WAIKAIA RIVER.

Otago Witness, Volume 02, Issue 2420, 2 August 1900, Page 11

WAIKAIA RIVER.

Great quantities of tailings had gone down this river. The evidence showed that the bed of the river had not been raised, the velocity of the river being sufficient to keep its channel clear. Lower down the lands become flooded, and crops and ploughed land are washed away. This, together with the deposition of silt, causes considerable loss every year. If dredging operations are carried on the settlers are afraid the river bed will be raised, thus increasing the liability to damage to the land. The holders affected are Messrs Tripp, Pickney, and Tripp, Alexander Gale, D. Gillanders, A. Cameron, and D. and E. Hurley. All of these have given options over their lands for dredging rights to mining syndicates at prices varying from £10 to £15 per acre, and by this act become parties to the rise of the Waikaia River as a sludge channel, and therefore contributories to the damage arising from mining operations on lands adjacent to the river. None of the remaining claimants have riparian rights on streams liable to be affected by mining operations, there being a one chain reserve between their lands and the river. Some of these claimants have given options for dredging rights over their lands ranging from £10 to £20 an acre, while one has agreed to accept 5 per cent, shares in any company formed to dredge his land in lieu of cash payment. The commissioners do not feel justified in recommending any compensation to those who have given rations for dredging rights over their lands

for- the reasons mentioned. Certain claimants specified in a schedule (which is not, however, given in the report) are entitled to compensation amounting in the aggregate to £1335. One diedge now working above T/ippV, lar.d is leaving a bank of tailings m tho centic ol the river. This may have si tendency to scour away the hanks. The melhcd is cai.r.ing alarm amongst the farmeip lov.'cr down ilie valjoy. There would be no danger if the material itcre deposited on the banks on either side. Several claims have been taken up, but owing to the whole of the engineering firms being so busily employed it will take at least three years before many di edges can bo sit woik in this locality. Tho commissioners recommend the proclamation of the whole of the river and its tributaries to their sources. TITIPUA'AND HEDGEHOPE STREAMS.

Sufficient prospecting has not been done in the Titipua "Valley to prove whether the land is payable. A considerable quantity of agricultural land would be affected, and claims for compensation wo\ild be considerable, so the commissionero do not feel justified in recommending the issue of a proclamation until prospecting has been more extensively carried on. The commissioners recommend that it be compulsory on dredge owners to leave the dredged material so as not to obstruct the flow of the skeams, and that where there is good soil it should be replaced on top of the dredged material.

TOKOMAIRIRO RIVER.

The main branch of the Tokomairiro River from its source to Glenore passes through hilly country, "where milling operations on a very limited scale have been carried on for the last 37 years. The princi}}al gold workings dirriug tha last eight years have been on the mining reserve between Manuka Creek and the Tokomairiro River, where the ground is worked by hydiaulic sluicing. The tailings from the workings are deposited on a small flat alongside Manuka Creek. During every flood a certain quantity of these taillings is brought down by this creek, which has a great fall, and is lodged in the Tokoraairiro Kiver at the point where it passes through the Mount Stuart estate,, which is a freehold property. Near the confhience of the Manuka Creek and the Tokomairiro there are several small fiats having an aggregate area of abovit 10 acrps, portion of which is covered with water in ordinaiy floods, but the accumulation of tailings at the mouth of the Manuka Creek is raising the bed of the Tokomairiro River at this point, and thereby increasing the liability of the land referred to to flood. Hydraulic sluicing operations are also being carried -on in Shepherd and Fellowburn Creeks, both of which are tributaries of the Tokomairiro River. The water from the workings in the latter creek flows into a race constructed by the owner of the Mount Stuart estate fox the purpose of applying water power for chaff-cutting and other purposes, and silts up the race to such an extent as to curtail its carrying capacit3'.

