"RECLAMATION”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 147, 7 June 1932, Page 4

"RECLAMATION”

NAPIER RURAL LANDS EARLY DEVELOPMENT URGED. ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB. “As fat as I can see the prosperity and the future of Napier is very much bound up in the areas that surround it, and as long as we nave large areas of undeveloped land outside the borough we can’t expect to make much progress. The development oi the Ahuriri Lagoon Reserve may take ten years or it may take 20 years, and the sooner it is started the better,' said Mr Guy Bochfort when speaking at the weekly meeting of the Napier Rotary Club yesterday afternoon on the subject or “Post Earthquake Drainage Problems Adjacent to Napier.’’ In introducing the speaker the uresideut, Mr T. M. Geadis, stated that there sppeaied to be a certain amoui t of ignorance in Napier regarding not only the rivers, but iu regard to the bigger problem of the drainage of lands which form the Harbour Board endowments adjacent to Napier.

The earthquake, said Mr itochlort, had created a disturbance iu the levels of the district, one side having gone up and the other down, this benefiting some places and being detrimental to others. Surveys had shown tliat there had been rises of 6, 5 and 4 feet on a line taken from Westshore to Luketapu and Fernhall and a rise of 5 feet beyond Fernhill, while what was known as t.he dead line was from Awatoto to Meeanee, I’apakura, Pakowhai and to the road hallway between Hastings and Fernhill. METHODS DIFFER. Tho areas which Mr Roehfort proposed to touch upon were the Awatoto Block, tho Richmond Block, portion of tho Meeanco Drainage District, including the Macdonald Block, and the Ahuriri Reserve. The methods or drainage and the bringing of the land into occupation wore different according to tho locality and tho outside circumstances. As far as the drainage of the Awatoto Block was concerned this was practically finished, being carried out by the process of dewatering, which was introduced into the district by Mr George Nelson. This area was affected by the earthquake in that in the north it had had a lift of 2ft., while in the south there had been no alteration, the average rise over the whole area being Ift. which did not affect it to any great extent. There wore three phases in the development of any reclamation scheme;’, the first being the engineering phase of getting rid of the water, tho second the agricultural phaso which was the bringing of the land into cultivation and the third, was the irrigation phase which was tho providing of water. As far as tho Awatoto Block v.as concerned it was protected from tho river on the western side by strong banks. A great deal of tho block was ne.w and although much of it was in occupation and good work had been done, there still remained much more to be done in the future. COST' OF PUMPING. Dealing with the question of tho cost of pumping Mr Roehfort said that it might be considered iu some quarters that this was an expensive way of dealing with tho position, but it amounted to only 2s 2d per acre per annum.

The Richmond Block consisted of 400 acres adjacent to Napier which would be suitable for a residential area and 300 acres in the southern area which would be for rural settlement. The uplift in this case had been considerable, there having been a rise at the Taradale road end from 4ft. 6ins. to sft., which meant that the height now above mean sea level was fiom Bft. to Oft. Going eastwards to a point opposite Te Awa the land was 2ft. higher than it had been prior to the earthquake, it now being 4ft. above mean sea level. DANGER FROM TUTAEKURI. Portion of the block could be drained and brought into occupation, in tho speaker’s opinion, without any further development, but so long as the Tutaekuri flowed beside it there would always be a danger of flooding, and nothing could be done until that danger was removed. The suggestion had been made that the low area of tho Richmond block could be raised by siltation, and Mr Roehfort thought that it was a good one. The heaviest and greatest percentage of silt was carried at tho lowest portion of the river and in order to get it out of tho river, channels could be dug from it over the land required to be raised. These channels will take the silt out of tho river and allow it to spread fanwise over the area. These channels would fill up eventually and the only way to get over tho difficulty was to reconstruct them. Where this method had been adopted in certain parts of the district the main trouble had been that the channels had not been maintained. It was, however, rather an expensive way to carry out the work, but there was no doubt good could be done by siltation in the block if the river was not shifted. 1 The area of the block in the south was high enough for rural occupation, the land requiring now only the second phase—that of cultivation— which was an agricultural problem. Until tho river question was settled tho gaps in tho bank had to remain, and as long as these were there the area was subject to flood and could not be used satisfactorily. The Macdonald Block, which was being handled by the County Council, had an uplift of 4ft., which would prove to be a very great advantage. THE AHURIRI LAGOON. Tho area of the Ahuriri Block or Inner Harbour Lagoon was 7500 acres, and tho speaker then proceeded to outline the drainage methods which were being adopted, dealing with tho drain which picks up all the water which falls outside the block, the main pump drain which discharges into the Inner Harbour and the stopbank which prevents the river flooding over the level ground, this latter, however, not be.- ' ing necessary if the river is moved. He said that there was a pump system! connected to the main drain, but j

there was also necessary a network of subsidiary drains. These would measure 72 miles and more might be necessary. It sounded like a tremendous job to take the water from 7000 acres of land and to get rid of it by pumping, but he thought that in view of what had been done at the Awatoto Block there should be no need to be afraid of its results and of the cost.

To adopt the siltation method in that area would bo a difficult job, and when it was considered that a seven mile channel would be necessary, and this would have to bo maintained, it would be agreed that some cheaper method was necessary. The third phase of the water supply was going to be more difficult in this area than in the others, as he did not think that artesian water would be available in tho whole of the area, and therefore some method of storage would have to be considered. WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED In moving that a vote of thanks bo accorded tho speaker, Mr M. R. Grant said that he would like to drive homo the necessity of proceeding with the development of the areas immediaately. It was not difficult to visualise the Napier of the future with the whole of the reclamation lands surrounding the town laid out in small farms, thus removing a blemish of the past—the swamp areas which travellers had to pass through before reaching the town. Another phase of tho question was that affecting unemployment. There were to be 70 miles of drains and stopbanks, and the making of these would provide work for 1000 men for years to come, while other areas would provide more work. He felt sure that if the matter was placed before the Unemployment Board it would give its assistance and look to the future for its reimbursement.

The gathering then accorded Mr Rochfort a hearty vote of thanks.