WELCOME RAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 39, 16 February 1943, Page 3

WELCOME RAIN

The rainfall last night, which continued intermittently this morning, was needed by gardens in the city and suburbs, and will do a great deal of good. At Kelburn the fall up to 9 a.m. today was 1.57 in, and the rain was well distributed over suburban areas, some receiving more than others. There was no serious flooding in the city, though council workers were called out to several cases of blocked grids. In other cases the neglected state of watercourses owing to the shortage of labour caused temporary minor floodings. The Hutt River had risen 10ft at 1 p.m. and was still rising. There has been very heavy rain in the back country, and it was still raining in the hills at midday. No damage or road flooding has yet been reported, but if the rain continues the flooding is likely to prove considerable. The Hutt River was ro-rorted to be still rising at 2 p.m., but there had been no flooding at Silverstream.

The rainfall at the Karori reservoir was 1.5 inches. TRAINS DELAYED. The morning trains from Paekakariki were delayed today by running water carrying sand into the switch mechanism at the southern junction, which prevented the working of the electric motors until the sand was cleared out, and this delayed the train due at 8.49 at Wellington about an hour. A small slip between the Summit and Cross Creek held up the Mas-te-rton rail car. Apart from these delays, train services were little affected by the heavy rain, probably because it was a steady fall in the country-