WAIMAKARIRI RIVER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16875, 27 October 1922, Page 4

WAIMAKARIRI RIVER.

ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUST. (Special to the lt Star.”) WELDING TON. October 26. The Minister of Public "Works is in charge of the Waimakariri River Improvement Bill, which will constitute a, river trust having full power to do all such things as may in its opinion be necessary to effectively cope with drainage and flooding of the district. It will also exercise control over work.- 1 which may affect the river or drainage emptying into the river. No planting or cutting of willows on the banka of the Waimakariri River shall bo done except by or by direction of the trust. The. trust is to be constituted of eight commissioners, of whom two shal> he elected by ratepayers of the northern subdivision, four elected by ratepayers of the southern subdivision, and two shall from time to time be appointed by the Minister of Public Works. The date of election is to be fixed by the Governor-General. The electors will comprise every person who immediately before the commencement of this Act was entitled to vote at an election for any riding of a county or for any road board district, town dis tri.ct or borough. or for any part thereof respectively wViicb is included in the district. SPECIFIC WORKS. Clause 13 is drafted in mandatory terms. It states that, the trust shall, so far as its funds will permit, carry ou the following works: — (a) Works to safeguard the city of Christchurch from flooding. (b) Works to protect from erosion the banks on either side of the Wai • makariri River. (c) Works to prevent or mitigate . the ponding of ffood waters near tli* lower end of Coutts' Island. (d) Works to prevent or mitigate damage by flooding from the Lyre and Oust Rivera Other clauses provide that in lieu of paying compensation the trust may purchase land injuriously affected r>\ its operations. The bed of the Waimakariri Rive* is vested in tk© trust as ait endowment. The South Waimakariri River dis trict is abolished. It is specifically provided that where railway lands are affected by work of the trust, the consent of the Minister of Railways must be obtained. The area covered by the river trust is that comprising the Svhole watershed of the Waimakariri River and its tributaries up to the railway crossing on the lower gorge, and also all territory at present included in the South Waimakariri River district which is not within the watershed. This will be subdivided for electoral purposes, the northern subdivision comprising the area generally to the north of the Waimakariri River, and comprising Eyre County, portion of Oxford County, por tion of Rangiora County and the borough of Kaiapoi. but excluding Government railways. The southern subdivision consists of tho remaining area, less the northern subdivision, and excluding Government railways.