HUTT RIVER BOARD.

Hutt News, Volume 1, Issue 20, 11 October 1928, Page 2

HUTT RIVER BOARD.

INSPECTION BY MEMBERS.

The members of the Hutt River Board last week made an inspection of the river works between the Hutt Railway Bridge and Georges Bridge at Taita.

Taking up a position on the Railway Bridge and looking south, a great improvement was apparent in the flow of the river. The visitors carried their memories back 1 to the days preceding the Hutt Valley Railway construction and recalled the narrow bottle-neck which formerly limited the flow of the river at this point and it seemed almost providential that the river being • forced through such a narrow gap had not overflowed its banks.

Some cries of protest were heard at the time when the members of the River Board in their wisdom allowed the Public Works Department to remove several acres of valuable land (part of Gear Island) on the eastern side of the river for the purpose of ballasting the new railway. The effect of that "wheels within wheels" policy is to-day fully apparent. Certainly the River Board has lost several acres of land, but that

land has been removed free of cost to the ratepayers, to assist in putting a railway through the valley, but primarily to remove a dangerous bottle-neck and thus to provide the river with a clear escape to the sea.

The Public Works Department-gave an undertaking to the Board that it would leave the remaining land to the satisfaction of the Board's engineer and in accordance with this arrangement, all the old boom groynes have been removed from what is now the centre of the stream, by the Board's staff at the expense of the Public Works Department, and under the direction of the Board's

engineer,

It has frequently" happened that the Board has allowed valuable land to be ■washed away under the direction of its engineer, for the purpose of assisting the flow of the river, but no instance can be sighted where the policy has been more justifiable than that at Gear Island.

SHINGLE PLANT

In bygone years the Board engaged directly in the shingle business, employing its own teams to deliver the shingle around the district. This method not only entailed a great amount of work on the office staff and the members of the Board, but it was found to be unprofitable, as most of such trading concerns are when under municipal control.

About this time Messrs McArthur Bros of Wellington pioneered a new industry. They saw the possibility of handling the Hutt River shingle by machinery and were granted permission to erect a screening- plant at the mouth of the river, south of the Pipe Bridge, taking their supplies from under water and thus deeping the river. After a large amount of capital had been invested a machine was invented capable of eliminating the shell. A Priestman grab was then installed and the shingle elevated to screening drums , which graded it into hoppers where the drays could be loaded in a few seconds by gravitation. A fleet of scows was also built to convey the shingle across the harbour, but space will not permit us to deal with that interesting development in this article.

Tile Board then decided to foster all similar enterprises and offered concessions to those firms who would instal crushing plants to deal not "only with the finer shingle, but with the boulders that were left on the'beach by the carters. To-day there are five screening and crushing plants on the river banks, dragging the shingle from under the water for great distances by means of wirerope and drag-line scoops, and depositing it into bins under which the dray or motor waggon pulls and receives a full load in the space of a few seconds. In addition to these a further plant, in course of construction, will be operating within a few weeks. The revenue derived from shingle royalties this year is expected to be in the vicinity of £3000.

It will be readily seen that this method of mechanical production is of enormous value to the district. Not only does it provide substantial royalties whcih are easily collected, but the service that is being rendered by removing the great shingle banks which form after each flood and impede the flow of the river is of inestimable value. At the same time the bed of the river is being deepened by the shingle being dragged from under water, thus enabling the contractors to supply the vbuilderß with "washed material of the highest grade and second to none in the Dominion.

PROTECTIVE WORKS

The party next visited the Hutt Golf Links where a very dangerous erosion had occurred during one of the early winter iloods, Much satisfaction was expressed

at the manner in which this land had been safeguarded by the Board's staff.

The work of protecting such high sandy banka calls for much skill and prompt action. The method now employed is most effective and consists of the building of a wall of long willow poles interwoven with No. 8 fencing wire and strong netting, the whole being weighted down with baskets of stones. Provided stock are now allowed to eat these willows, they very soon make sfcrong growth and form a solid wall, able to withstand any flood. This method of protecting the district from the ravages of flood is in evidence in very many places and it is most unfortunate that there are many owners of stock who do not realise that the willow growing in the Hutt River bed should be regarded as sacred. The Board has spent a great amount of money in protecting private lands from flood and erosion and it is little short of criminal to think that there are owners of horses and cattle who deliberately turn them out on the river bed at night to secure cheap grazing. The Board is determined to punish these offenders with the utmost rigour of

the law,

STONE WEIKS,

A most effective method of directing the flow of the river in the upper reaches where boulders are plentiful, has been the use of stone walls or weirs. This simple method has been responsible, in many instances, for diverting the flow of water from a dangerous angle into the channel as charted out by the late Mr. Laing-Mason. So effective have these weirs proved in the neighbourhood of Mason's Gardens that on the occasion of the present visit it was found that provately owned land, which a few years ago was submerged under six feet of water, was found to be high and dry, the river being driven into a central and well denned channel. Many of these stone weirs which-had been built to a height of four feet are to-day buried, showing that the shingle beach has been built up to a corresponding height by the action of the floods.

BOOM GROYNES

The boom groynes have also played an important part in the work of river protection. The building of these structures of heavy timbers is costly and' calls for great skill on the part of the Board's staff employed at this work, A large punt, upon which is fixed an oil engine, winch, and derrick, is employed to do this work. The derrick carries a "monkey" or hammer of great weight which drives the massive piles." The effect of these boom groynes may be noticed by any traveller passing through the Taita Gorge. This point has been a source of anxiety to the River Board for many years and lias been the subject of many reports from the Board's engineers. On the occasion of the inspection it was most noticable that the river was being forced over and that a fine shingle beach was being formed parallel with the road.

TREE PLANTING,

In the past, the Board has not devoted a great deal of energy to tree -planting other than willows, with the exception of a few hundreds around Gear Island and the Pipe Bridge, but this year the matter has been taken up much more extensively. Around what is known as Dickie's farm a thousand two yearold pinus insignia and maeroearpa trees have been planted to form shelter-belts. Immediately south of George's bridge there is a block of about 10 acres of gorse covered land forming an insland. During the past winter this has been planted with 10^000 2 year-old pinus insignis trees and it is hoped that as they are planted only about six feet apart they will soon grow up and smother the

gorse,

Although rabbits and hares are doing a certain amount of damage, there are indications that possibly 9S per cent of these trees has taken root. In this way the River Board is rendering a valuable service, and it is to be hoped that the public will appreciate their efforts by refraining from lighting fires in the vicinity during the dry days of

summer,

WILLOW PLANTING,

The planting of willows for protection purposes has already been mentioned. These willows are of the ordinary type and have no special value other than that of protection and beauty. Some four years ago the Board went into the question of growing willows for profit and it was found that a strain known as Osier-willow, would have to be imported in order to build up plantations for commercial purposes, To supply this need 50,000 cuttings were procured and planted in suitable localities, as this class of willow will only grow in damp and sandy situations. This order of 50,000 cuttings was repeated each year until there is now a sufficient stock to make the Board independent of outside supplies. It is