IRRIGATION IN OTAGO.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 176, 20 April 1908, Page 6

IRRIGATION IN OTAGO.

THE PREMIER'S IMPRESSIONS. THE HON, M'NAB'S VIEWS. "I had a very fine trip indeed," said Sir Joseph Ward last evening, in regard to his hurried-tour, bf Central Otago,' from which lior returnod to ' Wellington" yesterday morhing. The tour covered nearly the whole of Central Otago, and '.was practically Van. inspection of, the country' which 'it is suggested shall be irrigated. This, area includes, large quantities of Government laud. There, were the. strongest evidences, said Sir Joseph Ward, that- if'water.were available, this land would produce in quantity 1 and quality equal to almost any part of Now Zealand. Portions here and there that ,are supplied with water gave indications of 1 this, irrigation, it was believed, vrould thro\v ill to' occupation millions of Hpresj induding Government iaitd already i»Ciitione<l,'' It; would hot 'be a : matter of boring fpt artesian fratef, as in Australia and India. ' T,ho expenso, would be far less. : 'The water- was already available in the streams) rivers, and. lakes around the plains, and the' proposal was to dam and .tap. / The work on the whole would not be 'as':c6stly _ as some people thought, judging by tho opinions of those who knew something about it; One engineer ; of: repute in; tho South had expressed the opinion that one area- of about 80,000 acres could be irrigated for : approximately £10,000. There''would' also be little cost entailed in opening, tho land ; prbposed to be . irrigated. . It was not back-blocks 'country, but settled areas suffering frorn climatic extremes^hot summers, wjth but little rainfall and' extremely cold winters. The contour of- the country was such that, the streams' from the encircling liills skirted the plains. The Premier believed that the proposed; work would liven up settlement, anil the Otago Central Railway, which was not doing the traffic it'should, would show bett-er results. • The TTon. R. M'Nab (Minister for Lands) acc'oiripanied the Primal Minister oil this trip. Mr.''M'Nab, states-that tho Government are at present employing surveyors to take levels and secure'all details of the areas: proposed , to be irrigated. The work is essentially of a slow nature._ When the full/reports were' ready,- the advice' of some' eminent irrigation engineer would be obtained. . There were such points,,to be considered, as , the cost for Certain areas, &nd whether it would pay. to irrigate them, arid the. suitability of the soil;' for some ground Would not retain-tho water. As to the cost, it was not intended t-hiit tho work would go to tho free benefit of the farmers: or land-owners.' Some basis of charge for the water supplied wouh) be arranged, and tho whole matter, placed on a thorough businoss-like footing. Great things we hoped from the proposals by . thoso in; the district. , ~ Speaking of the dryness of the climate, the Minister said that on his trip lib had given instructions for the G.immerburn Plantation to bte temftved across tho plains, to Naseby. The state of tho■ soil consequent on the want of. fertility prevented the trees taking root. The whole of Central Otago was very just now, .and presented the appearance of burnt-Up desert.,- Tho last two years had witnessed exceptionally small rainfalls.