HUTT RIVER EROSION DANGER

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 126, 21 February 1941, Page 10

HUTT RIVER EROSION DANGER

Concern In Upper Valley When stressing rhe seriousness of the clanger from river erosion in the Hutt Valley, the mayor of Upper Hutt. Mi. J. Blewman. at a meeting of the Upper Hutt Borough Council, said the damage being done by tile Hutt River at Upper Hutt was saving Lower Hutt rind Petone. The mavor said that he aud otlieis had interviewed -Mr. Semple oil' the subject ami obtained from him a promise that tin- River Erosion Bill which should helt> combat the danger which he placed before the coming session ot Parliament. "River boards don't appeal to me, because lliev begin at the wrong end of the river." said Cr. C. A. Rendle. He said he did not want to be critical. I.ut he did not think that river boards functioned very well The trouble luj at the head of the river where the country had been denuded of forest, so that the water came clown the river ii- torrents during rain. The river board dealt with the trouble at the mouth of Ute river, whereas it should control the river for its whole length and particularly at its source. The mayor said tile matter was serious in the borough. Because of the wick* spread of the river in Upper Hutt the waters could not be confined to a narrow channel without causing the river to overflow the stopbank in Lower Hutt and Petone. Upper Hutt was really saving the lower valley. The council had interviewed Ministers of the Crown and members of Parliament for 10 or 15 years but lie did not know that anything had ever been done. The council had an engineer preparing a report on methods of eliminating the flooding that occurred in the Wnllaeeville district, added the mayor.