WAIHOU RIVER

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19691, 26 September 1935, Page 3

WAIHOU RIVER

CHECK TO POLLUTION. MINING ACT AMENDMENT. LICENSES TO BE APPROVED. (Times Parliamentary Correspondent) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Provision lor the protection of the Upper Waihou River from undue pollution is contained in the Mining Amendment Bill, introduced by GovernorGeneral’s message, read a second time pro forma and referred to the Lands Committee in the House of Representatives to-day. The Minister of Mines, the Hon G. E. Macmillan, explained the river was a sludge channel under the Mining Act, 1920. Petitions had been submitted to the House requesting the cancellation of tlie proclamation of this river as a sludge channel. The Mines Committee of the House had on each occasion reported unfavourably on the application of the petitioners. Mi- Macmillan recalled that he had previously stated in the House that interests other than mining would be reasonably safeguarded by the imposition of conditions on future mining

privileges In the Haurakl mining district to prevent undue pollution of the Waihou River.

“It is considered,” lie 'Continued, “ that the most satisfactory way to give effect to this policy would he to impose special conditions . on machine site licenses, but as machine site licenses are granted outright by the warden under the present legislation and do not require the consent of the Minister, it is considered necessary that all applications for machine site licenses in future should be submitted for the consent of the Minister in order that conditions may be inserted therein to prevent undue pollution of the river, A clause in the bill achieves this object.”