SWAMP DEVELOPMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 March 1926, Page 7

SWAMP DEVELOPMENT.

WAIKATO’S BIG SCHEME.

DRAINING THOUSANDS OF ACRES

Great indeed has been the work of bringing in Waikato swiaaiip lands aiready, cay is the Auckland Star in » special message ft am Look' ing down the valley called “I uturc Luints, pretty homes, and laughing \:hiiciierij where to-day bitandsi tiLssocik and t-Ltree, water and mud. The. more the Star .special representative has seen ol the swamp iantis behind Hamilton, the more he is convinced tli,at one-day soon perhaps —a wonderfully develop (>d country will arise. Men who went there in the early stages have been sought out anil talked to. And one and u.i say the same thing: “The swamp land is good and most productive, provided it is worked anti drained properly. ” So.it is. But there is much work ahead. Thousands of acres of it have yet to be reclaimed and developed. Only the outskirts have so far been touched. It is a big problem, and a sphere of action is waiting in a. country op eat in extent and inexhaustible in its resources. lit' is a work calculated to encourage the boldest enterprise and to ensure the highest, awards. Individual fanners can belip, and have hel.peu in this great work of cultivation and prosperity. but they in turn need help. For this purpose drainage boards have been formed, the member® of which have been endeavouring to do their best. Improvements have been going on all the time, but a “speeding-up” — more .action and Jests procrastination is needed. YEARS AGO AND TOMMY. Some people who profess to know all about it, .still hold the opinion that: “Nothing will ever be done, or can be done with the swamp areas' under review.” This was the opinion which could be heard in the days gone by. Let those same .people take a trip out to the-.swamip lands they so disparagingly commented upon and see what ti ansifonmihion scenes! have' taken place during the last few yearn —aye, within the I'a.slt couple of years—and they would be less sceptical. Those whose duties should make them capable of judging, sibcttc i rankly t'll at- tho cost- o*f completing the drainage of the Woodlands Swamp area would be infinitesimal. compared to the great benefits which would be derived. Look what it would do for New Zealand, the Auckland province, and the AVaikato in par ticular. t ~ In the valley of the AVaikato River, and approximately within the triangle, Hamilton, Aforrini.S'ville and Taupiri, there is this extensive area of partly drained swamp. The area comprises some ninety square miles of country, or approximately • 57,000 acres, which might be classified as follows : —TO,OOO acres consolidation, good; 12,500 acres flair; 27,500 acres poor; 6500 acres nil. The swamp area was originally all peat with, small “islands” of hard country appearing in odd places. The subsoil is a “pumiceous clay,” which, with a .surface of fully decomposed peat, will make, as is demonstrated by the results already obtained on the drained fringes of the swamtp, very useful dairying country. The land has been in occupation some fifty odd yeans, and though no comprehensive scheme of development has been planned, extensive drainage works have neventhelesls been earned out by the drainage boards operating within the area. WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE 'These works have brought about very considerable improvement and have con. .so'idated! and sweetened the country to such an extent that practically the whole area is now. ready lor vigorous development. While- the country consisted of soft peat the actual location of the varioir ■ outlets was ol secondary importance. But now that the peat depth® are becoming, more shallow it is iiecessaiy that these outlets should be correctly located loi efficient and economic!'! 1 drainage. In the early stages of the development of peat lands, it is recognised by authorities thatl time is a most important factor, but a.* the country subsides and a. pasture can be established, the working ol land, cultivation and .stocking, becomes an equally important factor. Thus in the bulk of this area the latter stage has been reached and rapid progress in development is now possible. Hence the visit this week of a large Parliamentary patty and a conference to see what shall be. done. “Undoubtedly there i.s a big future before this district.” Slavs the chief drainage engineer’* report on the whole scheme. “AYhen thoroughly developed,” the report) continues, “it is destined to liecome a closely settled dairying’ area capable of carrying a o»w to every two acres, or at the most to every two and a-luilf acres - . The value of .such, an area, to the AVaikato district find to the Dominion can readily be estimated. Foni a drainage point of view the aiea is very happily situated. It extends up to the watershed between.the AYiaibato and, the Pinko Rivers, and eonisequeiitily there is no “foreign water to contend with, 'I here is ample “fall” for all drainage purposes and the scheme is said to present no engineering difficulties.