SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1905. RIVER- BANK PROTECTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3498, 18 March 1905, Page 2

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1905. RIVER- BANK PROTECTION.

A matter that must s'rike the visitor to Foxt-.n in an unfavourable light is the indifference exhibited in the preservation of the river banks. While HI in sleeps Nat Life c’dntiilnei her labours, never resting. In many places along the Manawatu River the natural process cjf erosion has been greatly aided since the advcdii dt seltloirunt and the clearing of the native vegetation which formerly held the edges of the banks firmly together. Here and there farsighted pulmtefif showed theif sense of appreciation of future pbkslbilities by planting willows along the banks, ana iii these places we find a good growth of the trees, who.?e interlacing roots now hold the ear.h intact and m dntain a steady channel of,even depth., For in,a river sliclt as (lie id and wit d; subject frt periodical flooding and consequently varying enrren s, great inroads are made upon the banks in many places. The action of the water sronrs out the land and silts lip the bed. thus shoaling the water and causing the reduced channel to vary in Ibcdti -ii after every flood. If sufficient Wferest' couM be aroused among the pe -pie they would surely unite in placing the position before the Government and seeking assistance for planting the river bank wherever necessary. The import ancc of keeping the river open for navigation is beyond qu- stiou, and now (hat it is in f.dr order otepcshould he taken to avert any danger of its shoaling. The m r-t economical and effectual way of securing this result is, we arc assured, to preserve the banks. By doing this the water is kept in one uniform charnel, and the force of the current, or the “scour," will remove any sediment that may have a tendency to pro luce sh dk.r-.vs in the navigable parts. The considerable shipping trade of this port will thus go on unhindered, and without the aid ot any expensive dredging. We trust to s -> e something more dona in this matter before the willow-planting season is over.