River Protection Scheme

Chronicle (Levin), 28 January 1949, Page 3

River Protection Scheme

At the monthly meeting"- bf . th0 Manawatu-Oroua RLver Board last week, and presided ove'r by Mr./j; Crystall, a letter was feceived' from the Public Wprks Etepartment in which. it was stated that the. Minister of Works proposed to spepd £3600 on the bank erosion at Mr. Saunders' property in- the Moutoa area. This include'd the f cost ;of stopbankihg. > . ; . ..n . Mr. l. p. Jamieson, resident engineer to the- Ministier of Works, , reporting on the project stated: "i realise that it has.been your boarid's j policy to shift s.topbanks rather than to protect the river bank itself, but this sort of work is of a temporary nature. There is no end to it. Besides being expensive ' in the long run, several acres of land are washed into the river every year. The scheme as now proposed should certainly prove more- lasting an'd, therefore, more economical from all .angles." Mr. Chrystall: That is only their. •theory. What happens in practice.? Mr. Farquhar (engineer to the board) : "This is' an -acute bend. i think easy behds should be made Spermanent, not acute bends." Mr. Crystall: This pro'posal is going to revolutioriise the policy of the board. We will have to protect the bank of. the river from one end to the other if we adopt it. . . It was resolved that the ' engineer put the matter before Mr. ; Jamieson an'd a decision will be . reached at the next meeting.