C—l 4

XXV

Proposed new River Board. Cosl of works a debt owing by Board. On completion the works should be handed over to a new local body specially constituted for the purpose of the maintenance of the completed works, or of the execution of any additional works wdiich time may show to be necessary. It is proposed that the new local body, which should have all the powers of a River Board as well as any special powers that may be deemed advisable to grant to it, should be charged with the whole cost of the works executed for them by the Government, who, it is presumed, will find the necessary capital under favourable terms as to interest and repayment of loan. Jurisdiction of Board. The Commission recommends that the jurisdiction of the new River Board should be coterminous with the watersheds of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers and their tributaries, and that they should have rating-powers as a River Board over the whole district, including the boroughs and townships therein. In the Thames Harbour District, though the River Board would have the maintenance of the stop-banks, the duties of dredging the river to maintain navigation ought to remain with the Harbour Board. Tolls on vessels and goods. The River Board should have granted to it the right to levy tolls on vessels using the waters under its jurisdiction, and on goods passing over wharves built or maintained by it. Const it lit ion of Hoard. The Commission recommends that the new Board should consist of eleven members, and be constituted as follows : — Two members to be nominated by the Ohinemuri County Council. One member to be nominated by the Thames County Council. One member to be nominated by the Piako County Council. Two members to be nominated by the mining companies. Three members to be nominated by the Government. Two members to be elected by the ratepayers of the new river district. The Commissioners are of opinion that the Government nominees should be non-political appointments, and advise that officials having local knowledge should be selected, such as the Warden, the Inspector of Mines, and the District Engineer of the Public Works Department. It may be considered advisable, after the completion of the works, to reduce the Government nominees to two, replacing the third member by one to be elected by the ratepayers of the drainage district. It is suggested that only the mining companies contributing to the special rate upon them should be voters, and that they should select their representatives by voting in proportion to the amount of gold duty paid by each company in the previous year upon gold won in the district, Revenue of Board : Gold duty three-sixths; mines one-sixth; rating one-sixth; Government onesixth. The Commission recommends that three-sixths of the annual revenue required to be found by the new River Board should be deducted from the gold duty; that one-sixth should be contributed by those mines and extraction companies which discharge their tailings into the rivers or watercourses, and that the allocation of this special rate should be directly proportional to the tonnage of tailings so discharged; that one-sixth should be derived from rates to be levied in the new river district upon all lands, Native or European, excepting Crown lands, and to be leviable in varying proportions dependent on the direct or indirect benefits to be obtained, as is provided for under the River Boards Act; that one-sixth should be contributed by the Dominion out of a special allocation to be authorized by Parliament, in order to provide a contribution in respect to the Crown lands which, whilst benefiting under the proposals, could not otherwise be rated.