Interest Grows In Soil Conservation

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30562, 3 October 1964, Page 9

Interest Grows In Soil Conservation

'THE expansion of the demand for soil conservation services in North Canterbury as far north as the Conway has been so great that it is beyond the capacity of the soil conservation section of the Department of Agriculture to cope with it within a reasonable period of time.. Some 15 to 18 farmers are reported to be waiting for farm plans for their properties. The attention of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council has been drawn to the position and according to its chairman, Mr A. E. Clark, the council is collecting information to determine what the next step should be. In its operations in the North Canterbury area the Department of Agriculture is in an unusual situation as the role of the soil conservation section of the department is primarily to promote interest in soil, conservation where that is desirable and to undertake experimental work in this field. Having done this, the idea is that the planning and organising of the work should be taken over by a local authority, which is normally a catch-

ment board, but no catchment authority operates in the area. The northern boundary of the North Canterbury Catchment Board is the catchment of the Kowai river. One possibility raised by this issue is a possible extension of the North Canterbury board northwards. The extension of the board’s area would certainly mean that its soil conservation staff would have to be considerably expanded as it is understood to be fully occupied now. A further possibility is the establishment of a catchment commission in the area. Another alternative, but one that is regarded as being contrary to the policy of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council, is the expansion of the Department of Agriculture’s operations in the area to cope more adequately with the position. The inquiries that the head of the soil conservation service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Donald A. Williams, is now making into the organisation of soil conservation services in New Zealand may have some bearing on the situation.