THE MENACE OF THE LAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2587, 31 May 1923, Page 4

THE MENACE OF THE LAND.

CAUSES OF DRIFTS AND THEIR FIXATION.

THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRES AFFECTED.

The question of arresting the sand drift on this coast, which threatens to envelop in its advance many thousands of acres of fertile grasslands, has engaged the attention of local bodies, public men and writers to the press for many years, but the problem gets no nearer solution from a national viewpoint as the years go by. A “Chronicle representative has recently had the opportunity of enquiring into the subject, and it certainly seems that, through the activities of the recent-ly-created Forestry Department, there is more hope of grappling with this economic waste than ever before. The result of our representative’s observations, states the “Chronicle,” will be published in a series of short articles, of which the first appears below. 1. . THE PROBLEM. A matter of. grave importance to this County as well as to many others, more particularly on the West Coast of New Zealand, is the drift-ing-sand dunes, which every year cover a larger area of what a few years ago was valuable grazing country. The area of drifting and practically unproductive sand around the New Zealand coasts is approximately 300,000 acres, a huge area, which, when it is understood that i nearly the whole extent has taken on its present character within the last forty years becomes even more significant.

Along this coast the sand stretches in an unbroken strip from Paraparaumu to Patea, varying in width from half a mile to two miles and more, and every year sees hundred's of additional acres of grass covered. Naturally the question arises: “How has this sudden increase come about ? According to old settlers along the coast from Foxton to Otaki,. up to about 1880 there was only one low sand-ridge or fore-dune of partly bare sand, the-whole of the remaining country inland being grassed or covered with -scrub. This dune was not drifting, but was sparsely covered with a growth - of toi toi, manuka, pingao, and marram-like grass called taitoro. And although it might, in a strong storm, break in places, and start a -small drift, it rapidly was bound-again by the quicker growing roots of the taitoro. Several causes- combined to alter this condition of things,•••amongst which heavy stocking with cattle was perhaps the principal one, as tending to keep the .surface continually broken. The other causes were the sustained westerly wind, which dating from this time, blew throughout the autumn for many years, and the burning of patches of covering scrub. It- is doubtful, however, if either of these latter causes would have been sufficient without the breaking of the surface by heavy cattle feeding on the palatable sand grasses. Once the fore-dune was broken, the disentegration of the whole system of grass-covered sand hills followed. This destruction of what was a protecting rampart, enabled the drifting sand to destroy the vegetation on the country further inland, and thus facilitated the process of devastation. What has-happened in this locality is only an example of the process which had obtained all along the coast and it is important to remember, in relation to later explanations, firstly that the drift did not start until cattle had broken the coastal, dune, and secondly that the destruction, of this coastal dune and the consequent loss of its protection started in many eases independent drifts further back from the coast where the full force of the wind struck.

What the limits of the present drift will be it is difficult to say. The whole of the coastal hillock system stretching back considerably beyond the limits of the present loose sand, is the result of some former drift which reached a distance of probably twice that now attained. If not cheeked < there is no reason why the present drift should not attain the same dimensions, but there are rather several reasons why it should become even larger, the main one being, again, the existence of stock on hills that formerly were undisturbed in this respect.

- Recognising then the necessity for action if this drift is to be stopped, the question arises as to.. f who should be responsible for dealing with what is a very large problem, and there are many reasons why it should not be left to private enterprise. In the first instance the cost

of stopping the drift effectively and permanently, is considerable, and secondly, it is inadvisable that the control of the reclaimed forshore should pass out of the hands of the State which might be relied upon to exercise a judicious restraint in its exploitation. It is only fair to the* Government to state that it has recognised that this is a national question, and has already entrusted to the Forestry Department activities in connection with experimental work directed towards discovering the cheapest and most effective manner of dealing with the problem. The work of this Department, however, is only experimental in as far as it is necessary to find out what modifications are advisable to a well-recognised plan, the reclamation of sand dunes having been accomplished successfully in France, a hundred years ago. In this country we have one difficulty which Napoleon, who placed this work on an effective footing in France, did not have to contend with. This is the fact that a large extent of sand dunes in this country is owned by the native race, who will not themselves contribute anything towaids the cost of reclamation, and foi dealing with whom in this connection no adequate legal maeliinei \ exists. This however, would not appear to be an unsunnountable difficulty once a bold policy of reclamation could be decided on.