STOPWORK AT FOXTON

Chronicle (Levin), 17 March 1949, Page 5

STOPWORK AT FOXTON

(Special to "Chronicle")

Pollnted River Water Brings Intolerable Conditions

FOXTON, March 16. Farmers in the iower Manawatu area may think that the Whirokino Cut has been a great success, hut the residents of iFoxton have good cauSe to think otherwise. What is the farmers' meat may, in a very literal sense, become Foxton' s poison. The caiise: extensive pollution of the ponding area which was once uuo river hasin where coastal shipping in the early days carfied on a thriving trade. The draW-off of practically all the river water into the Whirokino Cut has created a stagnaht pool which" is the only source bf Supply for washing fibre used for raw material by N.Z. Woolpack and Textiles Ltd., and as a result— at ebb tide particularly— the water has become so polluted that, as one informant says, "the air hums for miles around," making conditions almost unbearable for the work- • ers and creating a potential source of danger as a hreeding ground for epidemic-spreading insects. This week the patienee of the workers and residents of Foxton generaliy has reached breaking point, following the failure of numerous appeals to the Government departments to take steps to abate the nuisance. A series of stopwork and businessmen 's meetings have been held, and strongly worded resolutions have been forwarded to Cabinet Ministers. " On Monday morning the employees at the flaxmill supplying raw material for N.Z. Woolpack and Textiles Ltd., stopped work, and again on Tuesday at ebb tide the unbearable conditions drove them to similar aetion. This morning the employees at N.Z. Woolpack and Textiles Ltd. also held a stopwork meeting and did not resume work. At this raeting, attended by the employees from both mill and fac-

tory, the following resolution was carried unanimously: That owing to the putrid state of the water on the ehh tide which the men are required to use in the flaxmill they have been forced to cease work. The offensive smells from the ponding area, which is an extensive breeding place for flies, * is an ever potential menace to the health of Foxton and the surrounding district. This meeting is of opinion that immediate measures must he taken by the appropriate Government authorities and that a Government appointee of Cabinet rank visit Foxton and confer With the employees of N.Z. Woolpack and Textiles Ltd. This afternoon the Foxton business men met and for over an hour and a, half debated the problem, finally unanimously passing the following resolution: ' ' That this meeting of rapresentatives of the busine'ss eonimunity of Foxton endorses the 'protest' o'f N.Z. Woolpack ahd Textiles Wofkers hud requests that responsible Cabinet Ministers atend at Foxton immediately for the purpose of inspeeting the ponding area and discussing with the Mayor, Counciliors and representatives of this meeting together with the workers concerned the remedial measures to be taken to abate the nuisance created by the ponding area at the mill." The problem is admittedly a difficult one, and has been the subjeet of representations to Ministers for some tiine past. Nothing, however, has been done, and the complaint is made that the Ministers concerned have been indulging in the old game of "passing the buck," no one of them being prepared to aeeept responsibility for findjng a remedy. i The silting process in the pqnding area, which is the old loop of the* river including, the wharf basin, has advanced so rapidly that in some plaees at low tide it is possible to walk across what was onc§ a deep channel.

The stagnant water is bemg used over and over again for washing the fibre, and the effluent from the mill constantly flowing into the water is steadily making matters worse. It is stated also that sewage from Foxton also drains into the ponding area, and if this is so much an intolerable state of affairs should be ended without delay. Two remedies have been suggested. One is the shifting of the mill, and the other a pipeline supplying fresh water from the Manawatu River above the Whirokino Cut. This latter scheme is estimated to cost between £20,000 and £30,000. Mr. M. H. Oram, member for the district, interviewed, stated that he had communicated with Hon. R. Semple, Minister of Works, suggeating that he should inspeet the ponding area either on his way to or from the opening of the Bulls bridge on Saturday. Mr. Semple, however, has been away from Wellington for sonie days, and Mr. Oram anticipates that when he returns the Minister will lose no time in visiting Foxton.