RIVERS ON PLAINS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 58, Issue 4169, 5 August 1949, Page 8

RIVERS ON PLAINS

(To the Editor) Sir, —In your issue of August 1, you published a report of the catchment board’s meeting according to which Mr Davies said that according to his knowledge of the district he knew of no more urgent work, apart from one major scheme, than the clearing of the Waihou between Te Aroha and Mangaiti. 1 I ajn not an engineer, but looking at the job with the experience of a navvy and a bushman I would start clearing the willows from the Wharepoa road up with a mobile log hauler bn each side of the river. I would have a gang of experienced bushmen plus the necessary explosives. Working in such a manner they would soon reach Te Aroha.

Engineers might think it right to start at the top of the job and send the water and sand down stream before clearing a passage for it but I have still to meet the farmer who would start draining his land from the highest point. Mr Thornton considered that the chairman’s idea of restoring the river to its condition of about 15 or 20 years ago would be satisfactory. Mr Thornton’s department has had control of the Ohinemuri and Waihou river improvement scheme for the last 38 years. Why was the Waihou allowed to get into its present deplorable condition? Why "were the two sand dredges allowed to leave the river when it was increasingly necessary to have them pumping sand from the lower reaches of the Waihou? Mr Thornton reminded the board that the Waihou was not as fast flowing as the Ohinemuri and that the flood water of that river must have passed by the time the Wainou reached the confluence. Mr Thornton was in charge of the river improvement scheme long enough to know th e difference in the peak is about 36 hours and when we get a real flood rain it is with us for a week or more.

Now, sir, as I see the trouble it is this. The first estimate of the cost was £160,000 and the farmers were asked to carry one-sixth (£25,000).

The job has now reached about £1,000,000 and the State has carried the burden and as it is a national improvement scheme the State should at least complete the job.

As I see it the Public Works Department and the Lands Department have engineered the catchment board and from now on the farmers must feed the pup. As I mentioned above, the engineers of the Public Works Department came to Paeroa with staff in 1011. They have compiled all the necessary data connected with the Waihou and the Ohinemuri river improvement scheme and the Lands Department was established at Kerepehi long before that date. These departments must have all the necessary data to deal with the Piako ai'ea but they have fostered this catchment board so that they will be relieved of the problems ahead. The farmer is in deep water and must swim out or drown and unless we do something about it we had better practice swimming fairly soon. Awaiti. H. E. HILL.