NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21353, 14 March 1944, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Damage by Flood 1 Damage totalling £11,285 has been caused in the ,H,awke’s Bay County as a result - of the recent floods. . \ ■ ' • ;; h'■ • • » '• _•- \ ' ' Threat to Bridge Serious erosion which is occurring to private properties at Eskdale is threatening to isolate the main' .traffic bridge on,.the Napier-Wairoa road. Coast* Rainfall Owhena station, near Tokomaru Bay, recorded 7.18 in. off rain' ori 19 wet days last month, compared with 3;BBin. on seven days in February,. 1943., The total for the first two months off this- year was 21.20 in., while last year for the same period 9.91 in. was recorded. Power For the Coast A sufficient number of signatures having been affixed to the joint petition for the inclusion of Uawa and Waiapu counties in the Poverty Bay electric-power district, , preparations are being made to forward the petition to Wellington after the lapse of the formal period of notice. During this period of one month, copies of the petition will lie at the offices of the Uawa and Waiapu county councils for perusal by ratepayers. It, is not anticipated that any objections to the petition will be organised. Flood Periods

While not minimising in any way the seriousness of the present flood, Mr. J. C. Graham, at a meeting of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce and flood sufferers yesterday afternoon, sfiid that he could not remember a period of years over which we had been so free of major floods until now. The damage, however, was not confined to the flat land but also to sheep country as well. On the East Coast he .was at one place which had 101 in. of .rain in 24 hours, and one farmer lost every ewe on the place. Digging of Kumaras The rain of the past 10 days has given private growers of kumaras concern for the prospects of their crops. An inquiry relayed by the Herald to Mr J. D. Kennedy, instructor in horticulture to the Department of Agriculture in Gisborne, elicited reassuring views. Mr Kennedy stated that kumaras dug now, while the ground is full of water, are susceptible to damage in the digging and will sweat heavily when exposed making the chances of keeping them only a slim one. On the other hand, if dry weather lasts for a week, they should come out of the ground in good order and have a better chance of keeping. Further heavy rain will necessitate the growers’ . taking a chance, however, and getting their kumaras harvested before they rot in the ground. Fire Brigade Contests Competing in Wairoa on Saturday with the Wairoa Fire Brigade, members of the Gisborne brigade won two events out of the four on the programme. These successes were in the one-man coupling event. Won by P. McMahon in 55sec„- with C. Redshaw, Wairoa, second; and the twomen coupling event, by N. Anderson and J. Livingstone, in 40sec., with C. Redshaw and' M. Johansen filling second place for Wairoa. The hosts won the three-men disabled event and the four-men motor events,. C. Redshaw, C. Duley an'd H. Cooke making the first event in 52sec., and the same trio with M. Johansen added completing the motor run in 35sec. Wairoa scored 63 points, and Gisborne 414 points. The trophies will be contested again in April, when a Wairoa team will visit Gisborne.