HUTT RIVER BOARD'S INSPECTION.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 39, 6 March 1930, Page 7

HUTT RIVER BOARD'S INSPECTION.

On Friday last the members of the Hutt River Board made their annual inspection of the Hutt river, from Haywards \s Bridge to the Estuary. There was a full attendance of the Board's members present; also the engineer and the.clerk. . . .

Leaving the-niaiii road at Mabey's Road, the party crossed over what is known *as Dicky's farm —a splendid property purchased some 4 or 5 years ago for the purpose of river protection, at a price tihat must prove a very good investment for the .ratepayers. Prom a point known as Walker's Island, the •river presents a very uninviting picture to the layman, 'as it is divided into three streams of swift running water and would, if allowed to take its own course, very soon over-run the whole of the Hutt Valley, One has to be able to make comparisons to fully appreciate what the board has accomplished at this point, under the able direction of its engineer daring the last twelve months. Whilst boulders are the sign of erosion and danger, the deposits of sand and fine shingle are signs that the flow of water is slow, and consequently t-he danger is greatly v reduced. Looking over to the western bank, where, but twelve months ago the river was threatening to claim many acres of land, there was found a high beacix and the river diverted through. the efforts' of the engineer in building groynes and stone weirs to control t>lie flood. Although it was not claimed tihat the locality was entirely' free .from danger, the engineer expressed the opinion that there, was eveTy indication of toie river being perfectly \inder.control at this point in two years' time.

At Page 7-*, in thC'Taita G-orgc, the improvement cowia scarcely'be credited. Frequenters of this . roa.il will well reraernber how the river threatened to take away the roa,d, for it beat into .tJhe bank with; its full force and had spoused out a hole prabably. twelve feet deep. ■;-,-.. Here again engineering skill was brought into play so; effectively |that the Tiver now flows down the eentieof the bed and shingle beaches are being built >up wihere'• formerly there was. a raging. tprr.ejit. Crossing to the side pFthe river by HayVard's ■bridge, tWe party- inspected some of "the board's plantation wcrrk in :vvha| was bare river Bedi but a-short time ago. In "'addition to some"- bhree .- thousand Pinus ..insig-nus,; wiliich -we're planted on the higher ground two years ago, there is a very fine-plantation of Ozier willows growing in the sandy part of the old water course. .'.ln addition to tfhe cqiiitocrcial value of this plantation, it is serving a very useful purpose from a river pToteetlon point of view. Willows 'of till varieties form a niost important medium for protective work in all parts of tihe river. Apart from tieir vaPne in preventing erosion, when grow^ing, they-are largely used, -when eii! t and tied in bundles in cambination wdih

"wire netting, to pxot&ct riven: banks which, are threatened. Looking across to the opposite banks of tike river from flay ward's and 801-mont, many fine examples of this class of work, can be seen. This is perhaps some of the finest testimony of the value \of the vßiver Board's work. It is this simple and relatively inexpensive work which has saved thousands of acres of valuable land arid has prevented the river from again breaking into its old water courses, wihieh may still be seen in the neighbourhood of Park Avenue, and spreading down the centre of the vatley. THE ESTUARY. The reclamation of the estuary land presents the greatest proWem tihe board is called upon to face on account of its great importance as the district's industrial centre. Under an agreement with the Wellington Harbour Board the River Board has the Tigiht to reclaim some 260 acres of land wihieh is now largely sea beach. Plans were; prepared •by the late Mr.-Laing-Mea&oii, then engineer to the Board, by which this land would have built around it, a sea wall, at an estimated cost of £60^000.; The BoaTd has not yet seen its way to ask the. ratepayers to sanction so large a loan and decided, some four years ago, to cover the. ground with sand trapa, in the form of netting^ fences wMcfe would assist nature to do a" certain amount of the reclamation at a small cost. When visited on Friday it was particularly noticeable to those, who. had not *visitea the spot for twelve

mouths, that nature was doing it 3 work very effectively and that high ground was being built up upon whiciht vegetation was clearly in evidence, From these signs, it is proved that tihe policy adapted by the BoaTd, though slow, is being fully justified.

On the south side of Seaview Road t-he Board is now the owner of several acres of good building land which was recently purchased from the native owners at a very satisfactory figure. It is probable that when this valuable block of land js surveyed for subdivision some of it will.be disposed of or leased to, ease t-h'o Board's finances.

The .work of the River Board must be seen to be appreciated, for unlike that of > the Borough Council, much of the most important work is off t>he beaten track and only seen by a few of the ratepayers.

It is to the pioneers of the Hutt River. Board that the present settlers are wholly'indebted, for the prosperity ;of.this,'district: and when one considers 'that the whole! of tKe cost of erecting

the -stop banks isnot yot paid for, but is being met by interest and principal sproiul over a great number of years, it must be -admitted that the administration of the Board has been of the soundest from its inception and that the small amount of rates collected, is , insignificant in comparison to the ser-vices-rendered.