DRAINING A MARSH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 21, 17 September 1912, Page 8

DRAINING A MARSH.

OPERATIONS NEAR RAY OF PLENTY. Auckland, September 10. A wonderful transformation is be'nK effected at Rangitaiki, in tlie Ray of Plenty district, by the drainage operations being carried on there by the

Government, and a vast swamp is •»eing rapidly converted into rich agricultural land. Ihe drains are cut by dredges, and are really great canals. The Tarawera river enters the

sea near Matata, and the Rangitaiki and the Te Auv.iiti rivers flow into the Tarawera a mile and a half upriver from Matata, and it about there that the principal work is going on.

Some two miles up-stream from Matata the dredge has made a canal 2.'-' feet wide, and 3 feet deep, for a distance of a quarter of a mile, diverting the water of a huge tuies of the swamp into the Tarawera stream. The dredge is now working on the second cut, which is to lie 45 chains long, thus saving many more bends in the river, and taking the 'surface water from many hundreds of acres of swamp ml. There is yet another canal toj bo cut by this dredge, and afterwards a smaller dredge will operate and deepen the channel so as to enable the new river to scour out to ,0' sufficient depth to alleviate the pressure of the Tarawera river, and reduce the swamp water to a minimum.

The work done by this dredge is wonderful.' Flax bushes, nigger heads, raupo, .and even cabbage trees arc gathered up with the solid portion of the swamp into the revolving trucks. and empt'ed on to an elevator, which throws the debris clear of the channel on to tlie side of the canal, thus forming a high bank on either side of the stream. Each bucket takes about half r square yard, and sweeps in a semicircle a distance of 28 feet at a depth' of 4 feet to 6 feet, completing about two chains per day.

The Rangitaiki river, as part of the scheme, is to bo given a new outlet tc the sea instead of overcharging the larawera stream as at present. This, in itself ,is a huge work. The Rangitaiki river is free from snags, and is negotiable by launches for about 25 miles at present. There is a fall of 4t to the outlet at Matata in some line miles, but by this diversion •;here will be Bft Gin fall to the sea in ' distance of only 1 mile. There are numerous islands along the river, and several back-washes, commonly called lagoons, which abound with wild ducks and swans. Many of these lagoons or lakes cover an area of ton to twelve acres. A large dredge is at work here. This .dredge, which is the second largest of its kind in the Dominion, lias been put together at a place which is to he called the City of the Swamp, and is to cut a canal through the solid earth into the sea a mile and a quarter distant. The dredge is cutting a canal through some valuable land, where the lafo “Joe” Warhrick grew 22 tons of onions to the acre. This will probably tend to show the value of the 99,000 acres of swamp land, to-be drained by tlie cutting and the opening of this new canal or river outlet. Maize has been grown 15ft high on this land, and has yielded 20 tons to the acre.