Bay of Plenty Times TUESDAY, SEPT. 26th; 1922 WATER CONSERVATION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LI, Issue 8099, 26 September 1922, Page 2

Bay of Plenty Times TUESDAY, SEPT. 26th; 1922 WATER CONSERVATION

Tim© and again vve have had our attention drawn to the tact that the most serious if not alarming-con-sequences must inevitably tallow if tho destruction of our mountain: forests cutotinuea Once again is I the warning sounded- in no ' uncertain manner—by the Forestry j tcpartincni. Several oflicors of Hi at department have just returned 1 1 cm visits of inspection and investigation in various parts of the North Island, and a statement based on 1 heir reports indicates “the necessity for calling an immediate halt in the indiscriminate ,attacks, being made on the forests of the Dominion, especially on the mountains, where the trees break the rainfall and allow the water to soak into the earth instead of tearing down the mountain. sides irf torrents.” 1 As applies in a more or less degree to every district in New Zealand, and to Tauranga. no less than to others. Wo have lost much of our bush on the high lands lying to the East, South and West. Much, however, still ,remains, but absolutely no steps have been taken to conserve what is necessary. The importance of some decisive action in this respect cannot be 100 strongly stressed Repeatedly have we drawn attention to the urgent necessity of saving at least that portion cf the bush without which a: dependable and adequate water supply for the town is impossible. True it will cost a little to do it, but that cost is infinitesimal when weighed against the serious consequences of t ricgkqtin|g what lias always appeared to us a most elementary precaution. The stream from which, our water supply is obtained Hows for the greater portion if its ’length through private lands Native and European—and most of that is still in standing bush. How much should be secured is a matter of secondary consideration, the primary point is that, knowing the position, and in. face of this latest warning from the h’orcstry Department, our borough.council should face the problem, immediately. Tire warning to which w© refer, which conies as a result of the recent. investigations, should be closely studied by everybody. The statement says; “The surest known way to produce floods is to see that all rainfall runs downhill over steep surfaces without having an opportunity to sink into the soil. This statement appeared recently in an article dealing with causes and effect when examining into tho origin of devastating river floods in America, It holds good in every part of the globe, and has an exact parallel in the case of our own main rivers. An investigation into Hood statistics in the North, Island over a period of years will show that this menace is increasing steadily and that we am rapidly approaching a stage when ’navigable rivers will be no longer useful as such but will alternate between the danger points cf serious depletion, of water supply aryl disa-irous torrents sweeping (viiyihing before them. Had a special board of engineering experts set up in the pioneering days to icrmulau- a policy ci deliberate destruction toward? our rivers and forc.d:s they could not, Lave shaped things belter, River valleys have been ‘-wept bare, of 1 ;<•«,•> and t hint ad-water ton-As earved-iniit with an utter disregard of c. ns-, quinces. When ilie natural sequence follows in the shape of raging iloods, people wonder why it. is that every 'year i sees greater de-tnicm-ti wrought by i ilii, unleashed demon and raise a! my ! or protective bank-, and similar | mea-mes, ignoring the fact that this j

pari iouiar trouble, Eke every other, mart, bo attacked at its source. Ignore this question a litllo longer aiui arrangements may conhdciitly bt* made to scrap the river' si camel s uf the Wanganui and give up ail hope of navigating the Waikato with, ha ryes and small erall. As a tourist attraction these rivers will practically cease to exist and will yearly become a greater terror to the denizens of the plains and coastal towns. This is not a scare picture but a moral certainty proven many times over in all countries and all climes. The remedy lies in immediately tackling the 1 rouble at its source. Tlie great central watershed ui the North Island must be zealously guarded from further denudation oi its remaining forest cover. Not a tree should bo cut' from it without careful supervision and special da.nc,pxdnts along the river valleys ,-hould he reforested without delay. Tin-' kingpin of our remedial police should be, the protection and rcplaciu of as much of the destroyed natural cover as is practicable, thus tegu luting tlie distribution of rainfall and this in the end will lie found a cheap {trice to pa yfor the safety of ou r national well-being.'’ Our ease is indeed hopeless if anything further is needed to arouse the ratepayers and councillors of this borough! to a sense of the seriousness arid importance of the question.