FLOOD WATERS RISING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19459, 15 October 1926, Page 12

FLOOD WATERS RISING.

THE SITUATION AT MERCER SUSPENSION OF TRAFFIC. ' MANY HOUSES INVADED. SERIOUS. OUTLOOK FOB: FARMERS [by TEttaßAPfl. OWN- COBRE3PONDEXT. J • : J MEHCER. Thursday.

Expectations that the flood would reach its peak to-day have not, been realised. The river continues to rise between fhref and four inches in 24 hours and before tomorrow morning the inundation shoulc 'have surpassed that of last winter, which was the highest for many years. There was practically no motor traffic passing through the township to day. 'Complete inundation has taker placo on the road past the timbe: mill. Many residences' in this locality have be£n vacated ' and - in the towoi levels water is flowing freely through th< houses. •; The extensive encroachment of water 01 thfc railway station has led to shunting operations being abandoned here until thi flood subsides. 'Naturally tha 'r»r«s«nf. flrmrl ic

-Liatuiauy me present nooa is iraughl with inore serious consequences to the farmers in the lower Waikato basin thar a similar visitation would cause during the winter months.' Some farmers have already been forced to turn their cattk into ; pasture previously shut up for haj facod vith , the. possibility of hayang te-dq likewise. It nt feared«thal when the flood subsides grass and th< r > vei j«£?&;•;;wUL -be scorched-.by. ; the heal of tlia {hafc these past uVbs vpiil noi ho ayaij.'Uile jfpjs iiopie tjmc ,to come. Sucl an ?N-M 'spell .considerable ulti in ato Joss. -■, (Fortunately no stock hav< been lost. , HAURAKI PLAINS ESCAPE EFFECTIVE DRAINAGE WORK NO TROUBLE FROM FLOODING In.: view .of the advices from other districts, as .4.0. .-'damage arising from heavj atidvbf r;past ..history in*flood-time it is-reassuring, -to learn from the Haurak Plains that -the situation there durinj, the recent downpour has . been in no senst alarming. As ; might be expected in tin circumstances, the ponding c»rea befcweer Kaihere and Patfifcnmra lias n^nmnloM

Axauivio cuiu imeioiiga nas accumulated a considerable body of water, brought down from the headwaters of the Piako and Waitoa, but only a small proportion of its space has been filled. Although there has been inevitable backing-up on the low-lying farms on the margin of the ponding basin, the experience has been no mdre ;th'ali : 'that of ordinary winter weafc'ilftrf' miy ■ : aa , ■-•* As" a'--matter of fact, the one serious floodingVthe. Hauraki Plains have under- " gone,- - thst of two years ago, was due to aft: extraordinary circumstance eictran®- „ ous to the district—the overflowing ol the parallel Waihou River in the vicinity of Netherton, and the discharge into the Awaiti branch of the Piako of much more than the-ordinary volume of . the Piakc and Waitoa- combined. The '"recurrence of such a disaster lias been guardec against effectively . by; the completion o! the Waihou stop banking. Moreover, the Piai:o itself has been made capable ol carrying a much larger body of water than-.it could hold at the time of the 1924 flood. The Land Drainage Department has in the. last year or two both widened arid deepened the lower reaches of fife river-, between Kerepeehhand Ngatea, and it is estimated that at least onethird has Jbeori added to its carrying capac--V CREAM LORRIES DELAYED. MAIN ROAD UNDER WATER.

LONG DETOUR BY MAILMAN. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. J ORINI, Thursday. Very serious flooding of the land on the lower reaches of tho Mangawara River and ; across the main Taupiri-Orini Road, has- taken place during the last day. J Qr r two. is due to -the dredging of ihc . Mangawara lliver at the upper entf."" Vor mo first'third in the history of Or'iin 'tho 'main road was flooded' about three milea -from Taupiri, and on Tuesday heayiKvladen , cream lorries were ..unable to deliver their loads at the factories at JNgaruawahia and Taupiri. This means a serious' loss to dairy farmers as cream kept until the next day suffers much in grade, and the consequent lower price paid is' a "serious matter in these times of lower" butter-fat values. The mail car was unable -to get to Orini, and in consequence the mailpiaij; haej Jo make a lo.ng detour via Gordpnton, to. deliver his. mail. ,