PATEA COUNTY AFFAIRS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 85, 11 April 1935, Page 8

PATEA COUNTY AFFAIRS

THE WAITOTARA SWAMP PETITION FROM RESIDENTS ' RECENT FLOOD DAMAGE e ) ; DEPUTATION FROM HURLEYVILLE. a 3 ? At the back of the Waitolara town- ; ship and in view of the Main Road. - there lies a swampy, undrained piece of .- land which has been a source of ani noyance to the residents for some time, j and at Tuesday’s monthly meeting of the Patea County Council a petition was submitted by them. The petition, signed by the majority of residents, asked that the swamp, which lies on a roadway at the back of the town, be drained. Rain water collected there and there was no means of drainage, the water stagnating and proving a source of annoyance, particularly in early summer months. The chairman (Cr. W. G. Belton; t stated that the matter had been under , consideration for some years, but action had been delayed owing to the residents wanting an expensive drainage scheme. The obvious scheme would provide more direct drainage to Lhe river. The two schemes were outlined by rhe engineer (Mr. J. N. Anderson) and they were discussed at length. The , direct scheme would allow of a drain.- * pipe being laved which would carry the drainage under the riverside road into the river. Cr. Peat asked L whether a high tide or flood in the - river would reach up the pipe or ( cause any trouble, the engineer repaying that if probably would, but ! to no harmful extent, After further discussion the engineer was asked to investigate, taking levels ’ and depths for both the residents’ scheme a.nd the natural outlet, submitting a report to next meeting. Access Asked for. Mr. r r. Greaves, of the Upper Maben Road, Hurleyville, waited on the council with a request for work to be done on the Upper Maben Road, giving access to his property situated about 10 miles from the Hurleyville store. He stated that the recent flood had washed away bridges and culverts and he could, not even get his horse out. having to cover the distance ori foot. The engineer stated that work was being done on the road. but. Mr. Greaves pointed out that this was on a length some distance below that for which he was now asking, and which did not actually .serve him or other settlers on the length which was in a worse state. The chairman said that a subsidy for work on this ro-ad had been asked for from the Government, but although specifications and estimates had been submitted so far no authority or approval for that grant had been received. Until this was received, no work could be done by the council ponding the grant, or the whole cost would have to be borne by the council find incidentally the riding which would not bear the necessary amount to be expended. This grant had been pressed for. Mr. Greaves slated that he did not want a full width to the road as he realised it would never be a. roadway of anv importance. He submitted that £5OO would be sufficient to the road usable. The chairman said that the council could not do much without knowing monev for the work was available. Councillors for the riding said that apart from wash-outs, bridges and culverts were the chief trouble. Mr. Greaves said he had rebuilt one bridge situated on his own property. After other aspects of the position I had been viewed the council decided that the Government be asked, in the event of its not being prepared, to approve expenditure and grant of £5OO previously applied for. that it set a.side a proportion of the. grant, with which to replace the bridges destroyed by the flood. I Tn reporting on damage in ot'ner I pans of the county from the February 'flood, the engineer said that there was at present no flood damage vote, and any monies or grants to be made to repair such damage would have to be drawn direct from the ('onsolidateCf Fund. Advice was received that Hon. W. A. Wilkinson would visit Palea on May 12 in company with Public Works officers, who are to be met by the chairman and engineer of the county and any other councillors able to attend. The question of the rebate, of 12$ per cent, on rates was a matter for discussion, the clerk (Mr. W. F. Sheild) pointing out that some ratepayers hacl asked for the rebate in cash, and,' others for it to be credited to next year’s rates. There were some 100 ratepayers who could claim the rebate. being those who had paid their rates before the funds for the rebate were available. It was decided to advise ratepayers that the rebate would be x>aid in cash t-o all who called at the office, otherwise the rebate would be credited to their current year’s rates.