THE WAIKATO MY RIVER

Waikato Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2392, 19 April 1921, Page 5

THE WAIKATO MY RIVER

Navigation development SITTING OF COMMISSION Tho Auckland Waterways Commission sat at the Cambridge Borough Council Cambers yesterday morning, and afternoon to hear evidence concerning tho suggested improved navigation of the Waikato river. The commission comprised Messrs W. Ferguson (Wellington), chairman, Ashley Hunter (Auckland) and W. Begg (Dunedin) The Mayor, Mr E. J. Wilkinson, extended to the Commission a very hearty welcomfe. He was hopeful as a result of tho 'ehquify, that a sound and practical scheme would lie evolved fending to the' development of the country districts. Mr Ferguson ’ pointed out that the Commission had - come to Cambridge in a perfectly sceptical frame of mind, and it remained for the witnesses who

had come forward'to ' convince the Commission of the value of their suggestions and information." He trusted that all the’ evidence would bo of value. Water : T. Bail

Mervyri‘Wells, the first of the witnesses, stated that hf' jvas a storekeeper in Cambridge, his 'official position being chairman of the Power Board and president of tho Chamber of Commerce. He was of opinion that ninctenths of the necesities of the district would all be water borne if deliveries could be made regularly and in a specified time. No navigation company could g"ve a contract to deliver goods with the river as it was at the present time, however. For years he had been hammering away to get a dam placed at Lake Taupo to bring the river up to its highest level, but he had met with no success so far. Some sort of regular delivery would be assured if the level could be brought up to even IS inches above the lowest summer level. Mr H. Roche, engineer, had made several excellent proposals in connection with Lake Taupo.

Asked by the chairman whether he thought the 5 summer level had dropped Mr Wells said that there was no appreciable difference and if there was it .was certainly not more than 10 inches. The Chamber of Commerce had passed several resolutions impressing upon the Minister the importance of reinstating the Commission. ■* Most of the metal supply brought into Cambridge from Morningside and Mt. Albert cost 16/ a yard landed by rail. \ The cartage charge was 6/ per ton from 'the Cambridge wharf and 'something from the railway station, so that the extra charge from the river would work out at only about 1/ per ton. . Difficulties of Transit '

John Scott Fisher, representing the farming community, stated that he was resident at Pukerimu and had had a long experience of the Waikato river, having lived here since 1808. The roads had been formed years ago right to the river,shewing that the people expected the. river roads to be the natural highway of the districts surrounding the waterway. In those days river steamers tied up at almost every farm but now goods often took a week to arrive from Auckland by rail. In the early days he could remember coal being landed from Taupiri at 15/ a ton. The belated delivery of goods by rail to Cambridge was: generally entirely due to the absence of adequate rolling stock for the railway. Protests, though emphatically madeT' had up to the present, proved;, of- no- avail, and Witness considered that *if the river facilities were improved the Railway Department would 'be compelled to smarten up. Regarding the height of the river he was certain that ho changes had been wrought during the past 35 years. In the Cambridge "Road Board districtalone 22,499 acres were Under' cultivation, and the capital value of thePukC--kura Road Board .district'was over one and a half millions. -The value of the Cambridge Road Board district was £798,000, while the Roto-o-rangi ratingvalue was £92,000. . ' ’ Suggested Operations - »

Henry Roche,.-civil .H&ngitfeer ot Oa'in-. bridge, stated that the suggestion of a 'dam at Lake- Taupe- originated him. The devices proposed would have tho result of equalising the flow, raising the river above the winter levels. On some occasions the- Lake rose- six feet. His suggestion was to raise * the lake not more than 5 feet a$ the outside. The natural rise of the lake was 4ft, comparatively frequently, the tctal area of water being. 225 square miles. At Horahora,- the unit was 450 'horse power, and the quantity , that each of the units would take was 670 cubic feet. No great difficulty would be encountered in improving the navigation of the river and he thought the sehenie was quite, a feasible one not involving a large expenditure. The dam had cost £3 per foot to era£i" The largest flow of -water came from the lake except in the case of high floods. At Horahora the river would carry about 40,000 cubic feet at high flood, the normal .flow being in the vicinity of 10,000. He believed the river might bo deepening its bed in the upper reaches, but apart from that he had not noticed any difference in the

height of the water. Each unit of the Horahora plant used 012 cubic feet per second, i.e., 52.9 million cubic feet per day of 21 hours, developing 1500 h.p. at the generators. Each foot deep of water stored in the lake would run one unit (1500 h.p.) at Horahora for US.S days. The Price of Things Charles Boyce, retired storekeeper, stated that since his arrival here in 1874, he had noticed no alterations in the flow of water in the Waikato river. The rocks used for fishing were now no higher above tho water than they were 47 years ago.

Charles Miller, manager of the Farmers ’ Auctioneering Co., stated that eight years ago goods were railed to Te Aroha and re-consigned by train to Morrinsville at a cheaper rate than they could be despatched from Auckland to Morrinsville direct. Morrinsville shops had always been able to sell goods cheaper than Cambridge and the conditions of eight years ago cxist<cd to-day. If the river service were properly established the price of things' would come down at once. The.; river boats could then get in touch with the larger steamers so that heavy goods such as benzine, kerosene, manures, cor rugated iron and fencing wire—all of which- classed as “ex ship." — could bo brought into Cambridge and sold at a much lower -rate than .at present ruled. To handle produce from the South and place it in store cost very frequently from 4d to 5d per bushel.

- Thomas Francis Richards, grocer, gave evidence on similar lines to that of the previous witness. Tho Commission then adjourned. Further evidence is being heard at Hamilton to-day.