The Sand Drift.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 301, 15 March 1907, Page 2

The Sand Drift.

The following is tbe interesting r<p rt on the above subj*xst by Mr A. J. M untfort, rerd at tbe last meeting of the Kawhia Town Board : “ To the Chief Surveyor, Auckland. Sir,—ln reply to yonr memo, of tbe 27ch 1907,1 hav« the honour to inform you that I have made an iospaciiop of the southern portion of the sand drift to west of Kawhia and find that it ic advancing at an alarming rata. Io ! sanding : n plan? ir Block V • Knvliii Nc.’.ii t bis drift-wa« 11”-de-it and a> I then pointed ou. something is done at once theParangi Lake, Town of Kawhia, and Te Puru Township (Native) will be drifted over. My pegs wore covered 1 inches in 24 hours. I have consulted Mr. W. A. Mason, wbo holds under lease, also leases to the east, and agree wish him that the only way to stop the send is to plant lines of tree lupins from north t> south with sand grass and other sand growing plants between; he b&s spent a considerable amount of timv and nrney experimenting on this drift and says that tree lupins will grow in sand if about a pint of earth is need to each seed to give it a start. Sand grass itself is of do use to stop this as it has gone too far; also tbe planting would want to bs in lines of say 10 chains apart or according to the nature of the drift planter!; perhaps lupins and grass along tbe coast line and then leave half a mile, then plant a few lines of lupins at 10 chains inwards. The average width of drift is about J miles while the sand is about If miles wide. From what I saw al Pataruru in the Selwyn Estate, black wattles would grow on a grsit portion of this and eventually pay well for planting. The tree lupins being first used to hold tbe sand while young tree? get a start. From my own observation during the last seven years, the drift has advanced more in the last 2 than in the previous five. I have oonmlted some of the oldest natives and they agree with me as to the alarming nature of the drift. Unfortunately the greater portion of this sand is in the hands of the natives. If notified, I could attend and point out to the minister the enoroachraeni of the drift during tbe last seven years. The length of the drift to be dealt with is from three to four miles, and

averaging about * of a mile in width.” Ina further report on section 3, block V, Kawhia North, 925 acres, Mr M mntfert says : —“ The 2s 6d is unly provisional; anyone taking ibis section could only do so as a speculation; in its present state it would not pay for f ncing and ia a very few yiars the little grass there is will be covered with *and, which is travelling very fast. Ln reference to this sand drift which is a most important matter, Mr. W. A. Mason (who is leasing most of the adjoining land) has spent a considerable amount of time and money trying to stop this drift to the north and south of ibis section; he has given ms all the information in his power as to the way tbe drift Is travelling, which h?ar out my notes made over tbe last ?even years which is', that unless something is dona, in a few years, the uitivo settlement at Maketu will be covered and the sand will be in the t >wiubip of Kawhia. Some idea of how the sand travels will be gathered from the fact that a peg put in back from tbe main drift on Saturd»y was covered six inches deep on Monday. I have gone pretty fully in*.6 the matter of this drift as it is a 111 >st important urgent one. To let this section without stringent restrictions inightmean the destruction f practically all tbe arable land betweet? Kawhia and Ao tea Harbour.”