DEVELOPMENT OF MAKERUA.

Shannon News, 31 October 1922, Page 3

DEVELOPMENT OF MAKERUA.

DREDGE BEGINS OPERATIONS

AN AUSPICIOUS COMMENCEMENT

The Makerua Land Drainage Board reached another milestone yesterday in the huge scheme of development which it has taken in hand in the Makerua swamp country. Somei time ago the Board determined on the protection from floods of the big area lying on the south-east side of the Manawatu River between Linton and Shannon, the idea being to convert the land into dairying property owing to it becoming denuded of flax through the yellow-leaf disease. A banking scheme along the river was put in hand to prevent, the incursion of flood waters, and up till now between 15 and 16 miles have been completed by a. fine Marion excavator, which has proved a great- success. The scheme also provided for the opperation of a dredge of the Marion type for drainage and banking purposes within the area which the main banking system was enclosing. Kara creek, on the main road between Shannon and Makerua, was selected as a convenient site for constructing the dredge and the undertaking hais been duly completed, and launched on its mission of usefulness. The official function took place yesterday, when the first bucket of spoil walT raised from the floor of the cut and deposited on the bank.

A REPRESENTATIVE gathering. As was fitting, the Makerua Board bad prepared a function in keeping with the importance of the occasion, and'a large and representative gathering assembled to witness the initial operation of the digger which is destined to make the, mud. fly to some purpose in the Makerua swamp. In addition to Messrs. Joseph Liggins (chairman) ,H. Akers, R. T. Bell and B. Tippler, of the Drainage Board, representatives of the Kairanga County Council, Horowhenua County Council, Manawatu Drainage Board, Manawatu River Board, Horowhenua Power Board and Shannon Borough Council, Public Works and County Council engineers, residents of the adjoining district, in addition to' a large number of ladies were present.

DEALING WITH DRAINAGE PROBLEM. After an inspection of the dredge and machinery, the chairman of the Board (Mr Liggins) set the machinery in motion, and directed the discharge of the first bucket of material. Thereafter, the dredge went on with its work, and the expeditious way in which it operates, moving huge quantities of spoil in a minimum of time, shows the machine to be thoroughly fitted for the task before it.

In addressing the gathering, Mr Liggins said the trustees of the Board were very pleased to- see such a large and representative gathering present at the official starting of their dredge. After touching on the early history of the Makerua swamp and its sub-divi-sion and sale, Mr Liggins stated the next question that arose was that of drainage. A canvass of the district was made, and the Governor was petitioned to form a special drainage district, and after some rather strenuous opposition on the part of adjacent owners, and even of owners in the district, the Board was formed and the district Loans were then raised, and Board and private drains cut, which drained the land sufficiently to grow vast fields of flax, and many mills were erected to deal with the flax. After about 10 years of prosperous flax-milling came the blights of various kinds and root fungus, which up to now had destroyed nearly all the flax between Makerua and Linton, and extending from the railway line to the Manawatu River.

Then came the: question of how to deal with this land denuded of flax to make it productive. Mr Alfred Seifert visited America on a health trip and j informed the trustees of the fine work done in America by steam dredges. He advised the Board to purchase a Marion dredge at a cost of some £II,OOO. Then came the question of raising the money. Authority was given by the ratepayers to the Board to raise a loan of £IOO,OOO by debentures, the authority being signed by every ratepayer. So the Marion dredge was bought. This dredge would dig and deposit where required \\ yards of earthwork in sixteen seconds. Since starting work the dredge has completed 13£ miles of bank, from Akers’ homestead at Linton to Whitanui mill, near Shannon. There were about; seven or -eight miles more to do to complete the hanking of the Manawatu River. The floating pontoon dredge, which 1 was starting operations that day, was of somewhat different construction. Mr a fred Seifert inspected many dredges, and the dredge which the, Board had pur based was the result of bis advice. The pontoon was built on ike ground of Oregon timber. No timbers here were of sufficient length. The cost of the dredge would be about *he same as the first dredge, £II,OOO. The

present dredge was intended to go from its present site to the mouth cf

the Tokomaru stream, then r;gh: through to Linton, via the Tokomaru River and main drain, cutting its way as it goes, making a channel 24ft wide, and depositing the spoil each side to form the banks. The area of the Makerua lands was about 20,000 acres. The land w r as very rich, being the deposit of ages, the work of the Manawatu and Tokomaru Rivers. THE BOARD’S THANKS.

