FILLING THE GAP.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3983, 13 August 1929, Page 2

FILLING THE GAP.

FARMERS BANKING SCHEME. SERIOUS POSITION IN MOUTOA OVERCOME. It seems hardly fair that a few settlers in a district should have to bear the expense of certain works which have for their object the protection and 'benefit of the whole district. But such is the case in the Moutoa district to-day. A few settlers are carrying out a banking scheme, which, when completed, will be the means of protecting about 10,000 acres of some of the best land in the Dominion, at present rendered practically useless owing to incessant flooding from the Manawatu River. The Manawatu has been banked the whole of its length throughout the Moutoa for many years, Which banking has been maintained by those interested in the various, properties. Portion of the banking, about twenty chains in extent, was previously maintained by the Manawatu County Council as a protection for their highway approaching the old Shannon bridge. With the recent completion of the new bridge in its new locality, some chains higher up the river, the Council was no longer interested in this particular portion of the bank and when in, May last the big flood experienced in these parts broke through the bank in this locality, the Council, having no roadway to protect, was not in any degree interested in filling the breach. Settiers, however, Were fully aware of the danger constituted in this breach in the hanks. The river bank at this locality is much lower than anywhere else in its entire length and the gap was proving to be a safety vent for’ all the banks in the district while it remained open. A six foot rise in the Manawatu at Fitzherbert was sufficient to flood Whirokino district, completely blocking the Foxton-Levin highway. Almost every fresh of any consequence spilled thirough the breach into the Moutoa. The normal river bank was only four foot above the river and every rise of five foot flooded the low lying Moutoa. Farms were inundated and with the approach of spring the farmers losses were considerable. The Moutoa had gone to pieces. Something had to he done. T'he settlers got together and a number of them, .not all, however, decided to fill the breach. Volunteers were called for and the following provided teams and s'coops: —Messrs J. Chrystall (1), 'F. Bjryant (2), W. E. and 'S. Barber (3), Dr. Wlall (1), W. S. Carter (1), $. Austin (1) and 'Mrs. Tirrell (one horse). The settlers left their farms and undertook the work of erecting the bank themselves. It was at first decided to ‘erect a temporary bank to close the gap and to be of an approximate height of four feet. Later, however, it was decided to make a permanent job of the banking and to throw the earthworks up to a height of about eleven feet. Conditions at first were very trying. Much wet weather was experienced but it was essential that the bank be 'completed at the earliest possible date. Horses were working jin mud up to their girths and frequently became bogged. The men alike were up to the tops of their gum hoots in mud. They were not deterred, however, but carried on with the work and to-day 20 chains of the bank is up and it is anticipated that the work will be completed within a week. The work was commenced five weeks ago and despite the fact that four of those weeks were velry cold and wet only two hours were lost by the men on the job, and when our representative made a tour of inspection of the work yesterday seven teams wfii'e working at full pressure, making the best use of the fine day. The new bank the settlers are erecting has a 35 foot base and is ten foot six inches high and should be safe against the biggest flood, .when it has settled down. Viewed from the top of the bank the course of the flood waters when spilling through the gap was easily discernible. A wide carpet of silt and debiris was spread over a large area of land, the residence'of Mr. Tirrell being right in the track of the flood waters. Silt inches deep suirrounds the house which stands almost directly behind the* gap and with the bank down totally unprotected. From this vantage point, when even a small flood inundated the Moutoa, water could be discerned as far tas the eye could see. Power and P. and T. lines were threatened and given another flood they would have disappeared where they crossed the gap. The old Shannon 'Road which once formed the approach to the old Shannon Bridge, is now on the very edge of the bank and gradually toppling into the river. The hard metal surface has had *a peculiar scouring effect on the land on the other side of the road. During the flood the old road proved, to a certain extent, impervious to the water which rushed over the metal surface and deeply scoured: the land on the other side. Great holes were scooped out and old tree stumps and timber Unearthed. In the centre of this scooped out area the old road has been washed out and the land levelled down to the ordinary bank level of the (river. This is the centre of the gap and has now been successfully closed. The washout is situated at a spot where the river, sweeping around the 'bend, strikes the bank and had this scour not been checked immediately it is more than mare speculation that the rivjer would in a good flood, completely changed its course and swept down through the swamp 1 lands on Messrs Bryant and Spring’s properties and again con-

neeted up with the river a good deal below the site of the old Shannon Bridge, leaving that portion of the country isolated. The new bank extends from the ramp at the old bridge site to the old bank in front of Tirrell’s house. Our representative was conducted over the bank by Mr. S. Barber who! at the time was busily engaged in working a scoop, along with other settlers. Mtr. Barber said that the settlers bad worked very hard at their job under the most trying circumstances. The four foot- bank that it was at first intended to have put up as a temporary measure would not have withstood a eight foot rise in the Manawatu at Woodville, said Mr. Barber, and then all our good work would hape gone for nothing. The Moutoa this season has gone to pieces, he said, due to incessant flooding and the money that farmers have lost owing to this is enormous. Mr. Barbea’ said that when they had taken the matter up settlers in the Whirokino district who were also affected by the break in the bank, bad offered financial assistance. The work had already cost the settlers £4OO, computed on ■ - a scoop and team at 35/- per day. Given a week’s fine weather and the work would be finished, concluded Mtr. Barber, and then farmers would be able to feel a sense of security when a- fresh was reported in the Manawatu River. Asked if there had been any difficulty in obtaining workers for the job, Mr. Bafrber said that practically everyone in the locality recognised that the matter was one of urgency and most of them had responded willingly. “See that bank over there,” he said, pointing out about a chain of bank that had evidently been hurriedly thrown up to temporarily fill the gap while the main bank was being completed, “that work was done by the chairman of the Moutoa Drainage Board (Mr. J. Chrystall) one afternoon. He came along when it looked as if the river was going to break through, took off bis coat and got into jt.” “This,” said Mi’. Barber, “had been typical of most of the settleirs with regal’d to the work.” Although £4OO may appear a small figure and it certainly is when compared -with what it might have cost had the work been undertaken by contractors, there must be added on to this amount the loss of time on the farms throughout the district iwhefie the menfoljk have forsaken their holdings day in and day out for the past five weeks in order to fill the gap. The benefit •■has not only been restricted to the Moutoa and immediate district. Already as a result of the bank being restored the benefit has 'been felt on the Foxton-Leivin highway which, had it not been for the fact that the gap was blocked would have been flooded once again last week, and possibly blocked to traffic for some days.