PETONE CATCHMENT AREA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 425, 6 February 1909, Page 10

PETONE CATCHMENT AREA.

VISITED BY THE COUNCILLORS. A STERN CLIMB BUT PLEASANT. ' The visit .to the.Norinandalo. portion of. ' the Petone catchment.area, "recently..decided upon; i byvthe.,tbuiicil,'i I tcbk place;on : /Jhujsdaj; : : ahernopnV-:those, undertaking ! .;t.hp; : irip>being Mr. .'jiV W; iM'.Ewan; (Mayor), .Goitnc}llprs : ; A.-, Coles, J. Colquhoun, R W Short, W.,G.> Lodder 1: Mr. W. H. Cook,, borough engineer'; , Mr. 'Alex.Webster,i.to^n.clerk..-i,- ; . r . , Shortly ; i afteV>one' o'clock; '.the' : drag • ; con- , taining, tho trippers left- tho Council Cham- • ■ bers..'and '.proceeded. up' tho.: Ilutt Road and ■ through:, the? Nonniiidalev. Village 1 Settlement'. } The'iroute.jvas fortunately chosen,-lyiiigiVas-it: 1 .did,'; through y. some' ;of ' the; prettiest bush, i -scenery of .the Hntt Valley,; and the gradual: i .rise .up' ;the- hilla afforded a-fine. viewfof .the-- ;' :tootionless blue . liarbourj-ferny : hillrsides| and picturesque : valleys, -V ' over;.'r- iWhicli;-ir;an , elk'. I : ing'sj v?opep-spaces, .i'cultivated/.Mds/ilbush! 'i ; plpts,Hand;,Tiyer-bed alternated;prettily.; '.The '»!-db.y;-.Vthoußh';sbmewhat :warm',:iwas 'perfect, !j •^a^woibfeftr.iair/ejAßi^ed,;the beauty., and, ' '-lent .:the*.,travfill(}rs : a ; ; , I Mn^atibn'-p^^mpjefe : : •satirfap^q^-- I pili;-'ttemselve»- arid' the :; ; wprld.' On:'eitKeiv T 6id6/pf ;:tlie?reu'telay .'.gorges .of ' bust,-iri' ivhich' tlie konirii.aiid punga, preddm-; . inated, and;at..the bpttbm.the-creeks;trickled, . - their'; wayvto thofHutt''.River.; ; ; The- destination .of . the party, the }liearf. of; i. tlieVcatchment; area; and the" \head Waters - pf: i the Kproko'ro' '-reaphed • in -an, i heur j'an'd a'&'alf, ■ and .tlte .-investigation' . prbpqr commenced. ..The.s'pot.chosen : was a [ fine vantage .w'hich-. the . party i viewed.the;scene. - All that niet:j;he eye was a successiohiibf knolls'. and: hillsfiurilovelyMn • ,t«peqt'vfor----'tiie''. most' „-iSart,.- except- in :the i. gullies, jwher6 ; the «splendent.'ftgrees>qf; the, . grass' cattgKtithe;;:eye. ; ;"To ,gai)i : .a;\fuiftfief fieiglit-'anaVwidor,,; view,: the-party.. ■ jcojrk: . menced;!tpVclimb, andVthis> - in'.-tHe'-broiling; ;. sUnjTwas -.^o 1 light."/task., It "would have ', formedi quite": an'; "edifying ; spectacle..- iib; the, " averagb,;ratepaypr;;-.tp' ;see : the\city', fathers :. : en;'tHeijr'-ar'mS; : ahd'frequently,mopping' their'i ' , heated-; brows' with;., their-: handkerchiefs •> as'- ' :they ; . gradually" conquered each ; height .' and •• successfully- evaded ;e'a'ch' pitfall and Tibg. At [ last,"; the' - hill' was :scale.a, and the,, .visitors ; were-rewarded by:as complete an idea'of the catchment area. as; it .'was ' possible j'to'--ob-'-tain.,: Dpzehs b'f'.streams ; and-.-infinitesimal tributaries of'tb'e'Korokorb, in as many:little' ivalley's'i: which rose by a series of-ridges tp the: high . hills 1 ; a,t'; the,distant end,were 'laid open; to.the 'vyisieh,- and. councillors' now? felt' , tnat..theirftrip'':had-ti6t;.been in;'.vairi. : '-Ear. -. to the herth-wSst/the west-coast'and''stretch'; I of ocean :off ;Pahautaniii. were: visiblei Brothers,-hghthoii'se,. -. , ..ce'rne;d;. ; ';;.The i: actual] height'.al%^- , 'ie'ii:'%ei 1 ' , attaiiied.'by' the' visiterswas,'l2so ;.'\fiet^ • It was. estimated- :-'that. the: 'reservoir was distant about' three and a half, miles E and Potohe a further three, so that .the en- ■ tire length; df . :tlie : Xorokoro Stream, could s only be about seven S miles. . .. ' v ■ ;Asked; by; a,-, Dominion representative., for 1 his'opiriion as to the results;of the- excursion, - the Mayor, - Mr:.. M|Ewan, stated: '!'I need i hardly say-that the trip was thoroughly- enl joyed;by all. who participated. 'Wo have;..the - right to, acquire the. freehold, of the area mi- , der the Catchment Area Act of 1907, which' i gives .us power to: take •it over, from itiie Crown at,about.£l2-;000, the total area being i about 1800, acreslloo .of which are already ; under our control:', The present arrangement is that .we. leaso •• it -from tho Government, ;• and .we have takeri over Mr. W. A. Cottle's ; 'leaso. at- a-; rental .of, £60 per. year.,-The j amount paid by, the council annually-for,land :-. :in 'thejcatchinent- area .is- about £120.-:.'Ms':.v;e ;j do, not; control- all the area;,! takositsto' Kc ■ ■ our-'-du^':tp'' I: see-.'. %it the, owners -.Ar:>. lessees , do nothing .which will' pollute the'.soared' of ; the water - supply.', y; As tp the. land; leased [. from the .Government, : the council ylias.- not ' made up its mind as to whether it- will -nndertake =the . fencing .of ■ the whole .of this • land, arid lease'it for. grazing purposes under ; stringent . conditions' as to- the. number of ' stock to -be'allowed to be'grazed. . Per'son- : ally, ,1 think, rio .possible harm would; happen ■ to the quality of the water if this course : were, decided ' upon and allow, say, no more than] two- sheep per acre in,'summer and one 1; in winter. : In. fact, there is - plenty- of room 5- .to.believe that it could be made - a very pro--3 fitable, speculation for any private individual - to acquire'" the /leaso from- the council'. -, No t dcubt, anyone so doing; would reap - a .very - handsomo-return. -It is fer. the'council,,-of i courso, to consider tlio mattor at nest- meetf nig J : ."Assurhingvthat' we. lease 'it,!!:-contiriued . Mr. It'l'.wan,, "I tlunl; the- councilwill'ap--3 point a man to. see that the conditions: are observed; -Grazing . would: keep the. grass , obviate .the- danger -of jbush-,fires; 1 If this be -'done,-, the council,.will: be ih itlie 3 position Vpf feeling that there is no'danger ? of the water being , polluted, and' that it- will r mean that-no additional expense will ;be'..in--5 curred fo" acquiring leases i from the Govefn- • ment." . ■ : . It may .'be .montipned :that the .councillors "■ present. seemed generally;'in iagreement with > this proposition. ; ;y'.. ; ' i -■- V.