RIVERS COMMISSION REPORT.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 10 September 1901, Page 3

RIVERS COMMISSION REPORT.

Concerning the Grey Valley.

Recommended that River from Dobson to Source be proclaimed.

Present mode of Stacking Dredging Tailings objected to.

£9,264 Compensation proposed to be paid,

Sawyers, Kaiata and Omoto Creeks to be exempted.

[OUR PARLIAMENTARY EEPORTEK.]

"Wellington, This Day. In the report of the Eiver's Commission presented to Parliament to-day (Tuesday) appears the following of interest to the Grey District:—

, Greyßiver (including the tributaries of Ahaura Eiver, Orwell Creek, German Gully, Nobles Creek, Stillwater Creek and Callaghan's Creek, specially mentioned in the schedule to the Commission) takes its rise at Lake Christabel and flows through an auriferous belt of country from its confluence with the Bobinson to near the ocean, This belt also extends to the source of the Little Grey and crosses many of the other tributaries at nearly right angles. The principal tributaries on the south and eastern side of the Main Grey and Little Grey rivers in which mining operations have been, and are still being carried on are-.—Stillwater, Twelve Mile, Bed Jacks, Nelson Creek, Callaghans, Orwell, Duffers, Waipuna, Snowy, Slackwater, Adamstown, Antonio and Slab Hutt Creeks, together with the Ahaura and Arnold Elvers.

No gold of any consequence has been found higher up the Ahaura river than its confluence with Big Gully Creek, about five miles above the junction of the Orwell Creek and Kopara roads.

On the north and western side of the Main Grey Eiver the principal auriferous tributaries are:—Langdown's, Woolly's, Alluvial, Buby, Brays, Fords, Blackball, Moonlight, and Caledonian Creeks. No gold of any consequence has been got in any of the other main tributaries on the western side of the Little Grey.

The fact that rich auriferous drifts have been worked in a large number of the tributaries feeding the main river indicates that auriferous gravels may be found in the valley and bed of the Grey Eiver, which' can be worked by dredges should the depth of gravel be not too great for them to cope with.

The banks of the river as well as those of many of its tributaries are generally very low and all the low lying lands in the valley, which varies in width from three-quarters of a mile to three miles, have always been subject to be flooded at some point. The surface of the land is not more than 18 inches above the water in ordinary weather, and in time of floods the water covers large areas of landed Sroperty, cuts away the banks, and estroys portions of holdings. The river bed is being gradually raised by natural causes and tailings from hydraulic sluicing operations which have been discharged into the' river an'd its tributaries during the last 34 years. . Some of the land has already been damaged to a considerable extent; indeed in some instances it may be said it has been rendered valueless.

This process of gradual destruction and depreciation of the land will continue should no mining operations whatever be carried on, for the beds of all rapidly running rivers which flow through the plains become raised by the accumulation of shingle, from slips, and erosion of the banks.

Ample exemplification of this is afforded in the case of the Haupiri and Otututu rivers, along which mining has never been carried on. Properties along these rivers which some years agb were free from river overflow are now being covered, with water during ordinary floods. .

Many of the settlers are apparently under the misapprehension that in the event of che river and tributaries being proclaimed they will receive compensation for damage already done to their lands, as well as for prospective damage and are therefore anxious that such proclamation be issued. .' / : ,

The railway from Greymouth to Eeefton is constructed up the Eastern side of the Grey Valley, and its embankment is above the flood level, and consequently affords protection to the land on that side.

Tour Commissioners are consequently of opinion that no compensation for prospective damage should be awarded to land so prospected. Tour Commissioners have carefully examined the land for which compensation is claimed with the exception of Sections 2 and 6 Block VI, Haupiri Survey District, Sections 1 and 40 Block IV, Kopara Survey Sections, 1 and 30 Block XII, 1 to 7 and 81 Block XI, 33 and 5 Block I, 1 and 2 Block IV, Section 2 Block 111 Ahaura Snryey pistrict,

These sections were not examined owing to continued wet weather which kept the river in a state of flood so that it could not be forded. Your Commissioners, however, endeavoured to obtain reliable information with regard to the likelihood of these lands being damaged in the event of a proclamation being issued.

Your Commissioners have assessed the prospective damage to the lands for which claims have been made at £9,264, but of this amount £875 is set down opposite the names of claimants having land on tributaries-, the proclamation of which, in the opinion of your Commissioners,' would not further the interests of mining. The tributaries referred to are Sawyers Creek, Kaiata Creek, Omotumotu Creek, Haupiri river, and that length of the Ahaura river above Granite or Eaindall Creek. Mining has never been carried on along any of these lengths of water courses with the exception of Sawyers Creek, and there is no likelihood of gold being found in sufficient quantities to cover the expense of working the ground. Sawyers, Kaiata, and Omotumotu

Creeks are recommended not to be proclaimed for the reason that one discharges into the lagoon near the Grey Harbor, and the other within two miles of the harbor, and mining along them might interfere with the Greymouth Harbor works.

Begarding the harbor works your Commissioners recommend that no dredging claims be allowed to be taken up, or tailings from hydraulic sluicing claims permitted to be discharged into the river within five miles of its mouth.

A number of dredging claims and prospecting dredging areas have been taken up by claimants along the river, while other claimants have given options over their properties for dredging purposes.

. There are four ■ dredges at work on the Grey river and an additional three are being built on the tributaries. There are three dredges at work and four others in course of construction.

The dredges at work are in some instances stacking the tailings in the beds of streams to a height varying from 15 ft to' 30ft, and this mode of working may cause considerable damage to adjoining lands as it will tend to divert the water into fresh channels and cut away lands which otherwise would not be liable to damage. Tour Commissioners are of opinion that provision should be made by legislation or regulation to prevent the channels of streams being so blocked up. In view of the large extent of mining carried on in the different tributaries your Commissioners recommend that the Grey river from the township of Dobson with its tributaries to the sources, with the exception of Sawyers Creek, Omotumotu Creek, Kaiata Creek, Otututu or Bough Biver, end that length of the Ahaura river with the tributaries above Granite or Bawdall creek, and those tributaries of the Grey river already proclaimed be declared water-course into which tailings and wash water produced by or resulting from mining operations may be discharged.