SEEPAGE PROBLEM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 228, 9 July 1941, Page 6

SEEPAGE PROBLEM

ASSURANCES OF REMEDY. drainage to be established. before irrigation is ready. EXPLANATION BY ENGINEER. Assurances that the major drainage scheme for the County area between the Ashburton and Hinds River would be gone on with before the irrigation scheme is completed, provided the County Council furnishes the proportion of cost asked .for by the Government, wore given by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) and. the Minister of National Service (the Hon. R. Semple) to members of the Council and a deputation of farmers in Ashburton yesterday. The assurances were received by the. deputation with applause, and the general opinion was that the meeting between the farmers and the Ministers ‘had cleared the air of many misunderstandings.

The meeting, which started about noon, continued, with only a short interval at 1.30 p.m., till well after 5 o’clock.

Tightening of the Races. Air Beck said that in the four years the Seadown scheme had been opened the -e had been a marked tightening ot the races and a much greater volume of water was reaching the ends of the races. Clay had been carried down by the races, cementing the shingle for six feet below and around the race. The material carried by the Rangitata River was much greater than that curried by the Opihi River, which fed the Levels scheme. Seepage from the water flowing over the soil would be very little, indeed. The volume of water in the race, going flat out, would be 24 inches a year over one-third of the whole area below the main race.

He thought the £IOOO asked from the peoplo of Seadown toward the cost or the drainage scheme there was the real bone of contention. He had no doubt, whatever, that'the seepage problem could ho overcome. To go to the problem in a carping spirit and go to the newspapers in that spirit was not helping his staff or his work. The drainage proposals would certainly be put into effect befose the irrigation scheme was completed (applause). Mr Semple said that a rough estimate for putting the rivers of New Zealand back into their beds and stopping their seepage was £7,000,000. Mr Beck said he had recommended the Minister to .put in one of the underground drainage devices right away, near Tinwald, and the Minister was favourably disposed toward it. Ditches that had been taken into the heavy land area would go to the sea. The land at Seadown affected by water was a few hundreds of acres, not 3000 as stated in the papers. Mr Armstrong: And in Ashburton there are 2000 acres, without irrigation.

Mr J. Davidson said that many favourable comments had been made regarding the engineers and their work and their association with farmers. Mr J. Carr said he saw the photograph. taken and no one kneeled down on that occasion.

Mr Semple said this was not a serious aspect of the question. Air Armstrong said that Mr Beck’s report on the drainage scheme in the County would he ready for presentation in about a week and it would be gone into at once. He hoped the Council would not take as long to decide in finding its share of the cost as had been the case with the river control question. In reply to Air Burnett, Air Beck said that everything possible known would be employed to stop seepage from the main race across, the County.

Air Semple said that if the scheme totally destroyed a man’s farm the Government would pay for it. Air Bock said he was fully convinced that irrigation would bring untold wealth to this district.

Air Semple said that lie had promised that land taken." for the channels would he paid for, and that promise would be kept. Mr 11. C. B. With ell said that a neighbour of his had beo.n told that there would not be any compensation for 15 acres of his lan’d that had been taken.

Mr Semple said this was obviously a mistake.

The thanks of the meeting wore oxpressed to the Ministers and Mr Beck by Mr J. H. Grigg.