FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 250, 15 July 1908, Page 8

FLOODS IN THE SOUTH.

; PROBLEM OF CATTLE FEED. : GRADUAL UNWATERING OF, THE •: ' " .. . PLAINS. > 1 (BY TELEGBAPn.—SPECIAL "CORRESPONDENT.) j . . Dunedlri, July 14. • • Farmers on the Taieri fear a second flood by the rain melting the snow-on., the uplands, i The "Star I '' special ; writes:—The flood seems to-have taken surprise'. Henley . and . other, outlying places were jwarhed on ' Wednosday morning , that the river was running high,' but the Naming did not justify action until action was almost too late. -The embankments of the .Taieri aro ,so well formed , these , .days that the danger' was rather derided. When it came' it was quick, andmen were out a 11' night in' somo .cases driving the • cattle • ahead '■ of them -in boats. . .. • • . .- • : The" real trouble is, what .to .do with the thousands of cattle and sheep seiit'up to the hills.' The fodder-is sparse enough'up'there,and it will be possibly three weeks before the water leaves the plains, and three'months before 'the cattle can be put on tho sour ground again, -;even :'if, the. best' weather' is given; and it will, be possibly the sarrio period before a plough can be put .'to the land. - Henco the position'of -the• smaller farmers is likely, to be very-serious. They will have to sell their, stock, as there will be no feed for. them. ..... ■ ; Men in a bigger way will be'sending tlieir stock south. Tho■ movement''has already started; and 150 bread of. cattle went .to Edendale this morning for,turnip .feed, but the bulk of'the cattle are still on the-hills. ; The damage to the fiver bank is very serious','- and it is- said that: it will take £2000 to wall; up the breaks. The- gap at Otakia will take £500 alone. ; 'Amongst the human 'flotsam boated to safety was-an-' old' couple—James ; Lauder, aged • seventy-seven, and his sister-in-law, Miss Bodnoy, aged.ninety-two: \Lauder;is:an old-age' pensioner. They have been put up at the hotel since Thursday night. • -This morning they wero cutting the banks of . the river near Lake" Waipon,'and-else-where up,to Henley, but. the flow is likely to be, very slow-.-Heavy : warm .rain was falling. to-day. • ■ : .It .is considered, that.not more than'thirteen head.of cattle have been'lost'altogether and two. or. three of,' these lost' tlieir' live' in being taken to the bills,, through slinpinc down banks.' _ ,\ - -. ■ * —: : — ~~ / '■ SNOW IN CANTERBURY. RUNHOLDERS WILL' BE 'HEAVY- ■ LOSERS. .; - .-• ' (BI TEIiEGBAPE.—SPECIAL COEBESPONDENT,) ; . ' Chrlstchurch, July 14; ■ 'Practically all traces of the recent heavy rains have disappeared from the city; -but in the back country 'matters are very'differ- 1 ent.' There is'a-lot of snow in the Mackenzie Country,- and it is anticipated 'that'.some.' of tho - runholders will. bo heavy losers. Gangß of men have gone-up ".'siiow raking." in' 1903 • that portion .of tho. county. escaped lightly, while Fairlie and its vicinity got a heavy ,fall of snow. ' This tijrie rain fell' on .and the frosts, that-are now being experienced are freezing snow' so that men arid sheep: can walk on top of it. The county' snow plough is therefo're experiencing great difficulty in getting through: to Tokapo. The:snow has drifted into the long . cutting, above'.'Burke's Pass, and .the horses break through the crust and become bogged, making progress with the plough'-very slow. Reports' t'o. hand: yesterday show- that there are five feet of snow on the lulls at the back of Ora'ri Gorge,'more thaii after the,gre.lt sn'ow r . storm pf 1895,■ whon' so'many sheep perished. , The,.rainfall at.Orari Gorge for the four rainy days of last wcok was altogether ,9.70 in. ■ A back country'runftolder'states that a fall.of sft. of snow on tho' hills means ; that in drifti the snow ; is about 12ft. deep. Some of the Mackcnzie'Country runholders, are in a great because, after rescuing the sheep from the: snow ' they have. no feed to put 'them on. .. , ' ' ' .- .