Silting of Awanui River

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 17, 29 January 1932, Page 1

Silting of Awanui River

Harbour Board Ask Government to Continue Dredging as at Present The Awanui Harbour Board, of which Mr. D. Kitchen is Chairman, and which is composed of the Mangonui County Councillors for the time V being, met last Friday afternoon to discuss a letter from the Minister of Public Works in regard to the silting of the Awanui river and the proposed schemes submitted by Mr. Woods, Government Engineer, some years ago for making a port lower down the river than Awanui. The Chairman (Mr. D. Kitchen) enquired if any of the members had received complaints lately in regard to the silting up of the river. As far as he knew there had been none since the Apanui had been taken off the run. He did not think it worth considering the shifting of the port as the Board had no funds. Mr. C. Barriball : If we shifted the port and the shipping stopped coming up the river the weeds would grow quickly and silting go on rapidly. Mr. L. J. Matthews : I think we should keep the ships trading up the river as long as we can, and' when we do shift, move the port down to deep water. The Chairman : I do not think we should go into the matter now' as only shallow draft boats are now trading to the port. Mr. L. J. Matthews : How are our finances ? The Chairman : There are none. The following resolution was then carried : “That the Minister of Public Works be informed that this Board has no funds to carry out dredging operations in the Awanui river, and consider that to raise a loan for such work at the present time is out of the question as the ratepayers of the County are already bearing a very heavy load of taxation; and the Board w'ould urge that the Government continue the present dredging . of the channel in question.”