GRAZING LAND FLOODED.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20033, 15 September 1930, Page 3

GRAZING LAND FLOODED.

' : LAKE'"'EtLESMBRS,^ CLOSED. . ; ■ ; '• V Approximately: .ISjOOO of-;land, much of .which wouldrhavo- l>ccn ,aviiil'able for.spring grazing, I .'have been'-lost to- farmers ithis'year by 'a, curious combination of circumstances" at Lake Ellesmere, which have finally resulted.'in the closing of the outlot from the Lake "to the. with the level : .Laka about .18 inches above the avorftge' closing height. -' The recent unusual succes-!sion-of southerly .weather has been'thechief .'cause of the'trouble, and it is'not considered., practicable - now.-.to attempt • to v open - a' channel. to tho 'sea, ajj' v 'tke lake"level is not' high enough. It "is thought that the present weight of the ; la,ke watflr. would'not bo sufficient to combat the ( tide. " -Mr J. Mackenzie, tho.Hnlswell County •Clerk, told a representative of The Piiebs yesterday, • that-the Like outlet to the sea first showed signs of. closing last Wednesday - By Thursday- ifc-.was completely closed by. a bank of-shingle ■ ab.out •3J chains wide,"' and Bis feet high, the action of the wind - and - tide', having caused the finfxl closure- to /come about prematurely. "The level on .Thursday 1 was. - ten inches- above, 'zero,' -which is.;approsrimately-.eighteen. inches above-'the avcriage closing height," said •Mr Mackenzie.' ".This means that about .15,000 acres of land, which %'ould, f in the ordinary way, bo used for spring feeding, will becompletely subnierged. Of course, tho situation ,is not without .'precedent,'and. the farmers realise; now that they can only bope that a good portion of the' low land remains dry each ■year.. "It is the weather that we.have'been haviflg lately that .is. responsible' for the situation," Mr. Mackenzie explained, "and'if,.'instead of .the'southerly blows, we had had a fortnight of nor'-westers then everything would have been all right." Unsatisfactory Position. ' Mr Mackenzie said -that the position at present was unsatisfactory,- as -.there was not enough, fall to scour the outlet if : a /channel -were scooped. In any case,' the first high tide would fill tho channel up. again. The only glimmer of hope was the fact that a certain amount'of flood water was running into ■the Lake. If this condition continued •for a-month there would be a chance that a successful cutting might be.made. "It-is considered that the only way. to prevent a recurrence of the. flooding is to discover: some mechanical:means, of opening the channel, which could;be: operated at -, not too great a cost. In < my position. as clerk and engineer to ; the Ellesmere Lands Drainage Board, I; was a member-of the deputation .that, waited on the Hon. E. A. Ransom, wlio, at the request of his colleague, the Min-; ister for Public Works, „ visited Fishermen 's Point/ Taumutu, on July." 14 th; .last. The .deputation then placed ' the "matter before Mr 'Eansoni, .with a view, to obtaining ;frbm the .Government a grant towards the cost of an improved .scheme to open the Lake outlet to tho, sea.' It is considered absolutely neces-, sary to go ahead with some such scheme,-, but it must not cost too much. Wo could commence with horse-teams on. the, job of . clearing the.-channel now,but it would-cost from £4OO t0,'£500."-: ' Mr Mackenzie supplied the. re'potter: with' the following : table -which - details the figures relating to the opening and closing of the ' Lake since 1926:—. ; Level • ■ *. below Heigbt ' . . .. . Zero yhen. . Period- .-. when ' Who: ...- opened . opon"."".?-.- . o'pelicd. -"'ft. in. : ; weeki,. : Inches. July, 192S 3: 6 ' "4' .„ • 6Aug.;: 1927 - .-.J;-.' 3'-8 : ' '-•*« '6.- : Jnly, 1908' V. 3-4 ' It) • " .'6 • July,. 1929 ..' .4 ;:3" .8 ■ ".1!5~ Aug., -leSOv ' • 4 -4-- ."..;4 .• 10* *Above ;2ero. ' ■'»' i Kr 6. W. B. Osborne, of Doyleston, 30918 tt whose properly is affected by

the overflowing of' Lake -Ellesmere, said thaViCtfrere was ; nothing. very . unusual about the occurrence. '/Some people want too much," said Mr Pafeorpp. "In a young country like New.-Zealand it, : doos :notdo. to .be. disgruntled -when-. Nature takes her course. Although 15,000 acres, of what would bo very goad ■ spring fecdj are'now, practically, loSt/Jxnost. v sens.ible! people ; l will that .it :was a. chance; one way .or the /other.' It Of course/ absence of "evaporation, and ~the v .southerly conditions of tjie past ftfty weeks, have befen'Nmainly responsible' for the .. Tjie! to view the Ant< arcticVmainiand: was"'Captain -;United~ Stetesj sighted ft;2Tlß2o, while-on a sealing. expidition« i( ; . Have. -. you anything toi -Bell—Dd -you: wish to buy? If.Bo. a ; wnair advertise' menfc in the classified- Section /of ''lhb. Press will be,all-ybu -need. VVL I2 wordsj If, three insertions 2s 6d. —5