AN IMPORTANT TRUST.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1933, 16 December 1913, Page 12

AN IMPORTANT TRUST.

NURSING A GREAT WATERWAY. GUARDIANS OK THE KiVER. SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR . WOiiK.:;;. As the lower portion of the beautiful Wangatmi River is unpen i.<oi| inn! cleared of anything i.n tnatiuo of u menace to navigation by tin- iiurbuur Hoard, so is the greater pul l, ol' mat important waterway tiiut uraius n \aai watershed, extending .luCihe. I>iai t of tiM North Inland, gnanii'ii-iiiii'd nuruil In' tho Wanganui ijivcr Trutt. Tins buiiy ; was created by Act of Parliament ill 18U1, when it was given jurisdiction over tlii; river from a puiiit in toon miles froj.ii the moutlij to one about lour niii.'s irom its source <,in lite hill:, beyond T-in-■manmui), and. a iiiiiu of river nam? land on either siilo of the river. The I tinelions ol the Trust were two i'oki—i's s iitty, to protect as lay in i's .poivei: Uio I sceiui; charms of the vivur'j 4«j, hccbu-iU J-V. to make the rim' navigable, -is )41' • »P as pits'siMe. 'Whilst (fie "'Trust sn» ■ a general jurisdiction fiver the 'aims named, its control iis *>uly a direct one fi-hfero, the-lands have been ve<it<>i.! n, ji„ by an Order-in-Council issued by v:w> Governor. So that there exist :ilo.:Ks> ol river-bank lands which she 'lrust na:; no power to deal with. 'i;>e v.-'knv....: flu; Crown lands'oil tlieileft bank 'of iho ■river have been proclaimed dutnam lands, isv which icoso ;t ho Tnjst lias i'lui I'otver to deal with thein; Since' the creation of tho Trust., however, ■■.•oi;siirorahlo areas of]p.i;nl have been acquired from'"the Native's' by the UoYoi-mucn:, and liavc never been proclaimed domain lands. The Trust bus used every oh alt during the past two years to hav'e Unite lanus so proclaimed, in order Unit tnc.y ,-'■ may b» utilised for revenue-pMUUivi;*' purposes'. ■' Were'this' ilono, it is IHu-v----ed that the, Trust would not have 10 come upon the Government annually for a subsidy towards tin; cost of the vjiii ; done i:n' jiiaiiitaiiiilig ai;rf-.improving \iio ' : river ' ' channel. A 'reccttt"'appiica twn made to the Prime jiiuislcr ,uu mis paint .(to lmve tlic lands vested jn 11m TrUsij' elicited tW response tiiat it was the intention of tlio Government to deal with tlio lands iiiuier tho provisions of .. the Land Act, which practically uitvnr> that> tbey iviii nut be vested, :'i the '! Trust. Tln> history of the navigation an the riser is interesting. Someliii.iik -!a quarter of a century ago it Was e-m-i----ecjved that a considerable traffic niipllt be developed if the river could.be iin-.g- ■ neg' and the channel made sweet as far up as Pipiriki. Tlio townspeople of Wanganui realised that, and, putting their 'heads together, tonwd; a. ilvtio company, mid built a steni-wlieel steamer, which they called the Tuliun, and placed her in commission 011 tho river. It was found, however, that the channel was not very safe, and tlio vessel hardly exactly soiled to the work, and after many vicissitudes the old Tuhua. was wrecked at Kr.ratia. lt» that wis.e ended the first attempt to work tho river by steam-boat. $omo years elapsed before another attempt was made, indred, very little was dui'e until Jif'ssrs. Hatriek and Co., seeing the potentialities in the rivey as a trade highway, went seriously into,tlio matter, aw! as 11 result hiiil'the paddlesteamer