Random reminder

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 26

Random reminder

HO HUM

Before visiting the firm the party toured a huge irrigation project initiated some 2000 years ago and extended throughout most of Szechuan province since 1949.—News item. The party in question was one of New Zealanders headed by the Ministry of Agriculture, (Mr Mclntyre), and was touring China. They must have been awestruck by the majesty of a project started and then left dormant for 2000 years before being resumed. We have always regarded ourselves as being pretty good at that sort of thing in this country. The foundation stone for the new Christchurch Supreme Court was laid in 1937. It was then left to stand under a metal cover for 37 years before being carted away so that work could actually start on the new Christchurch Supreme Court in 1974. Locals regarded that as a fairly good record, but it pales into insignificance by comparison with this Chinese irrigation scheme. One can only speculate as to the reasons advanced by the various governments or local bodies involved as to why the project had to keep being deferred over a

I period of 2000 years. The reasons for the delay in the erection of the new Christchurch Supreme Court were usually attributed to the intervention of the Second World War. But they , | can’t have been able to use the Second ' World as an excuse to put off this irrigation scheme, unless they were ; astonishingly prescient, because the Second World War must still have . been almost 2000 years away at the 'ltime that work was halted. Were successive governments i elected in Szechuan, or imposed by , force as the case might be, each ( promising to complete the irrigation scheme, and each asserting, once it had taken office, that the scandalous I maladministration of the previous government meant that the completion of the scheme would be deferred for the time being, but that the people could be assured that the scheme would remain in the forefront of the government’s mind and constantly under review? We may eventually be able to match the Chinese record. The Clutha scheme has just been deferred for four years, i That leaves a mere 1996 years to go.