LAKE WATKARE DRAINAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18496, 5 September 1923, Page 7

LAKE WATKARE DRAINAGE.

Sir.While reading your; report of the meeting of setters, held at Te' Kauwh'ata on August 2b f to / 'discuss the proposal Ito form a, drainage board, with th» object draining Lake Waikare, I was convinced that. I had erred frdm purely selfish, reasons 'in opposing the : scheme. :' But •on maturer.'thoughts I consider that I am justified in my protest,, One is g-ibly tol3 thai, all the waste swamp .lands seen from the railway between Mercer and ' Te-Kau-whata, commonly - known' as the ' Whangamarino swamp, ; will - become smiling, farms worth a million pounds sterling : by v tho drainage of Lake Waikare. Possibly it would, but if ! that were 60, the same could be done T without interfering with the lake, .The actual draining* of . the f lake would only affect a comparatively small area, of swamp on its western shores. It is very doubtful if the area ' reclaimed would . compensate in; any way for the loss of navigable water-ways which are at present used by hundreds of settlers. •• The stop-banking of the Onetea channel would present the stream scouring at-its river mouth. Thousands of pounds worth of goods and produce are transported .by this means, to and .from Randriri railway station. Many of the sett'ers' who f ueo this stream have no ; other practicable means ■of access. Within 12 .months of ston-banking, this channel ■ would - become absolutely useless. ;. Mr. N. C. 'Cribble, advisor to the promoters of this scheme, states that / Mr. J. B. Thompson; chief government drainage engineer, claims that the lake could bo lowered from: three to six feet. - That would make the ' present navigable lake into a swamp of. doubtful are?*. We settlers ,on, the eastern shores o f the lake, have ho other means of transport. Personally, I hfivo used it for 16 years with little or no hope of anv other means. Bv this proposal, New Zealand stands to lose one of . its most "beautiful lakes. True, this l»ke has not th* rueeed grandeur of Wakatin'i or TiakeWnikaremoana, nor the weird beauty of - Rotorua or Tarpo. But it .has a peaceful beauty of its own'. It is ski't-d on it.? ■eastern shores ,by hills of: orate; height : with iwiitiful '■ bush valleys arid ; lovely, sandy b»"'' v es. safe bathintr, oven for children. Surelv some day soon. Auckland will w»ke un to the fart that ♦hu*-l>«auti-fni nirnin ground is within *0 miles of the (i.P O. V A. B. Fyers, Rangiriri. . ____