LAND LOST BY EROSION

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22111, 5 June 1937, Page 22

LAND LOST BY EROSION

COMPLAINT OF FARMERS* UNION REQUEST FOR RIVER ENGINEER IXHE PRESS Special Service.] WESTPORT, June 4. The appointment by the Government of a river engineer for tne West Coast to dual with river and sea erosion was advocated by speakers at the West Coast provincial conference of the Farmers’ Union, at Westport to-day, when the following remit from the Karamea branch was under discussion: “That the attention of the Government be drawn to the necessity for protecting arable lands from erosion by rivers and sea" ~, ~ . Moving the adoption of the remit, Mi Musson (Karamea) said that the view of his branch was that the land belonged to the State, and it was the State’s job to protect it. He instanced Die sea erosion taking place on Kongahu Beach, at Karamea. and said that one widow there had lost 80 acres 1 of land on which she was still paying rates. The Minister for Public Works (the Hen. R. Semnle) had been ap- . proached and had promised that something would be done. A Public Works Department Engineer had given an estimate showing that Tjrotcct’on work wou’d cos* a mile and there were seven miles to be dene. An area of 4300 rr es carrying produce valued at £IO,OOO annually was threatened with destruction. The Government had now refused to give assistance after making a definite promise, he said. The following remit put forward by the Kokatahi-Koiterangi branch was taken in conjunction with the Karamea remit; “That hi the opinion of this conference the problem of river erosion is a national matter and, further, it is our opinion that the appointment of a competent river engineer to carry out scientific investigation and research on the problem as it applies to the rivers of the West Coast Is a matter fo- immediate Government consideration.” Mr M. Wallace (Kolterangi) said that the topography of the country and the nature of the rivers on the West Coast made erosion more serious here than in other parts of New Zealand. Ha considered that if a river engineer was appointed to patrol the district ho would frequently be able to detect signs of the beginning of erosion and be able to check it at a small expen- : diture. | Mr T. O’Neill (Koiterangi) said that if something was not done soon, farms on the West Coast would have no land left and farmers would all be on the “dole.” Mr P. O’Regan said that river erosion could be dealt with only at a cost that made it out of the question, but he suggested that as gravel in nearly all the West Coast rivers was goldbearing. something might be done to keen the riverbeds from filling up by | putting gold dredges on them and rei covering part of the cost of the work i from the gold won. He did not think I that any other scheme would be even j remotely financially possible. The remit was carried.