“At this time I desire to thank Mr A. Seifert for his work and time in inspecting dredges in America,” the chairman continued. “This work he has done at his own cost entirely. The thanks of the Board are due, also, to Mr Loughnan in the matter of raising the debentures, and he also gave a great amount of his time and legal knowledge. The work of the engineers, Messrs. Jickel and Gilmour, is not yet done, but as far as their work is carried on to the present it. has been well done, and the result satisfactory. The trustees of the Board are Messrs. Akers, Bell, Liggins, A. Seifert and Tippler. These trustees have given valuable time and thought, with the hope that on completion of the works they will have merited the thanks of the community they represent. I conclusion, I may say this is a work carried on exclusively by and for the ratepayers of the Board.” Mr 1 Liggins stated further that valuable assistance had been rendered by Mr J. B. Thomson, engineer of the Government drainage works at Hauraki, who was unavoidably absent that day, and from whom' an apology had been received. (Hear, hear.) “TWO BLADES OF GRASS.” Mr Joseph Linklater, on behalf of the adjoining local bodies, thanked the BoaJrd for the invitation to be present to witness the opening demonstration by the new dredge. “It is said,” the speaker continued, “that the man who grows two blades of grass where one grew before is doing a good service to the community. The Board had done more, for in these swamps where eels were once the only product, it was hoped to convert, into prosperous farms.” Mr Linklater hoped the Board’s undertaking would be quite successful. He commented on the construction of 16 miles of banking along the' river, and said the use of similar machines for drainage work on the Hauraki Plains was a great success. With the Makerua made more productive—and what we want is more production —it would become one of the best districts in the whole of New Zealand. He congratulated the Board on its enterprise, and wished its scheme every success. • .

SETTLERS HELPING THEMSELVES. Mr R. T. Bell, a member of the Board, stated that as a flaxmiller he realised that the yellow leaf was driving his land out of production. This was the view of the members of the Board, and in order to turn their unproductive land to better account, the Board had purchased the first, dredge, and now the second machine was ready. He remarked that in similar work in the north the Government had assisted the settlers, but here the settlers had to help themselves, and were going to do their owii job. (Applause.) The Makerua Board was only dealing with the land on this side of the river. For years past the Makerua had been the spilhYay for “old man” floods, and had been regularly inundated, but the flax had saved owners from serious loss, though the number of stock destroyed was large. That condition, however, could not continue, and the owners had to protect themselves from floods. Modern machinery had now been installed for that purpose, and when the scheme was fully realised, this piece of country would be unequalled in New Zealand. (Hear, hear.)

NOTHING LIKE FLAX. Mr H. A. Seifert said he might be striking a discordant, note, bult he thought his father (Mr A. Seifert) held the same opinion as the speaker that flax was the most profitable of any form of farming, and flax was the true, crop for that country. Captain Preece, of Palmerston North, stated that reclamation through drainage would make the district go ahead, and the district must have a great- future. The Drainage Board entertained the large company in liberal style, and visitors altogether spent an interesting time. THE DREDGE.

The new dredge, which gave an excellent demonstration of its possibilities yesterday, is of the bucket type, the whole of the plant being installed on a pontoon. The bucket operates at the. end of a huge shovel handle, which piece of machinery works through a massive “jib” of eight or nine tons in weight, supported by substantial stays. The great bucket, weighing close on two tons itself, is as deftly handled as though it weighed as many pounds, and plunged below water emerges again in a few seconds filled with, spoil. Yesterday the bucket, was being filled and emptied twice in a little over a minute. The work of moving the dredge along the cut is another simple operation, done by the dredge’s own power. The

dredge will have one mile of country to cut 'before reaching the Tokomaru Diver, and the business-like way in which it tackled the job yesterday seems to indicate it. will fulfil everything expected of it and that it will play no small part in the future of the Makerua.

Mr C. E. Taylor, who has charge of the construction of the pontoon and installation of the machinery, under the supervision of the Board’s engineers, Messrs. Jickell and Giirnour, was.in charge of the machinery yesterday, and to him much of the sue cess of the demonstration was du c ..