EXTENDED RIVER LIMITS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 11 October 1928, Page 3

EXTENDED RIVER LIMITS

(To the. Editor) Sir.—T notice in your issue of the 29th a report of the finding of the Extended River Limits Commission. To my mind the finding is very unsatisfactory, and appears to have very little bearing on the evidence taken. The report implies that Mr H. P. Washbourn is the most interested party, as it wilT be of benefit to himself, if the extension is granted. Mr Washbourn points out in his letter of Ist October that this is not so, as he is nob dependant on the shipping, wTiile others along the coast line are. and he is quite right. The settlers in the bays between Astrolabe, and Ta Ta Islands are almost entirely dependant on the shipping _of their produce for a living. Shipping their exports to market was quite a .simple matter a few years ago, but now Swing to the imposing of very severe 'shipping regulations during the last few years, nearly all trading boats have been 'compelled to lay up, which has placed settlers of the bays in a very bad position. Many of the settlers have had to leave their properties, as tlioy were unable lo carry on when there was no means of getting the fruits of their labours to market. Twentv years ago there were about fifteen sailing boats trading between Nelson and Collingwood: It was then easy to ship anything to any place. At that time there'were settlers in almost every bay, and in some quite a number. In one near Totaranui three sawmills were working at one time, and other exports besides the timber were being shipped. One item was 400 tons of green flax. At that time freights were only about cuethird of what they are- now", but as the years went by, and the shipping regulations were still further tightened uti the boats had gradually to abandon the trade, mills stopped work, and the flax crops (about 1200 tons) have not been cut during the last nine years. Although there has been sale for the flax, there has been no means of shipping it lo market. There are thousands of acres of milling bush still untouched, and almost unlimited quantities of fencing posts and firewood. All this wealth is locked up because the shipping regulations are so severe that we are unable to use the fine highway provided by Nature—the sea. The S.S. Wairoa went off the run via the bays about twelve months ago, which was the last straw, as she used to carry passengers to and from the bays, also'the stores required, and carry such produce as could be taken out to her in boats, but nothing in the way of timber, firewood or posts. This boating to and from the steamer is often dangerous, especially now that a steamer only passes twice a week, which only allows two chances to 'tend her, whereas the Wairoa making three trips gave six chances,, so that if the weather was not fit. the first trip, there was not the need to.run such great risks as now. It is not saf.e for a small boat to go alongside a steamer in stormy weather. No one knows it better than I do, for I have had many years' experience at this work. There is no certainty as to when! the boat will arrive at the bays, and many are the long, cold, stormy nights that have been put in, waiting, often fruitlessly, not to mention the danger. More than one life has been lost here in the Work, and narrow escapes are almost countless.

All this could bo remedied if small scows, or six-ton launches, were allowed to do the work, as they would go into the harbours and inlets, and the work could be done in daylight, or wTfen suitable. If those who have the framing of the shipping regulations were to have some of the experiences that we have, they would not hesitate a moment, but would remove the injustice.—Tain, etc., "A SETTLER WHO SUFFERS.". Bth October.