At Glenore the Tokomairiro Kiver enters a large plain, and traverses it by a sinuous course for a distance of about eight miles, thereafter passing through hilly country for about six miles to the ocean. Where the river passes through the Tokomairiro plain the channel is yejy narrow, and in some places is choked up with willows, which grow right across it; while in other places the branches of willows on each side of the banks meet in the centre of the river, catching all the floating debris and forming what might be described as tempotaiy dams across the river. Farmers whose l^nds are adjacent to the river, but who hold no riparian rights, state that owing to th.c fact of there being a reserve between their iMids and the river on the south side, they consider it is the duty of the Government to keep- the channel clear, though they fully acknowledge they use the reserve for farming purposes without being called upon to make any payment by way of rental. It is quite apparent to your commissioners" that unless these obstacles are removed the adjacent lands will be far more seriously damaged than hitherto in high floods. All the farmers having land alongside the liver state that portions of their holdings are flooded three and four times every year; but the evidence taken by your commissioners shows that the land is not more subject to flood than it was before the commencement of mining operations. Evidence was tendered to the c-ffect that the bed of the river had been raised by the deposit of silt since dredges commenced work about seven years ago. Other evidence, however, showed that there was no perceptible difference in tho height of the river bed on the fords during the last 30 years, though the channel was gradually getting narrowed by the accumulation of vegetable growth and silt deposited fiom muddy water, testimony which appeared quite proved to your commissioners on personal examination of the river. The banks of the Tokomairiro River where it passes through the plain are generally much higher than the surrounding land, and when the water overflows the banks it covers a large area for a r onsiderable distance back from the river. This is particularly instanced in the case of land across the railway from the Meadowbank estate, where it is stated that in every high flood water covers portion of th^ railway, and extends for fully a mile back. Claims for compensation are therefore made by land-owners whose lands do not abut on the river, but which are liable to be covered with silt from dredging and sluicing operations. The first dredge placed on the river was on the mining reserve at Glenore, about seven years, ago. Since then four other dredges have been constructed, and are at work in the bed and on the banks of the river low down. Two farmers have made arrangements with dredge-owners to dredge portions of their lands on their receiving £2 per week during the time dredges are at work, and sever and one-half per cent, of the value of the gold extracted from the land after the first 10 ounoes pei week, which represents the working expenses. Another has sold land in fee simple-for J614 an acre ; while one farmer has given six acres of his land to be dredged on consideration of his receiving one-eighteenth interest in the company. The dredging companies at present at work have taken up claims which extend about 2J miles down the river from Glenore. Below this the river and banks are pegged out in dredging cJaims to the sea.

Your commissioners endeavoured to ascertain the auriferous value of the land so pegged out, but were unable to obtain any evidence as to any prospecting having been done. Indeed, the bulk of the evidence in regard to the ground that is already being worked by the dredges is that the quantity of gold gels less the further they go at right angles from tile original bed of the river. It may be mentioned that one farmer — viz., E. F. Palmer — has pegged out a dredging claim along the river passing through his land, but there is no evidence to show whether gold of a payable character for working will extend below the present dredging claim or not. All the claims which have been pegged out are of a speculative liatufe, 'and entirely dependent for future working oil the results obtained from the KiverbUnk' Company's dredge, the dredge lowest dowh. the river which has commenced work.

In regard to the aurlferotis Value' of the land already dredged, the evidence "tendered shows that the value of the gold extracted is equal to about JEIOOO per acre, while" one of the dredging companies, the Glenore, obtained gold to the value of £12,693 from six acres. One of the other dredge-owners also stated that the average yield of gold obtained for 12 months was 15oa per week, and an average obtained from another dredge was stated. to be from 18oz to 20oz per week. The working expenses, including wear and tear, vary from 802 to lloz *t>er

week, according to tlic dimensions i>iu! IK'Iu:: capacities of the respective dredges. ADAM'S FLAT. There is one small dredge at work on Adam's Flat, where gold workings bayo been carried cm for a number of years. This dredge i.s intended to^ work the old ground- After leaving Adam's Flat, the crook T>y which it is drained passo*. through freehold lands io the Tokomairjro Jlivoi- for a distance of about four miles and a-lialf. The fanners having land alongside the stream, all of whom have liparian rights, said that it is the only water they have for their sleek, and if diodgmg operations are carried on it is rendered unfit for drinking purposes. Purtnor, that in time oi floods the water from this cieek overflows its, banks, and if dredging continues f-ilt will be deposited on the adjoining flat land, and will render the grass on such land unfit to- use for stqck for some weeks. It was made clear that this dredging company has acquned the whole of the dredging ground in this locality, that there is an insufficient supply of water to work a. dredge in the summer, and that the dredge has been working for nine months at a loss, though it is expected that richer ground will be found ahead, which will recoup the loss sustained. Taking the whole of the circumstances into consideration, your Commissioners think that an amicable arrangement may be come to between this company and the farmers whose claims aggregate £3030, whereby the company may carry on operations, and would recommend that Adam's Creek be not proclaimed a watercourse into which tailings, waste water, and mining debris may be discharged.