THE STATE OF THE RIVER.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12377, 16 December 1905, Page 6

THE STATE OF THE RIVER.

TO THE JEDITOB OF "THS PRESS." Sir, —Wβ hear oomplamts daily of the stato of our once beautiful river, but no one seems to fathom t'ho cause of the filthy mud banks fast appearing on each eide. As a rowing man 1 have had occasion to ivatcb. tho river for the Inst ten years, and have also lived on the bank's during that period. lam convinced that the sole trouble has"been, and is now, caused by that useless piece of machinery called a dredge. This thing churns away day after day in the lower reaches of the river where- ther.e is plenty of water, cutting away the ratural dams in the river, and gradually draining the water into a. narrow course in the centre. A few minutes' talk with the engineer .of this machine will convince anyone of the correctness of my remarks. He says he can let the river down another six inches if he likes. Remove this machine, and cut the weeds in the old way, and I am sure tho river will improve daily. It as absurd for tho Drainage Board officials to tell us that the river is retaining its depth. I say that tho liver has never been in the stato that it is in now, in the way of filthy mudbanke on each side, simply, as I faid before, because the water is being drained into the centre. Let them remove this dredge for three months and see the result.— Yours, etc., EX-CHAMPION.