KING COUNTRY RIVERS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 268, 15 June 1910, Page 2

KING COUNTRY RIVERS.

Reviving old Waterways. A public meeting, called by the Waipa Navigation Committee, was held at Pirongia on Monday night. There was a good attendance and Mr G. Macky presided. The chairman asked the secretary (Mr J. W. Skuse) to read the committee's report. In it Mr A. S. Ormsby inferred to the great importance of the river as a highway in times past and expressed the opinion that its navigability could be secured without facing a large outlay. It might be done for £SOO, certainly for less than £IOOO. The report added that a commmittee of seven members Messrs 11. Meyer, W. G. Macky, A. S. Ormsby, C. Ormsby, W. Serancke, W. Symes ar.d J. E. Skuse was formed and a subscription list opened. Mr J. E. Skuse was elected treasurer and chairman of the committee.

Mr W. H. Adams, engineer to the Waitomo County, submitted the following report on the Waipa river between Pirongia and Kopua:—"Between the two bridges there are four rapids, known as the Mangiuka rapids. There is two feet of water in the shallowest parts, but it would not be a very costly matter to deepen them to three feet, and when once cleared they should keep so for all time. Or the water could be conducted to them by means of a training wall, which should be made of No. 8 hand-made wire-netting bags filled with large stones, which are now to be obtained on the site. These would deepen the water, as well as cause a greater scour. The only other rapida are the Arataura and Wharemohe. Both these rapids are composed of very hard conglomerate rock, and when a channel is once cleared will be no further trouble. There are nine shallows with only about two feet of water on them, none of them exceeding a chain in length. These are of very fine shingle, and easily deepened, but as there is very little current at these places it will probably be found necessary to construct training walls, to cause sufficient scour to keep them open. These walls, if made of acacia posts, driven about six feet apart and three, feet above the ground, with cyclone woven wire well stapled to them, and some manuka woven in, would last f"r many years. The only othsr work which requires doing is clearing a few snags and willows. I would suggest that the channel be cleared to a depth of three feet and a width of sixteen feet. This should be ample for a boat drawing twenty-four inches at any season. I should also mention that the Puniu river could easily be made navigable for a distance of two miles from its junction with the Waipa. • My estimate for completing all the works mentioned in my report is £420." Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., wrote apologising for absence, explaining that any day he expected to hear from the Minister with reference to the proposed trip to Kawhia. Apologies were also received from Mr Walter Symc-s, Councillor W. Hoffman and Major Lusk. Mr H. J. Greenslade, M.P., accompanied by Mr Wm. Goodfellow in the latter's auto-buggy, had promised to be present and were on the way, but the machine broke down at Paterangi. Mr Arthur Ormsby, who had accompanied Mr Adams when making the inspection, saw no great difficulties to be overcome in clearing the river to Kopua. If it could be made navigable it would save twelve miles of cartage and in winter time would relieve the roads, when they were at their worst, by taking heavy traffic off them. Mr J. E. Skuse, said it was a pity the waterways were not used more. He mentioned that the Waitomo County had spent money in snagging and ring-barking willows in the rivers. The clearing of the river below Pirongia could not cost a great deal; from Pirongia to Te Kopua was about ten miles and a further ten miles to Otorohanga. Above that point the river was navigable (o Hangatiki, six miles, so all chat was wanted was the clearing from just below Pirongia to Otorohanga to make the river useable from Te Kuiti to Mercer. It would open up thousands of acres and generally develop an immense district. Mr Allen Bell, Hamilton, said that it gave him great pleasure to give his assistance. His only objection was the limitation of the scheme to Pirongia and di strict. The waterways from Pirongia to the Manukau and again right up to Te Kuiti should be developed and made navigable, and if they could get the whole people together the scheme could be carried through. He knew it was a practical one. He recognised that progress within the last forty or fifty years had been in favour of tbe railways. But now we were beginning to recognise the value of our waterways and to follow the splendid example set by our kinsmen in America. Ho would like to see the people of Pirongia working hand in hand with the people of Waiuku and Te Kuiti. lie had travelled about a good deal and the question that met him everywhere was "Why is this question not taken up?" Here we were, prepared to spend any amount of money on our railways, and for a very small sum this magnificent waterway could be made navigable. Mr John Ormsby, Otorohanga, said that in olden days, before Auckland was a city, a great deal of the traffic was on the river and all the tributaries of the Waipa were used in bringing produce down to the centres. It was gratifying to see that action was at last being taken, and he was glad to see that Te Kuiti people were nlercsting themselves in the project. Pirongia in the old days acted as a distributing centre for the whole of the Waikato, and at one time it was a common sight to see as many as one hundred and fifty canoes tied up on the beach below the town. What it had once been it could be again. The river couid be made thpir highway, and in winter would be useable when ordinary roads were not. There should be no opposition whatever to the scheme. From the great extent of country to be served compared with the cost of the scheme he predicted that any taxation would not exceed one-sixteenth of a penny in the £. Mr J. A. Ormsby, Tc Rau-a-Moa. speaking on behalf of that district, said the scheme would give an impetus to trade which few could imagine at

the present time. Dairying would be ensured a regular collecting service. He felt sure the movement would be valuable to this district, and he would help'it all he possibly could. Mr H. W. Atkinson, To Kuiti, said , he had mentioned the scheme to Major \ Lusk, who had promised to give all \ the assistance he could. Twenty years \ ago the contractor for the Poro-o-tarao \ tunnel had brought his supplies nearly > to Tc Kuiti by barges, and in 18(50 I the Natives were using the river regu- | larly from Te Kuiti for carrying their wheat to Auckland. What was done in those days could be done again. Mr W. Masson, Karamu, referred to the small bar two miles below Pirongia, which had interfered with the motor boat service to Pirongia. He would do his share to get that bar removed.

The chairman said that before any attempt was made to raise a loan to finance the scheme they must have some security that the three counties, Waitomo, Waipa and Raglan, were interested. Mr John Ormsby said there were three ways of financing the scheme: by private enterprise, by a subsidy from Government or by a county rate. Mr Skuse explained that the Act permitted a River Board to ho established where damage was to be checked and the County Councils had certain powers to strike a rate.

Mr Bell said the method most favoured at the recent canal eonferenco was local rating, with the idea of getting a subsidy from the Government. He suggested a small committee should report on the matter. Mr John Ormsby proposed that the committee already elected take steps to find the best means of obtaining funds and report.

Mr A. W. Jones seconded. The motion was carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to Mr Bell for his speech closed the proceedings.