River Improvement.
The meeting at Shannon on Friday night ended in the best manner that it could. There have been other meetings held about relieving-the Manawatu river of flood waters, at which much hiis been said but nothing has been done. This is not surprising when the vast area affected is considered and the enormous and powerful volume of water to be dealt with known. If the extra water entering the Manawatu, at flood ime, could safely be reduced, sufficiently ti prevent it overflowing the adjoining lands, the proprietors of these properties affected would bo immensely benefitted, as also the district indirectly. There has been no scheme, as yet, set before the settlers worthy of discussion. What suggestions; have been made, have been by the merest amateurs whose knowledge of the power of water has been small. We have had given no area of the lands affected, no computation of the immense body of water to be dealt with, and last, but certainly not least, no approximate estimate of the cost. It might be possible to achieve what is wanted, but it might cost far more than the land saved from flooding would be worth. Before a matter can be discussed reliable data must bo obtained, and if the land owners are not sufficiently interested to secure the facts, no one else can be, and it must lie with the Government to do it, if it is to be done. Thus the feeling of the meeting showed itself and a deputation is to proceed to see whether the Government will take the necessary levels and secure the other needed information. We fear the deputation will be disappointed, as a scheme must comprehend all the low lands from the Gorge to the mouth of the Manawatu, which in turn would include the Pohangina and Oroua rivers, being a costly piece of work, but under no other consideration would a Government consider a scheme,.'
The very people that would be most benefited by having floods made a thing of the past have made no move, and we fear the Government will seize on this as a good excuse for refusing to move in the matter. We feel, neutral in this, as though indirectly the whole district would gain by the developement of rich land, we know that ’the owners of flooded land became possessors of it at a cheap price, because it was flooded, and all costs should rightly fail upon their shoulders. Still what the Government might do would be to appoint some able man to view the district thoroughly, who, without taking levels, could ascertain the volume of water to be dealt with, at the speed it comes through the Gorge, and report whether, in his opinion a project to . keep floods off these low lying lands, by flood outlets to the sea, has sufficient appearance of being practicable at a'cost which could be borne by the lands affected, as tq justify the expense of procuring further And more aco-raie and detailed information. The enthusiasm shown in the proposals do not justify anything more.
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Manawatu Herald, 23 September 1902, Page 2
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514River Improvement. Manawatu Herald, 23 September 1902, Page 2
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