The Te Aroha News Published MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS MONDAY, JUNE 18, 1917 TO GUAGE FLOODS

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5501, 18 June 1917, Page 2

The Te Aroha News Published MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS MONDAY, JUNE 18, 1917 TO GUAGE FLOODS

SoilE weeks ago tho district engineer of tho Public Works Department circularised the various local bodies with a request that statistics be given of tho rainfall in various paits, for the guidance of tho staff engaged in river improvement works betweeu Mangaiti aud the Hauraki Gulf. From what we can gather, the variously local bodies merely referred the request to their respective engineers. Whether these engineers, will find the time to prepare and information desired wo have some doubt. There is a tremendous area of lowlying country betweeu To Aroha and the Gulf, all of it subject to flooding. Wo venture the opinion that if a record of the river heights were taken at various points—say at Okauia, the Gordon, Shaftesbury, Te Aroha, Tirobia, Paeroa and oue or two points further down the stream—the information gleaned would be very valuable indeed, and this could be obtained at very small cost, It is of

great importance that reliable information should be obtained as to the height the flood waters rise, and a suitable guago by mcaus ot marked posts stuck iu the river could be orccted at very small cost. The recorders higher up tho river could telephone particulars of variations to the stations lower downstream, thus enabling the Public Works Debart. rnent aud the settlers to make preparations for avoiding loss. It is only a few weeks since tho sottlers iu the Awaiti settlement wore hard put to it to rescue their stock from the flood wators, aud iu some cases considerable loss was sustained. There should boa properly organised system by which farmers who have stock in tho flooded areas' shall be supplied with the information iu time. We suggest that tho local bodies set up a joint committee to go carefully into the wholo question aud make arrangements for information to bn supplied as to tho state of the Waihou River when in flood. Thu scheme might well bo extended lo the Ohiucmuri, Waitoa aud Pinko streams also, but especially the Wailiou A chart should be kept at places where the height of the river is recorded, and the recorder, when telephoning information about the river should merely staso the height the water was on the gunge and reeoid it ou the chart ptovided. We have many settlers along the routo who are public-spirited enough to undertake the work. The Drainage Reference Board might also- iuteiest itself iu tho matter. The scheme as outlined is only a rough one, but we feel sure a committee could quickly prov’de a workable scheme that would bo of very great benefit. Instances aie fresh in ourmiud of tho Wailiou River rising rapidly through heavy rains upstream from To Aroha, when there have only been mild showers down, stream.

By taking a record say every two hours if the liver was rising rapidly, people in the low-lying country would be in a position to know by making inquiry as to how rapidly the river was rising and the approximate height the water would rise to. By organising such a system the records would become more and more valuable, so that farmers would soon be in a position to fell ihe height the water would be and the extent of the country that would Hood. Tho question is an important one, especially lo the settlers further downstream. The cost would be small, aud tho local bodies could easily arrange for the nearest scttlc-r to tho guage tu report.