River Traffic,

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 28 January 1916, Page 2

River Traffic,

THE petition presented to • the River Board by the masters of launches and steamers and others interested in the working of the River is worthy of the support of all people living along or near the river bank.

Year by year the river traffic is increasing and big loads of seeds, wire, oils etc, are brought up the river at a considerable saving of freight over the railway and huge quantities of coal are shipped down stream. It is essential to this traffic that the River should be kept open, and without doubt, it is the business of the Government to provide the funds for this purpose.

It is within the memory of many old rivermen, that the river once had plenty of water and a good channel at all periods of the year, but gradually the river has widened out, and the v ater has become shallower, till now it is almost impossible for boats of more than two feet draught to get up in summer time. Added to this shallowness we have the presence in the River at several points of snags and stumps and as these are usually present in the deeper water, the navigation is made more dangerous still.

It is agreed, that the only way to make the river navigable is to erect groynes at the wider parts and to get out the snags and stumps that are in the channel. The snags and stumps are perhaps the greater troubles and should be dealt witli first, while the erection of groynes, which need not be expensive, for willows judiciously, planted would answer very well indeed, could be gone on with gradually the worst places being done first, by this means, a good and safe channel would soon be formed, traffic would increase, and the motion of the vessels passing up and down would help to ke.-p the sand moving, and so stop to some extent the formation of sandbanks. It is the duty of every Local body and every member of Parliament in the area affected, to interest himself in this matter, and to urge upon the Government the necessity of granting a liberal amount each year, to be spent on permanent work in opening up a channel for the passage of vessels.