Interest in irrigation reaffirmed

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33219, 8 May 1973, Page 20

Interest in irrigation reaffirmed

A renewed call for pro- [ gress soon on an irrigation scheme in the eastern part of Mid-Can-terbury between the Rakaia and Ashburton Rivers was made at a public meeting at Pendarves this week. There was unanimous support for this at the meeting, [called by the Rakaia Irrigation Committee and attended by almost 200 persons. Farmers in the area reaffirmed ;an earlier approach to the Government to this end. The chairman (Mr B. K. [Cameron) said that the area concerned was virtually that [between the Main Trunk rail[way line and the sea, excluding an area between the old [Wakanui Stream and the Ashj burton River and including a [triangle between Rakaia, Dorie, and a point six miles up the Rakaia River. [ Without dissent, the meetpng also decided to ask the [Minister of Works (Mr Watt) [for the early release of the Government's irrigation [policy, while at the same [time commending the Government for its interest in irrigation. POLITICIANS’ INTEREST Mr J. G. King said that the only way to get irrigation would be to get politicians interested in it. and asked how this could be done. A former provincial pre-! [sident of Federated Farmersj in Mid-Canterbury, Mr J. R.l Cocks, said that there was such interest, and the farmers’; task was to see that it was maintained. The director of the economics division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Mr E. J. Stonyer);

i-[also affirmed that there was .[an interest in irrigation on „ ' the part of politicians, and in , particular the Government’s ” [spokesmen on agriculture, but e.said that there would be a 1 [number of areas all wanting j | irrigation and wanting it [quickly; and the manpower ‘[resources of the Ministry of Works and of the Ministry of Agriculture and capital re- '- sources would be limited. I,[Thus, priorities would have i-[to be sorted out, which could d not be done readily. i. The main requirement was d to get enough money in the e! right channels to get irrigation, said Mr W. R. Lobb, E superintendent of the Winchajmore irrigation research tj station. VOTE IN 1957 j In a summary of steps taken in the district in the '[past to obtain irrigation, the i [chairman recalled that in ”1957 a vote had been taken I in the district on whether; there should be an irrigation! o scheme. On an acreage basis,’ J there had been close to half Y. the area in favour and half! '[against. To obtain a scheme,: 3 [ 75 per cent of the area had to 1 ' be in favour, but an unofficial } analysis of the voting had shown that on a per-head basis almost 60 per cent of farmers had voted for! t irrigation. i In 1971, the Rakaia Irri--5 gation Committee, with 1 Federated Farmers in Ash-j burton, had made subemissions to the Labour Party, j[the chairman said. He felt [that, with Federated Farmers,! ; the committee had done quite ’[a lot to get the Labour; /Party interested in irrigation. just as in earlier days it had; . also had a lot to do with [irrigation policy at that ftime. / Reporting that the commit-; [tee had closely examined the sort of irrigation there should be in the area, Mr Cameron said that its present feeling ; was that the heavier andq

s| more undulating soils were i well suited to spray irriilgation, while with the return s of profitability to pastoral t farming the bulk of the rest j of the area, with its flat j topography, was better suited t to border-dyke irrigation. r Initially, he said, the comet mittee would suggest that [[five-eighths of a cusec of . water per 100 acres should be made available in the 5 area, with which either sysj|tern of irrigation could be practised efficiently. , ADEQUATE FINANCE ? Adequate finance would - also be required so that far- , mers could achieve full irri--jgation on their properties as i quickly as possible; and there would also need to be good advisory services to [support this development. ’[ The chairman said that the : [ Government had promised ’[the release of its irrigation 1 policy soon. While he could i; not say how far off irrigation [would be. he suggested thta i the Government would build .[up irrigation development fairly quickly. It was hoped that an irri- , igation advisory committee Jmight be set up in the Ash- [ burton Countv, said the I!chairman of the Ashburton j:County Council (Mr K. M. [Baxter). This could include [representatives of the Minis--"ies of Works and Agricul-. ture, the State Advances Cornoration, and some localbody participation. Once schemes had been completed, it was hoped that their administration might be’ given to the county council. Pickets.—The boiler construction site at the New Ply[mouth power project will be picketed this morning bysome of the Fletcher Construction Company employees [at present out on strike overan allowances claim. A spokesman for the strike com-, mittee said last evening that' [about 20 employees would ’picket the site. —(P.A.)