“TREADING ON EGGS”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20340, 12 February 1936, Page 13

“TREADING ON EGGS”

POWER BOARD AND TREES NEED FOR AXEMAN “We have to do the job there is no doubt about that,” remarked the chairman of the South Canterbury Electric Power Board (Mr G. Dash) at yesterday’s meeting after the Board had read legal opinions and correspondence from other bodies regarding the liability lor removing trees that interfered with power lines. The chairman explained that Mr W. D. Campbell, in a legal opinion, had advised that the Board could notify the owner of trees to remove them, or if the owner failed to do so the Board could remove the trees, but must pay compensation as per Public Works Act assessment. The same applied to shoots growing up in the road from trees and to trees in a boundary fence. Trees actually growing on a road and interfering with lines were not legislated for. An opinion from the Electric Power Boards and Supply Authorities Association of New Zealand was to the effect that the Board had general powers enabling it to cut or trim any trees on roads at its own cost if they were interfering with lines, subject to compensation for any loss Incurred by cutting. The Board could get access without compensation if the local body would assist by declaring the overhanging trees injurious to the road. The chairman said that 14' Boards had reolied that the tree nuisance was with them, but few offered any solution. Waitakl refused to construct a line until all trees were dealt with by owners. Hutt Valley threatened to cut off a tree owner who refused to c 7 *t back trees. It had so cut off the current. Thames Valley sometimes obtained way leave and removed the line two chains into a paddock. Waitaki had tried to get local bodies to use their powers, but seldom succeeded. The Board held local bodies responsible for their own trees on roads. The Marlborough Board once had to pay 1/- an acre on a 600 acre farm because of felling some gum trees in which birds nested. Grubs were thereafter claimed to be a ruinous pest in the absence of grub-devouring birds. The Banks Peninsula Board once cut some poplar trees from around an orchard and it cost them £3OO. All boards desired legislation , giving them powers. ZT used the most persuasive means to get owners and local bodies to cut the trees, but all did it at this own cost in the end. “There is no doubt that we are treading on eggs so far as this tree cutting is concerned,” added the chairman. Trees Ruthlessly Hacked Down. “You have certainly trodden on them at Winchester,” replied Mr T. H. Langford, who camplained that trees in the locality had been ruthlessly hacked down by the Board’s staff who could not be expected to know the first thing abc-.it tree-felling. In his opinion, the Board should appoint a competent axeman to do the work. He moved in this direction. The chairman: That will mean an extra man and we will have to provide him with a car. Mr Langford: Not a car, surely! The chairman: I have been around the Board’s territory on several occasions, and I would certainly not like to walk. The engineer (Mr G. W. Morrison) explained that it would be necessary to have one of the Board’s staff in at - tendance with the axeman so that be could cut off the power when tree felling was begin carried out. Mr J. R. Hart suggested that the matter could be left to the chairman and engineer with power to act. The engineer explained that tree felling was being carried out all the time by the Board’s staff, but the trees were not properly cut. Mr A. W. Buzan supported Mr Langford in the contention that some of the tree-felling work carried out was a disgrace. It was unanimously agreed that a specialist in wood-cutting be employed to do the work and the chairman and engineer be empowered to make arrangements for the work to be put in hand.