APPLEBY BRIDGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 21 August 1933, Page 3

APPLEBY BRIDGE

LTo the Editor] Sir,—ln your last night's issue of “The Mail” there appeared a letter from Mr kingsland with a paragraph on the above subject with valuable suggestions re getting over the trouble. Personally, 1 think the substance of his letter quite good. Timber on the hills would consolidate the position, but that means years before the results would show up. Tiie position as I see it is one for immediate attention. Ail earlier letter by “Interested Ratepayer” was certainly on right lines. The objective lie had in view was to keep the main highway open for traflic in all weathers and also the more important [joint, safe passage for school children. The Waimea County Council has at all times endeavoured to expedite repairs, but “Interested Ratepayer” wants one better, by stopping the trouble before it has actually happened. I can see no objection to the road being carried out level from the western approach of the bridge to the rise on the bank about three chains away. The material required carting out of the river under the bridge. His suggestion for stop banks on [the eastern side no doubt will lie necessary. 1 watched the course of water during last flood about three weeks ago and certainly if the road js raised on the other side the water will stand back for some time until it clears a course under the bridge which it must do. As it was 1 found it impossible to get a car on the bridge from the Nelson side, something like three feet of water there caused by a gap in the existing stop bank about three chains above the bridge, but even with that made good the extra height of water would require to be contended with, hut as material in the river is handy the work would not he serious. “Interested Ratepayer’s” idea re River Board is certainly worth consideration, in spite of the fact that New Zealand is already up to saturation point with public bodies, who, in many cases overlap each other. On inquiry i. am told that river hoards require to take in a fairly broad area before they arc allowed lo b'e constituted, hut no doubt some of your readers can enlighten me on that subject. The Waimea County (ouncil could handle the matter no doubt, hut as the river will require attention for some distance up and down stream from the bridge, they may think it is asking too much, although f notice that nearly m every case it is the same public spirited men who come forward for the various boards, and as the council have thenstaff the work could be undertaken by them more economically than by forming a separate body. When I was working m the Auckland district some twenty years ago, the river at Paevoa was causing exactly the same trouble, it was a sludge channel from the gold fields. The slimes from batteries at Waihi, Knrangaheke, and t alisman all discharged into the river with the result that "the bed rose so much that adjoining land utj got ffooaed. the Government in power at that time put work in hand and formed stop banks all along with the results that to-day some of the finest agricultural land is in the district which with willows or groins to-day would have been next to useless. . „ , I earnestly hope the Waimea County Council will act quickly in this matter as each flood is making the job much harder to cope with confine and straighten the river and the flood will clear out the channel with dredging. I feel sure Mr Kingsland s trees will no doubt assist „nd improve the position. In fact if the Waimea Plain is going to be utilised for. dairying more m the future than in the past, farmers must see to it that they eacli provide more .hdta- to.- (hoi.- .took--;, »™ y «*£j a Nelson, 19th August.