A DIFFICULT PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1915, Page 14

A DIFFICULT PROBLEM

CONTROLLING THE MANAWATU RIVER * FLOOD DEVASTATION -WHAT A COMMISSION z ' FOUND -Thoogb during the past year or two the Mapawata River has been very w,ell satisfied to run its peaceful course to the sea -within its own accustomed limits, , the menace of an angry, swollen, yellow torrent, spreading oat over the low-lying ocfontry and causing general devastation, is.ne ver absent from the minds of settlors in its vicinity. There is no .doubt that lands contiguous to the Manawatu Erver in its lower reaches would be considerably enhanced if this menace ;were removed. The memory, indeed, has cnly to travel back to the year 1907, to recall how even the railway traffic to 3?6xton from Palmerston was suspended for a fortnight, while communication by xoad vn&. Shannon and Levin was similarly severed. That year, however, the flood was an exceptional one — such epoch.making exceptions will occur in the history of stately rivers like the Thames, the Seine, and the Tiber, which have been under control for centuries, and have had many millions of pounds spent rigon them. But, nevertheless, scarcely a<*year passes which one or more yellow sheet of .water is not sent out over many acres of conntiry by\ the iM^flawatu. River. REMEDY TOO COSTLY. »The Manawatu settler has not been neglectful of any possible remedy. He feels that nothing has been done _to confine the river to its banks during flood time because any effective remedy ■Would be very costly. The matter has Tjtfen constantly tinder consideration. In 1908, as the result 'of considerable agitafton following upon a heavy flood "which caused a loss of many thousands of- pounds to the district, a Commission •was set up by the Government on the ■proposal of ,the flon. R. M'Nab, then Minister for Lands, to go into the Xhole matter.' The Commission consisted of Messrs. A. D. Thomson (chairman), TV. & Short, G. F. Robinson, and Charles R. Vickennan. They reported upon various schemes, and made certain reeommendatioiis, but so far— though only » year or two ago, when tfee trouble was again acute, a meeting of interested' -settlers was called to again discuss the matter— nothing has ' been done. But it may be well worth while, since the subject is one bearing titton the progress of the # district, to recall what' that Commission found. No doubt, sooner or later, the problem will require to be dealt with effectively. r A TOKrtfOTJS CHANNEL. ;: The trouble is (as the chairman •found) that the mam channel of the " Ma-nawatn, besides being much too small in area in its lower portions, ioliows a most circuitous course above Foxton winding round to the east side of tIS Moutoa, then cutting across the valley, abnost completing a circle, and winding up along 'the- west side of the big Makerua Block. All this way there is one continuous succession of small, snake-like bends, and the result is that from Foxton to Jackeytown by river is over iorty miles, t while in a straight lirie the distance is, at most, hali tnat number of nailea. ,'A want of fall is the result of these many windings, and when floods come the large body of water, dams np and overflows tho banks where they allow. AJnd xinforttmately' the river has built itself up above the level of the low lands adjacent, especially where it passes the ' flax £Witinp areas. v '; 'OTTTJCiET TOO SMALL. ,The outlet to the sea at Foxton is also much too small. The long tongue of land, from. Bend to Whirakina, completely r shuts up the mouth of the minn valleyj an.<T the water, in floods, immediately starts to 'pond up here, over-" flow generally, and back up. This is also greatly aggravated if it happens at spring tide, accompanied by heavy Westerly winds. 200,000 CUBIC FEET OF WATER. The Commission found that 70,000 acres of land are subject more or less to' heavy flooding (m one year this occurring as many as thirteen times), the water lying on the land for some ' tone. \Vith floods occurring simultaneously in the Manawatu and its tributaries, the Pohangina and the Oroua., it was estimated that 200,000 cubic feet' of water per second had to, ka' provided for" to prevent flooding. V No other course is available," stated the Commissioners in their report, "than one which will give the necessary in-, creased area of channel reduce the length by straightening the route, and bo obtain the greatest benefit from all 4he fall there is to accelerate the speed «pf"discharge-" 'The Commission dealt with four different pr-oposals. THE FOUR SCHEMES, The first scheme, which was that of a jreiief channel., was known and spoken of< generally as the "Himatangi Cut," as it would go through a block of land of tnat name. It would start from a point called Puketotara, immediately below the Manawatu and Oroua Rivers, and xan almost due west across the Himatangi block, crossing the^ railway line and road near the Motuiti railway station, and running to the lagoons at the back of the sandhills on the coast. • It •was only a suggestion for a relief or overflow channel coming into action at high flood times, and taking off oneqaarter of the maximum flood. To do even this would necessitate a long cut 38 feet deep by 1200 feet wide, and this, as far as could be * ascertained, through shifting sand. The Commission found that the nature of this sand would render it very costly to keep the "cut" open, evidence of that fact being given b-ythose who remembered the same experience in regard to the construction of the railway line. The diversion of a portion of the flood water from its legitimate channel would also, it was feared, afeduce the scouring power of the river, and tend to reduce the depth of water available for shipping. The scheme was, therefore, not considered. No. 2 scheme proposed to reduce the distance between the heads of the present wharves at Foxton by two miles, by a straight cut through the flats, and then continue on through the Moutoa lowlands until it reached the river at the Moutoa Maori Church. The coßt •would be about £350000; and with its advantage in serving Foxton / its reduced length, the probability of its being in more solid ground, and so needing less bank protection, the Commission vrei's inclined to recommend it as the most

