remove the trees which they have cut down on the banks of the stream. These dead trees will have to be removed from the water channel and will, no doubt, be removed by the Maoris whenever they return from the islands; but the effect on this portion of the drain need not worry anyone except the Maoris, who will soon be remedying the matter. The water has a good flow over something like three-fourths of the low-lying Maori land. When the work by the Maoris is complete and the weeds removed the other part of the drain there will be nothing more to desire. Mrs Cochran’s drainage depends on another private drain. Her ground, independent of these drains, would be in a satisfactory condition if some one else’s cattle were not grazing on the lower slope of it. The drainage of Mrs Cochran’s bushland is altogether independent of any Kauri street drain. The lowest lying parts could be more conveniently drained in another direction. I fail to see where the other paddock mentioned comes in as the drainage naturally goes in another direction with a steady fall towards the sea and is separated from the drain referred to by Maori land. I tliink, Sir, Mr Sullivan (of Colac Bay) and his committee should have had a look at this part of the country before applying for the work. They certainly do not seem to know anything about the properties they wish the County Council to deal with. As far as I can see all that is required is that one owner remove the weeds from his drains. In conclusion I must request Mr Robert Sullivan (of Colac Bay) not to make use of my name again in this manner.—l am, etc., I. N. FREDRIC. P.S.: If all unemployment committees acted in as reckless a manner as Mr Robert Sullivan’s Colac Bay Committee, the result could only be harmful both to the unemployed and to the country at large.—l.N.F.