HEAVY SLIPS IN WANGANUI RIVER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1494, 17 July 1912, Page 8

HEAVY SLIPS IN WANGANUI RIVER.

I■' ■' (By Telegraph:—Special. Correspondent.) .■■)?'■ ' Wanganui, July IG., • Though' the -.weather during the past few months'litis been unusually wet, the •'trials of the back-blocks settlers have hot becri" of • abnormal ■ severity, and no ;dainago of a very serious nature has been reported. During • the Mast few days, , however, there lias been much heavy rain inland', which, besides' doing considerable damage, lias very forcibly brought home tW folly of the late Government in permitting deforestation to go on unchecked along the "Wanganui River, It was frequently predicted that heavy loss-would follow this policy, es-pecially-in ••oases where the bush was removed from the hillsides, which arc too steep for any but scenic "purposes. ' Th'o warnings, however, fell on deaf'ears; and now, when too late to remedy the damage, the aftermath is beginning , to, be. forcibly in evidence. The number ■of'slips on . the''river hillsides this year 'have been very large. The Wanganui' ; "Herald" was informed to-day by.an in'land settler that, in some places, acres and'acres had slipped away, leaving no- , thing but the bare papa, and the total acreage so lost .runs into many hundreds. The possibilities which the future holds in the way of damage is strikingly, illustrated by what took place near Otane on Sunday, where a hugo landslide occurred. The earth on one of the hillsides (soaked by recent rains, and without' any bush to hold it) slipped into the river,'where, .it-piled up to such an extent, as to reach more than half-way over to the other' bank. , It was at first thought that the obstruction would block the steamer, service, 'which would bo a very" unfortunate thin? but, happily, this fear proved groundless, though great cave had lo bo exorcised -in making, u passage through the narrow lane of swift-running water that left.; fortunately; not much likelihood of the obstruction being permanent. If the present raiii continues (and of ; thi-3 there is every likelihood), a sufficient .volume of water will.be maintained to sweep the channel clear again. The rains are also reported to have done great <lahia.?e to the inland roads, making (lie lot of the unfortunate settlers terribly hard. One of thV latter informed the "Herald'' that the state of the roads is /'indescribable and unspeakable, and contractors are having an awful time." -The Aliti Aim Valley settlers are in a bad • plight, for the reason that they have no road left. It has slipped into the gully l>eloiv. The Aim Ahu mail man took from last Saturday morning I ill Sunday i night to.cover twelve miles, and, in answer ton quc.ition as to lliee.deht.of the .slips,-pithily summed up the situation bv paying: "It would be much easier to tell the extent of.the road that was left."