TO GAUGE FLOODS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1722, 7 June 1917, Page 3

TO GAUGE FLOODS.

A PRACTICAL SCHEME. LOCAL BODIES TO CONFER. At, Tuesday’s meeting of the Kairanga County Council a letter was read from Air A. Seifert dealing with the Hooding of low-lying areas in the vicinity of the Manawatu, PoJiaugina and Oroua rivers, and suggesting that a record of river heights should be taken in order that farmers might lie wprncd of the extent and imminence of coming Jloods, The letter, which had also been sent to the Ilorowhenua County Council, stated that a considerable area of ground in the Kairanga, Manawatu and Ilorowhenua Counties was subject to Jloods, and in order to prevent loss of stock by drowning it was necessary to muster. It was therefore of great importance that reliable information should be ascertained as to the height the Hood waters would rise. At the present time the postmaster at Woodville was instructed by bis Department to send along the information he received to the post ollices at Shannon, Moutoa, etc., as to the stale of the Manawatu river. This was very good as far as it went, but at the same time there was no properly organised system by which farmers who had stock in Hooded areas were able to gauge the height the water would rise. In order to get over the difficulty, Air Seifert suggested that the Manawatu, Kairanga and Ilorowhenua Counties should join forces by setting up a committee to go carefully into the whole question and make arrangements for information to be supplied as to the stale of the Manawatu, Poliangina and Oroua rivers when in Hood, lie enclosed for consideration a form which he suggested should be kepi at places where the height of the rivers were recorded. At these places a gauge should be placed, and when telephoning information about the river they should merely slate the height the water was on the gauge and record it on the form provided. By taking a record every two hours if the river was rising rapidly, people in the low-lying country would be in a position to know by making inquiries how rapidly the river was rising and the height the water would ultimately rise to. By organising such a system the records would become more and mure valuable, so that farmers would soon be in a position to tell the height the water would be and Die extent of the country that would Hood. Air Seifert regarded Hie matter of so much importance that lie was prepared to donate £5 towards the expenses of Die eommillee that would go into the question. The chairman said that the question was an important one. During the last Hoods there were no signs of the rivers rising locally, yet in a few hours the Oroua was over its banks. Councillors were generally of the opinion Dial, Die suggestion was an cxcelleni one. The matter was of vital importance to Die settlers in Die low-lying country. It was decided that the Chairman, Crs Small and Moodic, with power (o add to tbeir number, should represent the Council to go into the matter with delegates from Die other local bodies concerned.