ADVANTAGES OF MANAWATU RIVER CUT.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 December 1933, Page 3

ADVANTAGES OF MANAWATU RIVER CUT.

i- impressions on flight to WELLINGTON. ADVICE TO OPPONENTS OF SCHEME.

“I’ve journeyed from Wellington by boat to Foxton; I’ve travelled along the did beach road in Cobbs’ coaches; I’ve done the journey by train, and after that by motor-car, and this week I went there and back again by aeroplane, which trip I enjoyed best of all,” said Mr Frank Barrow, retired farmer, of Poole Street, Feilding, on Thursday, when discussing his impressions'of the flight, Mr Barrow first took a flight a week or so ago, when he journeyed: to Kiwitea to see his old farm property from the air, and so enthusiastic was he over this venture that he resolved upon a trip to Wellington, which was undertaken in Mr Len Maugham’s monoplane from the Milsou aerodrome, Palmerston N. - Soon after getting under way Mr Barrow obtained a splendid bird’s eye view of the Manawatu, and as the ’plane roared on its way to the capital citythe 'passenger began to be impressed by the rambling courses followed by the streams and rivers of the district.' Particularly was this so in the ease of the Manawatu River, and Mr Barrow was able to visualise the immense benefit that would accrue to the district if the proposed “cuts” were put in to straighten the river’s course to the sea.' “If only the opponents to the scheme would go aloft and see the positibfr for themselves, I believe there would be no further delay about launching the scheme to remove the flood evil,*said Mr Barrow. In his opinion there was no other „ way to deal with the peculiar situation. Each year sees the bed of the Manawatu River raised by the ‘ enormous quantities of metal which ar© moved from the upper reaches. This metal cannot be swept out to sea, as, the crooked course of the river prevents this. Consequently the flood menace will never be met by banking, since the river bed is continually rising. Sae'ing the situation from the air, there is no difficulty in appreciating the advan tages of employing the proposed ‘ ‘cuts ” to straighten the river’s course. They would result in the river scouring , itself and would certainly remove the problem of the river periodically overflowing its bank®. .Mr Barrow stated that he had had some experience, of the effect of such “cuts” as those proposed for the Manawatu river! He was faming as a boy at his father’s homestead in the Horokiwf ’■ I valley near ‘ Pabautanuf,' where like trouble yae Experienced

and it was decided to straighten the course of the stream to overcome the flood nuisance. The work was undertaken and completed with most beneficial results.