RIVER CONTROL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 299, 30 September 1939, Page 4

RIVER CONTROL.

ENGINEERS’'WORK PRAISED. COUNCIL INSPECTS THE WORK. Warm praise of'the work of the Public Works Department engineers (Messrs T. G. Beck and J. O. Riddell) who have charge of the control scheme which has been under: way in the Ashburton River over the last several months was voiced by the chairman of the Ashburton County Council (Mr H. J. Crothers) after the Council had carried out a tour of inspection covering about 12 miles of the river yesterday afternoon. Mr Crothers said it had been an eyeopener to view the work that had been done and the great progress that had been made. It reflected great credit on Mr Beck, who had planned it, and on Mr Riddell, under whose immediate charge the work was going on. The Council was so pleased with what it had seen that it had decided to send to the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) a letter expressing the Council’s appreciation of the work of the engineers and of the efficiency that had been displayed in tackling so big a problem. Replying to the chairman’s statement, 'Mr Beck said the remarks were appreciated. As officers of the Department they had to carry out their job, taking whatever came to them, and io do it as efficiently as possible. The cooperation given by officers of the Council had been a big factor in the smoothrunning of the scheme. He added that the Department would probably experiment with methods of controlling growth in the cleared portion of the riverbed with a view to helping the Council with its maintenance work after the scheme had been completed. In reply to a question, Mr Beck stated that the. plans for control work in the Hinds Rivqr would be made available as soon as possible. There had been a delay in their preparation because of shortage of staff. The council made its first inspection on the reaches at Wakanui, where a great area of the riverbed has been cleared of tall willows and gorse ana broom growth that has fop.* years been a source of nuisance in times of flood by turning the water on to adjoining land. The stop banks, 32 miles of which are to be built on the scheme, with six miles already completed, were seen in the process of formation by a bulldozer which carted huge quantities of earth with the greatest of ease. At other points, the completed bank was seen, the surface having been hand-trimmed and made ready for sowing with grass. Nearer town the council saw a stump-puller' at work, a.nd from there went to the riverbed behind the woollen mills where an astonishing clearance of willows has been effected. \ Messrs. Beck and Riddell explained in detail the work that had been done and that which, had yet to be carried out, and they stated that about onethird of the scheme had been finished. The bulk of the heavy clearing work had been done. In reply to a question, Mr Beck stated that the rate which would be struck on the special area adjoining the rivetf would provide the cost of maintenance of the cleared portion of the river, which afterwards would be the care of the council. It was pointed out that about 100 acres of heavy willow clearance had been carried out, and of that area 40 acres, near Allenton, had been ploughed. Near the junction of the north and south branches of the river, members of the council saw how the clearing of wallows had had its effect. A fresh in the river since the clearance had resulted in the water cutting, a new channel in direct line with the south branch, where formerly the water was forced on the north bank by the trees. This demonstrated the work the river would do in making a natural straight channel under control. At IDigby’s Bridge, the council viewed . the clearance of gorse and broom over a width of 500 feet, and it was stated that later the willows would be removed. The remarkable growth of grass on the stopbanks which were first built w r as noted by the council, and the general opinion of members was that the engineers had been most economical in the use of land taken for the building of the stopbanks.