RIVER SILTING.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4387, 18 March 1909, Page 3

RIVER SILTING.

We have been asked to reprint the following letter which appeared in a recent issue of the Ohinemuri Gazette. The question of the silting up of the river is one that, in a more or less degree, effects the whole of the inhabitants of the Thames Valley. At the present time a fair proportion of merchandise, farm implements, wool, flax, and mining requisites is couveved up and down the river to and from Auckland and elsewhere. The river freight being about one-half of the railway charges. If. the silting of the river is allowed to continue, the inevitable result can easily be imagined. It behoves the residents of Te Aroha and district to put in their protest against the silting nuisance. (To the Editor.)

Sir, —It is regrettable that the New Zealand Herald in its leader of the 10th inst. should have so far derogated from its high position as one of the premier papers of the Dominion, as to take upon itself the responsibility of statements, which the most cursory enquiries would have shown to be incorrect. Undoubtedly it is the privilege, as well as the duty of the press to freely criticise any supposed or real wrong or abuse affecting the public, regardless of those interested either way. To this no one could object, provided such criticism was based on correct data and reasonable inferences drawn from them.

This we regret to say was not the case in the leading article referred to, as far as Ohinemuri and the silting question was concerned. From its references, such as calling the Waihou River, (including the Ohinemuri) a stream, the ordinary reader, unacquainted with the district, would naturally assume it to be a petty little river, instead of one of tfie finest navigable ones in the colony. Again, it refers to the Thames Valley as consisting of land “of little agricultural value ” and also as containing only “ a few inferior acres.”

We regret that time prevents us from giving detailed statistics of the acreage available for agricultural purposes—and the prices per acre which most of the l»nd has realised. But we may say here that but little of it, available for agriculture, could be ob-

tained for less than £lO per acre, and the average price per acre would rule considerably* higher. All this the IJerald must know, and also that a very large and successful dairying industry is carried out in the di.trict. Did not the Herald itself fully report a year or two ago the fact tin**, at one of the agricultural shows in Auckland, the Thames Valley Dairying Company carried off first prize for its dairy exhibit ? It is unnecessary, however, to further enlarge on these points. It is impossible for the most simple or the most charitable person, knowing the district and the circumstances, to come to any other conclusion than that the Herald has wilfully tried to mislead the public on this subject. The suggestion of the occasional employment of a dredge to keep the river open would be simply ludicrous were it not that the subject is such an important one What sort of a dredge or dredges would be required to remove a thousand (and more) tons of tailings, now being daily deposited in the river, with a probability too of that daily amount being considerably increased ? Further, where would that daily thousand tons of tailings be deposited when dredged out, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of tons now blocking the river ? We are afraid that the agricultural landß bordering the river banks would not be available for a dumping ground ; it is valued for agricultural purposes too highly for that. What can the people of Ohinemuri think of a paper, largely circulating in the district, so cruelly and wilfully misrepresenting the facts of a case in which they are so vitally interested. Let them treat the Herald as they would any individual who wilfully misrepresented them —that is, by leaving it severely alone and haviug nothing more to do with it. We don’t suppose that the Herald would be materially affected by such action, nor do we want such a result; but it would be our protest against a paper that we expected would at all events hold the scales even hs between the capitalist and the s nail settler, instead of trying to prejudice the case by misrepresentations and misleading inferences.—We are, etc,,

Wm. G. Nicholls E. W. Porritt S. L. Ladghlin Nepean Kenny being the late River Silting Committee. Paeroa, 14-3-09.