THE KIWITEA STREAM.

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 34, 30 August 1888, Page 3

THE KIWITEA STREAM.

TO THE RIIITOK <>F TUB STAR. Sic,— As lam rather interested it the welfare of Feilding, I would lik< to know what is to become of it, if the rates and taxes are to be continually wasted away, as they are being at th< present time, in the Kiwitea stream by payiug sixpence or eightpence eacl: for sacks, and three men, at least sis shillings per day, to fill them, ant throw them into the stream, to be p: no use whatever? They do not stb] the water, now that there is but i small quantity, in the river, let alpn,< when the. river has got a ftesH in it for then it will ruri V6ve£ the top o; them; and, as likejy as^npt, was! them all away. ■ ' .; People may ask : jfhat.. makes then ■do such foolish, things?: Well, tht only way that I can .account for it ii this : that it is for want of eithei knowledge or foresight on the subject It also strikes me rather forcibly thai neither the Engineer, nor the Publi( Works Committee, have, much oi either on the. matter, or else, thingi would not be in the state they are a the present I time. How-ever r as th< saying goes, "It is no use of crying over spilt milk," but go thi* right waj to work to put things straight again Perhaps you will ask : what is the right way ? Well, to my knowledge, it was pointed out two or three yeart ago, aid again at the last Council meeting by Councillor Chamberlain, who informed the Council that it re--quired ft point cutting off to give the river a straighter course. But, I see, they have taken no notice of it. 3 can't say whether it is out of ignorance, or out of timidity, that they still neglect cutting it through. What I mean is this: I have heard it •said that the cutting would go through private property, and they are, therefore, afraid to say or do anything' in the matter. They may let their minds rest contented on that point, for it does nothing of the kind. It would require a cutting of but little over a chain in length, as the river has already-washed away the private pro* perky which they seem so much afraid of, to , what is called Keid's line.;: They would but require to cut through the road,- and the thing would be settled. So, after^ all,; I suppose it is really put of ignorance that they. have not done it before. As they seem to. have but little, if any, idea ofhow. to set to work to put things straight, perhaps it would /not be a bad. plan tto give them an idea low to start. Now, if I had anything to do with it, the first thing I should do would be to put two or three more piles in;-, jit -.the end of the protective works,, where they have put those sand oags, and then put wires on from bottom to top of the piles right along that row of piles, and then wattle manuka in as close as . possible ,to make it high and strong, .for that, is where the. whole body , of water will strike for a while. Now that job is done, let us go up the stream a little further till we come to tnafc > point c which. I. before mentionedj^and set to work and cut a •channel through, sufficiently large to the river a, start, and it will do the rest itself, for it will soon wash a course through ;.. and then it will run hard against the point below, which must soon yield to the great pressure that there, would be against it in a flood, if the water, is confined by the protective works below. That would give the river a fair straight course, and that: trouble would .be, to a certain extent, to an end-— I am, &c., /'.....„ „- RATEPAYER.