MORE INFORMATION SOUGHT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 268, 24 August 1946, Page 6

MORE INFORMATION SOUGHT

IRRIGATION SCHEMES IN CANTERBURY DANGERS OF SEEPAGE STRESSED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 23. An appeal to the Minister of Works (the Hon. ’R. Semple) to take farmers of Canterbury more into his confidence in connection with irrigation schemes was made by Mr R. G. Gerard (National, Mid-Canterbury) when speaking in " the House of Representatives today.

I-Ie said the Minister should not be so concerned a’bout a little hit of criticism and should be prepared to discuss frankly the question of seepage. Mr Gerard said he knew he was running a great risk in raising the subject because when anybody in any way dared to criticise tlie irrigation scheme in Mid-Canterbury the Minister was inclined to take it as a personal affront.

Mr Gerard added that he had helped and co-operated with the Minister and had done his best to encourage the farmers to give the scheme every consideration and a fair hearing, and the farmers were doing that. It was not unnatural that t there would be a controversy over a scheme of such size. It was necessary to learn a new farming technique in an irrigated area and there had to be instruction. He believed the Government bad taken some notice of suggestions he had made two Years ago as to the need for instructors and experimental farms and the possibility of some finance being necessary to encourage settlers to prepare for irrigation. There was now an experimental farm about to operate and there were instructors with practical experience.

Charges For Water

Another thing urgently necessary was an extension of lime sowing, and he believed with Mr Jack Acland (the Member for Temuka) that encouragement should be given to lime transport by road The Minister must also consider the price charged for water. When the Minister first put forward his plans he had said that the price would be 3s a foot per acre. The charge went up to 4s last year, and the Minister had said there was going to be another increase this year. He was not one, said Mr Gerard, that believed in encouraging reckless expenditure, but the irrigation scheme was a national project, and if the farmers were not encouraged at the start the whole thing would he a failure. The price of water was small in comparison* with the tremendous amount of public money involved, and if the scheme came 'anywhere near the success envisaged by the Minister of Works the money advanced would be more than recouped through taxation.

The Minister should take the farmers more into his confidence. There were fears by settlers on the heavy land that water from the ' irrigation scheme would get into, natural underground channels and wbuld flood the water- table, where tlie water was always high. There had been a wet season and it might he that in Ashburton County that was responsible for the additional rise in the water table that t‘ook place below the railway line, but many farmers believed it due in part lo irrigation.

Engineer’s Statement

The Department should realise that there Avas grave concern and the fact that the- engineer in the early days of the scheme stated that irrigation and drainage Avent hand in hand showed that he envisaged a certain amount of trouble. The Minister should tell the farmers exactly how much Avater Avas lost through the race. “Let him take the people into his confidence and say that there is seepage straight out, because the more people are told the more confidence they get in Ministerial statements,” said Mr Gerard. “I have seen what I believe Avas seepage, but I do not believe it is. as great as generally believed. You cannot expect ordinary commonsense individuals to believe that no seepage is taking place when they see the Public Works Department putting sawdust down and taking other steps to seal against seepage. When no statements are made it does encourage the people to believe that they are more than precautionary measures.” »

Mr Gerard said he had great hopes of the success of the scheme, though those hopes Avere not perhaps as high as those of the Minister. He hoped the Department Avould push ahead and would listen to the farmers’ point of VieAV.