scheme. They thought also that the towns should be excluded, for the reason that though they would benefit to some extent commercially, the benefit would be small, and would be confined to a few merchants, who would find the additional port facilities an assistance. The Government, however, the Commission thought, might be asked to help on the grounds that:— (l) The works would benefit the country as a whole by increasing the productiveness of the lands ; (2) that a considerable increase of taxation would result from the accrued values and productiveness of the land; (3) that the Government had in many cases contributed to the construction of main drains, main roads, and bridges, which primarily benefit the local area only, and the rivers being the natural drains of the country, it was reasonable that the Government should assist in making them efficient; (4) that there was «i considerable amount of Government property liable to damage by floods, viz., the railways and the jtfangawbata estate ; (5) that the Manawatu Biver bar would be improved, which would increase the revenue of the wharf at Foxton. SETTLERS "NOT ENTHUSIASTIC. Many settlers, who guve evidence at the Commission, said that tho increase i-in.^a|iiff..4f)Jaqj ftllL r Ut"

i getting rid of this serious flooding of one of the finest, and no doubt, drained, most productive areas in the Dominion." TSTo. 1 3 scheme proposed to start from Hartley's Bend and cut through tho narrow nfck to the Whirokino bend, on the long reach above Foxton. It then Avould cut across the- Moutoa, and run into the river near the Moutoa Maori Church. Continuing on, it would straighten the bends right up to the Longburn Bridge, •and reduce the channel between LongI burn and Foxtori from 45 to 22 miles. The cost was estimated'at £350,000. Its chief disadvantage would be the cutting off of the arm of the river going up to the Poxton Wharf, and leaving, it dead water, which would require extensive dredging to be kept open. Tho schema was discarded. No. 4 scheme proposed to start about two miles from the mouth of the river, then cut through the narrow neck, about one mile wide, to the Whirokino bend at the end of the long reach above the Foxton wharf ; then across the Moutoa block, intersecting the present river halfway between the Shannon bridge and the Moutoa Church; continuing up through the Makerna swamp and reaching the river again near Jackeytown. This scheme, said the Commission, would be the most costly one, but the moso comprehensive. It would thoroughly drain all the low-lying areas, making little or no use of the present channel, which had banked itself up considerably above the adjacent low levels, and so was not serviceable to them. The cost would

the scheme would be on the average from £10 to £12 per acre. In the opinion of tho Commission this showed that tho lands should be able to bear an annual rate of 5s an acre. Tho Commission were not surprised to find tho settlers very cautious and opposed to any largo scheme, because of its cost, and the probability of their being heavily rated. But the Commission, after visiting all the districts, and very carefully noting the excellent- character of tho land everywhere, and how it was being soverely handicapped by floods and by erosion, and consequent entire loss, particularly in the upper parts, considered even if the whole of No. 2 scheme could not be undertaken it would amply repay the settlers and the Dominion to take in hand the straightening of of the river by putting in the first cut from Foxton to Moutoa — that is, from the three-mile to the nine-mile point. This would relieve the flooded area very considerably, and would give such evidence of its value that the settlers would be convinced of the advisability of completing the whole scheme. The Commission looked upon this cut as the first and most necessary work to be done. It would want to be at least fifteen chains wide, and would probably average 12ft deep. This would provide for half the quantity of water running in a. high flood, and would cost approximately £150,000. THE FUTURE. It is tmlikely that anything will bo done in this matter for some time to

