MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2630, 8 September 1923, Page 3

MANAWATU-OROUA RIVER.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Ma-nawatu-Oroua River Board was held at Palmerston North on Wednesday. Mr R. T. Bell presided. Also present were Messrs 11. Wilton, W. S. Carter, A. Seifert, H. Akers, K. McDonald, M. F. Anderson, N. P. Neilsen, and W. Smith. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr F. C. Hay) reported that the surveys of the Manawatu river were making fair progress, and it was expected to have the lower section completely surveyed in from six to eight week’s time. Check levels had been carried to Rangiotu, and were now being extended to along the upper sections of the river to Palmerston North and Kopane. A decided improvement had been made in the channel of the Oroua river by the clearing of willows and other vegetation from the banks, but the work was somewhat incomplete, some of the settlers not doing their work in a satisfactory manner. The engineer recommended a. move be made in the direction of fixation of sand drifts at the month of the Manawatu river, and that the Forestry Department be requested to advise the Board in connection therewith. The present position of the work was as follows: —Surveys and plans had been made for relief cuts in the vicinity of Foxton and submitted to the Foxton Harbour Board for its consideration. It would be a matter of two months before the Board would be in a position to judge whether the cut most favoured would be in the best position for the overflow channel and the rectification works above Foxton. Should it be found that this partieular cut was on a line for everything involved it would be expedient to make a start as early as possible, to enable a channel with sufficient capacity to take flood waters to be scoured out before the upper works were completed. —Adopted. GENERAL. It was resolved that letters of thanks be written to the Hon. E. Newman, Messrs J. A. Nash and J. Linklater, M.’sP., for the valuable services rendered by them in seeing the passage through Parliament at the recent session of the ManawatuOroua River District Bill. The engineer was instructed to arrange a conference between himself and the engineer of the Public Works Department and the engineer of the Foxton Harbour Board, to consider whether the proposals already made by the River Board for a cut in the vicinity of Foxton was in the best interests of the port of Foxton.

It was decided that steps be taken by the Board to enforce the clearing of the channel of the Oroua. by. the settlers in a satisfactory manner, and in accordance with the engineer’s requirements. It was resolved to request the cooperation of the Palmerston North and Foxton Chambers of Commerce and Foxton Harbour Board in an endeavour to secure the assistance of the Forestry Department in the planting of sand dunes as recommended to the engineer.