RECORD OUTPUT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 129, 14 March 1939, Page 6

RECORD OUTPUT

ON THE IRRIGATION WORKS. MILLION YARDS FROM THE MAIN RACE. INSPECTION BY THE MINISTER. Records in the handling of spoil from the main diversion race from the Rangitata. River in connection with the Ashburton County irrigation scheme were claimed yesterday by the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple), when he inspected the work, and later paid a visit to the irrigated areas in South Canterbury. Nearly 1,000,000 yards of material has been removed in cutting the race, which will carry a stream of water 11 feet deep at normal flow. Two million more yards will have to be taken out before the race is complete. Last month a short working . month 154,000 yards was removed. This is the highest point reached yet. For every working day 7200 yards has been removed. That means an output of 10,000 tons daily. Mr Semple said that this figure, with those for the Ngharuranga Gorge road and Whenuapui aerodrome jobs, constituted a record for Australia and New Zealand. They equalled anything done elsewhere in the world. The Best Orgawisation. “Only one country might defeat those record outputs,” the Minister said. “That is America. But lam satisfied that American can show us nothing in construction. We have, on the latest available and disinterested evidence, one of the best organised and mechanised public works departments in the world. And it has all been developed in three years.” Gigantic concrete structures are necessary as part of the great Rangitata race. It will cross six rivers. For this New Zealand engineers, under the supervision of the engineer-in-charge at Temuka (Mr T. G. Beck) have designed 11 huge syphons, the biggest in Australia or New Zealand. They are lift in internal diameter and each weighs 18$ tons. They will go deep underground .beneath .the rivers and interfere in no way with their flow. The main race, running about 40 miles a cross-country, wjll not, it is estimated, be worked to full capacity for about 10 years. So that for that time, at least, some -power will be generated all the year round at the new Highbank station. For some years the station will generate to nearly full capacity all the year round. Plans are being prepared for the major work of erecting the station and installing the turbines and gear.

A SAVING OF £IB,OOO. IRRIGATION HELPS THE FARMER.. An official estimate of a saving of £IB,OOO to _ farmers jn the recent drought, in South Canterbury, was mentioned during the visit of the Minister to the irrigated areas yesterday. On the plains at the Levels the saving has been £9OOO. This represents official Public Works Department and Agricultural Department estimates of the added value of production brought about through irrigation. A. similar estimate is made for 'the saving -from the drought peril on the oldqr-estab-lished Redcliffs scheme, -further south, along the'-banks of the Waitaki River, bringing the total to the larger figure mentioned. “I have seen some of the results in other seasons of these irrigation plots,” the-Minister said, “and they astounded me then. They are, on more recent evidence, still sounder evidence of the great boon irrigation means, not only to Canterbury but to New Zealand. The available water is being used to capacity, and the contrast between the unwatered plains, where the drought has hit hard, and the irrigated pastures and crops is amazing. I remember how, two years ago, I mentioned in Parliament that one farmer had been able, in a dry season, to carry 15 sheep to the acre. I was really sneered at for exaggerating by members of the Opposition. After two years, the records show that this capacity is not unusual for irrigated areas. Saving Equals Capital outlay. “My officials now) inform me that acre for acre, where water is useo, the saving in the drought period equals the total capital outlay on irrigation for the whole- year. Their assessment of the saying brought about ’by the irrigation during the current dry season was on a con-, servative basis. We can not only increase production and ensure continuous production by irrigation, as we-11 as enhance quality, but we can treble the population on this area. /‘There are 3,000,000 acres on the Canterbury plains, and we can irrigate 500,000 acres’ of them, with the rivers as they are. and without a single dam. This 500,000 acres on a conservative basis of our existing results from irrigation, could carry 3,500,000 sheep. That is, 10 per cent of the total of all New Zealand sheep flocks. This does not take into- consideration the development that would be possible in dairy - farming, poultry •- raising,-wheat-farming and fruit cropping.” . Mr S-cmplJ was shown figures by exports of pasture trials on the Levels area, which, showed that the weight of pasture taken off a trial area, irrigated, had increased 3680 per cent, over the weight taken off noil-irrigat-ed pasture of the same type of paddock. This increase was for tine period from February 2, 1939, to March- 2; Mr Semple saw a paddock of irrigated lucerne (grown on land which cannot grow Income without irrigation) on which the reaper was taking off the fourth cut- from a one-year stand. Swedes in a paddock on Mr W. Day’s property on tho Levels are dying where the water did not reach them. His irrigated paddock was described by

an official of the Department of Agriculture as the best on the plains. Over all 300 acres of swedes, valued conservatively at £lO .*lll acre, have been saved from total destruction by watering. The Minister saw an irrigated pasture paddock in Foley’s road, on the Levels, carrying 9$ sheep to the acre; previously this , country could carry only I'f to the aqve. Irrigated pasture put clown three years ago is flourishing and carrying heavy stock; the same pasture, not irrigated, has gone back to hair-grass and is now useless. On tho Winchmore country, the carrying capacity has gone- to as high as 16 sheep to the acre for a long period. Some pastures irrigated have averaged five sheep all _the year round, where the average was previously li.