of course, means that their land has an accrued value. The question which is exercising many farmers, no doubt, is : Will these prices last, or will there come a serious slump after the war? On the answer to this question depends many a decision whother to sell land at the higher value it will fetch to-day, or -whether v to hold on. If cheese, for instance, continues at tho same figure it at present touches, many farms are veritable "gold mines," even where high prices have been paid for land. On the other hand, if the conclusion of the war, within the next twelve months, should cause a slump in tho market, it would be better to sell to some buyer who offers the figure of an optimist. • Incidentally, it might be said that many dairy 'factory proprietaries tlo not hold tho pessimistic view, for all over the Dominion, and particularly in the Auckland Province, butter factories j are adding cheese- making plants to their equipment, with the intention, when the season opens, of taking up its manufacture. WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS? What appear to be the prospects? They can only be viewed generally. In tho case of cheese, which is now used very largely by the troops at the front, it is .perhaps most difficult to prognosticate. The demands may afterwards be affected to some extent by the disbanding of tho armies. But the probabilities are that in the main it will have a. similar outlook to that of our other staple products. And that outlook 1 is

be £500,000. It would, however, require the area of land benefited would not near to be completed and carried through in its entirety, and this would necessitate the whole of the expenditure being in curred at once. The Commission feared the extra cost. WHO SHOULD PAY. The question arose of course of who should bear the cost of any scheme which was recommended. This, indeed, has been one of the foremost considerations in the discussion of this question, and its ramifications ; it was the rock upon which the recently abolished Manawatu River Board, which was formed to deal with the protection of the river-bank properties in the vicinity of Palmerston, split. The plea was urged that the whole of the 70,000 acres, which would undoubtedly benefit, should contribute, and this was generally recognised, but it was further urged that a very much larger area should be included on the ground that it would all benefit indirectly from the removal of tho menace., particularly the towns, which would, in consequence, progress commercially. Finally, it was asked that the Government should be asked to assist either by subsidy or endownment. The Commission did not fall in with the idea that the upper districts — Pohangina, Kiwitea, and Oroua — should be called upon to provide money for the

come. The failure of the attempt to deal with the erosion question in the vicinity of Palmerston through a River Board — or to be more correct, perhaps the suspension of the attempt, and the abolition of the board — will scarcely act as an encouragement to settlers lower down the river. • In this case it was chiefly the system of levying the rate's which turned public opinion against the scheme. However, there is a problem ahead, since the Manawatu River cannot be expected to give up entirely its propensity" to flood when heavy rain falls in the central portion of the island, or on tho east coast ; and it may be useful for settlers, especially the later arrivals, to know what experts think is the solution of the difficulty.

In the early whaling days of New Zealand, the whaling stations on the West Coast of this Island did not extend beyond the shelter of K'apiti. Safe anchorage and good boat harbours were an essential, and these the Coast did not aSord. Moreover, the shoal waters of the South Taranaki Bight were "protected" grounds, where the whale cows resorted in the calving season. Thus whalers came but little in contact with the Natives of the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts.

an exceedingly bright one. We must look further than the order to "cease supplies" which will come wh«n the armies are disbanded. The general effect of the war must be considered, and not only the immediate supplying of our own armies. Hitherto all European countries have declined to lower their tariffs to receive frozen exports. Yet the standard of living among the poorer classes, in village as well as town, has been low, because .of the prohibitive price of those commodities which we chiefly produce. With the devastation of huge areas, which the war has wrought, it will, be soma time before the supplies in Europe will be brought up to normal, and in that period, their seems little question, the tariff barriers will be removed, at leas,t temporarily. But apart even from that, there is the educative effect which the war will have had. THE EDUCATIVE EFFECT. We have been supplying our Allies with frozen meat, and this means its introduction to many thousands of men, who up to the present were ignorant of the supplies whiqji could be drawn from the other side of the world. By contact, and by the general knowledge that by this means the British and their Allies have been fed, our enemies will become similarly enlightened. Many a cpnscript, formerly satisfied with a scanty meal, ie