FLOODS RECEDING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22225, 27 September 1935, Page 12

FLOODS RECEDING

MAIN ROADS NOW OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH NORTH MUCH LAND YET UNDER WATER [by telegraph—own correspondent] KAITAIA, Thursday All the main routes south from Kaitaia were open for traffic this morning and tho service cars are running as usual.

A large area of the low-lying land in the district is still under water and this applies specially to the Kaitaia swamp area, which still is almost completely covered. The small farms settlement is in this area, which has suffered severely and the majority of the sections are still partly covered by the floods. Grass land from which tho flood waters have receded is coated with silt and debris. On some farms very little grazing is left, while fences have been washed away. Together with tho loss of stock, this will be a serious blow to soino farmers.

At Awanui this morning the flood waters wero lapping the decking of the newly-erected bridge across tho river and below the bridgo and tho dairy factory tho road from Awanui to Kaingaroa was impassable to small cars, although lorries and cars with a high clearance could, by careful driving, be got through. The cream lorries on all tho routes wero able to bring tho supply to the factory this morning. Although several slips and wash-outs have been reported on roads in the Mangonui County, no road is, so far as is known by the county official, completely blocked. A repair gang was able to get through this morning and repair the broken telephone lines south, which have been out of order since a tree fell across them on Wednesday morning.

Tho weather is still unsettled, with occasional showers. For the past 21 hours tho rainfall recorded in Kaitaia was nearly 1 in. This brings tho total since tho .rain started on Monday to nearly Bin., and for the month to over 12in. WHANGAREI ROUTES CLEAR LOSSES AMONG STOCK [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WIIANGAREI, Thursday All routes radiating from Whangarei are now clear for all traffic. To-day was cold, and light showers fell. This evening the sky was overcast, with a warmer atmosphere, and indications pointed to the weather improving. The flood waters covered the Hiknrangi swamp area during last night, and to-day an area of approximately five miles in length by three-quarters of a mile wide was flooclod. This is not such a large area as that covered by the previous floods this year, but is a serious matter for the settlers affected, especially at this time of the year. Several settlers have had to turn their cows on tho road for grazing, as this is the only dry ground available. The severe season has increased the mortality among cows. Tho abnormally favourable conditions of last summer induced many farmers to increase their herds, not anticipating such a hard winter and spring; with feed so scarce the position for these men is very difficult, and in several instances heavy losses have been reported during the past fdtt weeks.