Wain-re built in England. About ; ttiis time (sortu'.'JH-'.o'f 20 yispra a;ni) considerablo inhifsit; WMS .bHni? tjilv<?)i iii tlifi river;'fliid> Jfy, #isiifififsiiii.; policy tile channel «an s ii:nil« fisirXv, clear a? ; /jr ; up ; «n J?y>iril-;i, tint; np" till that tiriie "there "Itad" been '" no thought of iii;:lii!i;r the river naviyablo ■any hieher up, and I'ipiriki was consequently the terminog for some yours. It must bo borne in wind that evei'i this liniitod service had done great _ things. Tho devnlooHieiit of the Vfai.marino district and tlio settlement of Baetilii and tlio neighbourhood were due altogether to the facilities iifforded by tlu- river scrviae in carrying goods to I'ipiriki, wlionco ttiey could bo eartcd on to tlio llnctihi Srttlemeiit. indeed it was tlio one and osily way to got goods 111? lo that point. Later on er.me t'Mo Jiain Tittnk railway Works, and . seeing ijiiit tlio railway was iroii) 1 ; to pftys'TamnaHili'.ii it Wits decided: to discuvcr if it t.'cvo possible to mako t'co river oaviifdile for smaller lioats to that point. Tlio 1 difficulties seemed alinort insnrmouiit- ' able on nceomit «f ihe freonent series 'of rapids, caused by.the :mvit lift of tlio river (tlicro is a lift -tif sSi')ft. froju T'arikino, the end of 'lie tidal iiitlHeii'.ce, to Tai'tirtufiiriui). Grai.kially the ra'pfds were improved by t.lie coifsiructMii;. of stoiic■ Walls and groists. and by easing the sharp bends at various lioitils, and the result is that to-day ihcre is a triweekly steamer eervioo to and from Taitmarutini. Tliis csiciided service has been mainly.instrumental'in settling a very large area of land oh both b.-mks of tho. river between I'ipiriki and Tintluitfiuiui.;. .At : 'the |ire;;esvt lime 4!iO(i bales' Of wobl arc brought down to WaHWißui from rivei'sido stations, and when the lauds now coming into profit ' are being worked to their fullest ex--1 teiil, in- about ten years' time', tlv.ro will be bales cotniijjr down the river, d'espite tho exifitence 1 of tlu»-Main Trunk and Sjiratford-Uiigfrise railways. 1 The ' river, as •'. everyoiw.'- .taws, is a 1 scenic asset of the greatest value., and ■ is Inuci'i travelled Ijv tourists. The Trust, must live. U in kept {;o»ir 'by ail eiido'.vntcnt of 11), DIM) acrtts of 1 land, which briuirs iii a net revenue of . £400 per. anintuS. •' H n.lso 'lias land _at TaumariHiui fat lH'escnt leased) ivhu-li produces a year, and'Miont £2I!0 a year is in tolls tls. (id. per ton) 011 Voods carried nyt th" river. During tlio "term of ii'.e Trust's existence, the sum of £24.000 )>as been espeiuled on iwiproviiii'* and maiiltaiuiinp the river ehnmicl for a distance of 111 iiiilc'S. The cniislituti'iii and jreniliersiiip of tile XVans'anui River 'S'nift. is a« follows .'--Clwiirmai!,.Mr. T. 1). C'iUHt»i!!S (ii'oversinicnl nomitiee); I lire? members eictoii bv the 1:' of Waoijanni, Afessrs. f. B. WilliiHi'S. W. (5. Ikssott, and J..H. Bir.'ii«t; llie Mayor of ! neamii (Mr. i. U- \\ illsam:'): tno President of the Chamber of (. oniic.eic.i ■ Air. 'Alfred Burnett), tbe ( hain'.vin <>f 1 tlie Waitotara Coiinty .'("oniifil (Mr. V . Ritchie), tile Cliair'lll'" of tbe 1 j mii Coiinty Comic! o'|'- 1 J ''l* soil), the member of lNrl !, >;«eiit *- r >- I }i[£nii!!i (Mr, V\". A. Veite'!) ii"'i ■ i i.'eni !, "i' for I'.itea (Mr. (!. V. l'cai're' | The Trust meets rrbnnt mv" 1 month lat tile notifieation of tlv> ehairmaii. 1 •