Irrigation Inquiries Resumed In Amuri

Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 15

Irrigation Inquiries Resumed In Amuri

As a further step in irrigation investigations in tee Cui. verden-Rotherham area, the economic section of the Department of Agriculture is making an economic survey of farms in tee district, according to a statement yesterday by the District Commissioner of Works (Mr E. C. Smart), who is also chairman of the local interdepartmental committee on irrigation. TTiese investigations origin, ated in 1950 when a petition for an irrigation survey was signed by 68 fanners in the area. An irrigation scheme could embrace up to 50.000 acres in the district south of the Waiau river, with water being drawn from the river at tee Leslie Hills bridge, which is already the source of a stock water supply. Mr Smart said teat two years ago the Lands and Survey Department completed a comprehensive contour survey, and as the topography. climate, and soils were all suitable for irrigation tee Department of Agriculture was now completing the investigations by assessing present and potential land use. At tee same time officers of tee department would sound out the present attitude of farmers to irrigation development, since the first step towards the establishment of a new rbeme w ’°u‘d be for the Minister of Works <Mr Grosman) to declare a proposed irrigation district if he believed it to be justified. Procedure Under the provisions of the Public Works Amendment Act of last year the Minister may notify the charges and terms of a scheme at the same time or at any time thereafter, and not later than six months from that date a poll of ratepayers must be taken on the issue, with every ratepayer exercising one vote. U not less than 60 per cent, of the votes cast is in favour of the scheme the Minister mav then constitute the proposed district an irrigation district and specify charges, and from the time water is made available to him each occupier of land shall be liable to pay the charge. However, there is some evidence that farmers in the

district are now less favourably disposed towards irrigation than they were 10 years ago, particularly since they have had opportunities of discussing irrigation with irrigation farmers in Mid-Canter-bury and have been impressed with the extra work and expense involved. The chairman of the Amuri branch of Federated Farmers (Mr George Gould) said last evening that they were approaching irrigation rather cautiously. Many farmers in the district had rather lost their enthusiasm for it, he said. There was a feeling that rather more use could be made of dryland fanning techniques before using irrigation. Mr Gould said he understood that a survey was going to be made in the district and that a proposal would be put to farmers in due course to determine whether they wanted it or not.