SHUTTING OUT FLOODS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2191, 19 October 1920, Page 4

SHUTTING OUT FLOODS.

GREAT STOP-BANK SCHEME IN

LOWER- MANAWATI

The flooding of the lands in the lower Afanawatu district through the river overflowing its banks, has for many years presented a problem to the land owners in that part of the country for which, until recent years, no practical solid on has been evolved, The result has been that some 20,000 acres of rich alluvial land than which no better can be found in this country, and possibly in the world has been subject to conditions which rendered agricultural and pastoral fanning a hazardous undertaking. Apart from the damage which the water itself does, it carries down from the upper reaches of the river, large quantities of goats, rue weed, which has been spread all over the land, and growing easily in the fertile soil,

presents a grave menace to the farming community. If it were allowed to go unchecked it would eventually be impossible to eradicate it. The land owners see (heir only hope of getting rid of the weed in preventing it from being spread.further by the floods, and they hope to clear it out altogether when the stop banks are built. For many years the owners of (he flaxmills in the district were not disturbed by the recurring problem of the flood*, for the reason that the hardy flax plant was benelitted rather than retarded by the visitations of the river. Latterly, however the yellow leaf blight has done irreparable damage in the (lax areas. Some 5200 acres have been affected by the disease, and while some of the ground may produce Jlax, it is safe to say that not a quarter of the original output, will be yielded. When the owners decided to convert nearly all the land to dairying and grazing purposes. they were then confronted with the same difficulty which had previously confronted the farmers. From the river bank the land slopes down, and the intervening country is largely swamp, the soil of which is alluvial deposit to a great depth. It was recognised that the only way in which the river could be conlined within its bed was to build a stop bank high enough to prevent tile water making its way over in times of Hood. When it is considered that in order to make such a scheme effective about forty miles of -hop bank along the river and the tributaries to it, beside* carrying out drainage schemes in various places, it will be realised that it was a huge and expensive' operation. As a matter of fact it was estimated that (he scheme, which has now been undertaken, will cost from £BO,OOO to £IOO,OOO, or about £5 per acre for the area of land affected. A ben the proposal was first suggested, meetings of landholders in the district were called, and after due consideration. it was decided to embark on a banking scheme. This scheme includes the construction o( a hank on the right hand side 1 of the river with an average height of six fed from Linton to Shannon, a distance of about 23 miles, and a further 18 miles of banking on the tributaries, a total of If miles. If is estimated dial flu- banking scheme alone involves the removal of .1,500,001) yards of soil. The scheme, which was a( first in the bands of private enterprise, v,as afterwards tran-ferred for administrative purposes to the control of the Makerua Drainage Board, of which Mr 3. Liggins i- the chairman. A few months ago the engineers in charge of (lie scheme (.Messrs -Tickell and Gilmour) completed their survey and submitted their calculations and estimates off the cost to the Drainage Board. For a. time the work of building tho bank was proceeded with by means of horse-drawn scoops, but the cost; of construction by this method, and the time which it was csiimaled it would require to complete the full scheme, convinced the land-owner.-, and Ihe Board that some more up-to-date and effective method would have to he introduced if the work were to he completed within a reasonable period. The Board therefore decided to procure modern machinery lo carry it out. Abouf that time Mr A. Seifert, one of the land-owners concerned, was on a trip to'America.’ and a cable was sent authorising him lo place an order for the machinery required. Mr Seifert spent several weeks investigating machinery for such work, and finally placed his order with Hie Marion Coy., Ohio, who were wellknown manufacturers of excavating machinery, for the delivery in Ncw Zealand of a steam-driven excavator.

A few weeks ago the machine ordered arrived in Xew Zealand, and has since been assembled at Makerua. A Manawatu Daily Times representative, by the courtesy of Mr Hub'll Akers, visited the scene of operations a few days ago, and had a splendid opportunity of seeing the excavator at work. The machine is known as the Marion Xo.’3(j dragline excavator. In appearance, it resembles a single-bucket dredge such as is used in many of our harbours, but for the purposes of transport it is mounted on caterpillar wheels reminiscent of the tanks used in the war. The upper part of the machinery moves on g, swivel base, and thus the long steel boom which carries at the end of cable ropes the bucket which doeJ the actual excavation work, swings the bucket from loner ground to the bank. This ■ bucket, like a huge shovel, witli a capacity of one and a-half yards, itself weighs 3,0001h5., and after scooping out two tons of earth, heaves it on to the ground

on which the hank is being erected. With adjustment: the boom may be made 1.0 operate a steam shovel. The excavator is capable, on an average, of digging out and banking over fid yards of soil per hour. Some idea of what that means can be gathered from the fact that a man working with a scoop and two horses can only do 40 yards per day. Mr Seifert mentioned to our reporter that in California, where he saw many similar excavators at work, one contractor told him that with 13 men working by three shifts, night and day, they removed 1,500 yards per day. The labour saved by (his machinery is very great, as the whole thing can be operated by two men and a rouso-about. It is intended, when the scheme lias been fully organised, to work two shifts on this machine. For purposes of working at night, the excavator hi liilcd with an electric searehight generated by its own engine. The excavator cost about •£IO,OOO, on which duty of £2,000 had to be paid. With this machine, it is estimated that the banking scheme cun he completed in two and a-ha!f years. The four chains or so of ground already taken out and hanked by the machine discloses the great depth to which (his splendid alluvial soil descends. Except for stumps here and there, the work of excavation is a simple iimDer for Iho hig u Pagc” bucket employed. Mr •). Bryce is the engineer in charge of the machine.

Apart from the prospect of opening up new farming areas, it O anticipated that when the scheme is completed, the main road through, the Makerua swamp will eventually become the trunk route from Palmers) on Norl lito Shannon, as it will provide level going all (he way. It is also probable that (his will join up with the piece being constructed between Levin and Shannon, and thus furnish a level run from Palmerston North lo Shannon, as it ers recently completed a survey for loading the properly with a view in culling it up later on into small farming areas. In the years to come these broad acres should be turned into a settlement of the mostprosperous farms in the country. The soil is there, and given tho chance the scheme will provide land which for purposes of full production will be second lo none.