The Daily News MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1905. THE MOKAU RIVER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7707, 9 January 1905, Page 2

The Daily News MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1905. THE MOKAU RIVER.

The perfect beauty, statcliness and surpassing grandeur of the Mok a u Itivcr ha\o given it a place in the front rank of the scenic attractions of the colony. This circumstance moved a number of our prominent residents some time ago to meet and discuss what was best to be done to make the river more accessible to colonists and tourists. At that i meeting Mr S. Percy Smith, ex-Sur-veyor-Gcneral, who has an intimate knowledge of the Mokau district, suggested the i taking <,f a load which would give fcoess to the upper reaches of die river from the main road between New Plymouth "and Te Kuiti at a point a few miles north of Mahoenui, thus enabling tourists to come down the river on their way to Mount Eginont via New Plymouth. We have never learnt what was the outcome of the representations, which we understand Mr E. M. Smith undertook to make to the Tourist Department. Our purpose, however, in writing now is not so much to refer to the Mokau River as a pleasure resort for our people, important though that be, as lo direct attention to the urgent necessity that exists for improving the entrance, to the river in the best interests of Taranaki and the colony generally. This river is the natural highway to an enormous area of some of the richest lands in the district, and upon the navigable condition of the river even at present the sturdy settlers of the Mokau, Awakino aod Mahoenui districts depend for getting away to New Plymouth and AVaitara their dairy produce, wool, timber and coal. The effect of the westerly gales which for some months have visited this coast with so great a persistency has been to extend the spit of sand on the northern lip of the river's mouth in .such a manner as to alter the river's course and cause an increase of sand on the bar. This has so interfered with the navigation of the river that only on Wednesday morning last for the iirst time for over a long period was the steamer Tainui able to cross with the flood tide. Our readers will be able to form some notion of the seriousness of this state of things when we inform them that the roads over Mount Alessenger and Tau-mata-maire are and have been all through the winter and spring quite impassable for heavy trallic, and that Hie settlers in the districts we have mentioned depend for their food supplies and commodities from New Plymouth and Waitara entirely on steamer communication by means of the river. It therefore becomes of the iirst importance that there should be no recurrence of what has happened. Fortunately the extension of the spit can be entirely removed and the entrance to the river much improved by the expenditure of whalt, considering the enormous benefit to accrue, is a mere bagatelle, namely, not more than two thousand pounds. The rocky reef at the entrance .which runs in a direction almost parallel with the course of the river for a distance of a hundred and forty yards only requires to be raised in places from one to three fccM. by concrete work" to secure permanently a very good navigable channel, the "scour" in which would continuously sweep away the sand on the bar that might try to got lodgment on the river's course. By this means the Mokau Kiver would always be accessible to navigation and a permanent boon would be conferred upon this coming district. Most earnestly do wo urge on the members for Taranaki and the Chamber of Commerce—which, we are glad to say, has become a thoroughly representative body—the urgent necessity for immediate action in the direction we have indicated before irreparable damage is done to a great natural highway ; for a continuance of the present state of things will hamper tile progress and dwarf the development of one of Taranaki's most valuable assets.