ARTESIAN BORES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 5

ARTESIAN BORES.

WATERED 1,551,281 ACRES. <;■:■■>; TOTAL C05T'£69,427. )18sV'6d. ! •; ' Few people are : aware of the great amount of irrigation work'.that has been-accomplished in New South JWales-since'the parsing of the Water and' Drainage Act.. Says the "Sydney; ' Morning Eerakif '■'. :.' — Twenty-five bores, with the necessary distributing channels for water, trusts/' ' have : been "completed,' arid handed over. to'.the trustee's; for administra-' tion.: The area watered by these bores is • 1,561,281 acres/ by means .of 845' miles of distributing channels.- The number, of persons deriving direct ■ benefit from :these.- works is 480. The total payment to the Crown yearly, is,£s6Bl'9s:, and-the total cost ,£69,427 18s. sd. I This. does: not the. cost, of certain; bores ,'sunkV prior to, the Act; becoming law..-'For;legal■ reasons; these could not-'be -included in;the trnst distriots, but the;trusts are supplied .from them. The- cost; of 'these, works is capitalised, the. trusts, paying 6 per cent., on '-them 'for water delivered: at the' |;.trustaV'boundaries. Nineteen bore trusts have •been constituted./1 These works are in; hand, • , but not yet completed. '.-,'■.-' '~.-■ , ■;. :'-. .The trust provisions' of the Act provide for; the ..■carrying out of-. work's, :«f 'water supply and drainage for groups.of settlors who would ( , 'not be-in; a position financially to carry-out works of any magnitude for'themselves.-The. | bulk of the works .carried out under this Act ': has .been' the, watering of dry .country by jlmean's of artesian-bores, much:'of '-which it was hot; possible to water by tanks. Each 'bore waters every.-holding within the defined trust district...'-..;The;-.distributing channels, are.so that' practically no.couhtry is; -more than two :mile's from water. : : ' ! -. ;,,A very largo/part'of the State in'the west,: frbni':/-the^''.Queßnsla'rid-''b'oMer-'''ttf'"''jthe'-;^sif ; ;. quari© River; including' the Moree, .Walg'ett, Bourke, and ; Coonamblo districts, is now .watered in .this manner, anc[. the,' system is being extended through the remaining parts .of .these districts'., The benefits, derived from these bores can,hardlyfbo over-estimated. It. Imay-.safely.ibe said that their value, to the State generally, an'ditb. those'rising the water particularly, ■ represents a largo sum" in sheep ,;sa'ved in times of drought.''. : -,'. ; ;,< ■.■■ ;., . . /SWAMP DRAINAGE. '~' . -Another valuable '.work being; carried -on .under the Act '-is that of swamp, drainage. It .is. how recognised -that" thp coastal . arid' river: swamps of New South' Wale's contain; ■some-of .the most; fertile, land in; the State, ,if '.drained.''-' -Added, to this;;they, receive the -heaviest rainfall,' and are: handy, 'to'.'tho' markets..; consequently, their -.reclamation; by, drainage is-a matter of great importance to' the, owners, 'the;.shires,' and the Stated. The ■value - of "such - -land by; drainage is" increased by. 300; to "500 per-cent.j .tho cost per-acre may be.averaged.at £1,.0n which : & trust has. to; pay ; 6 per; cent;, ;or, :'6ay,'- ls>; ..3d. ah .acre.' -Sufficient, works have,".''been parried' out to, fully: .illustrate'i their .utility,' and; contracts have been-let -to'-drain; the. large swamps-r-. Newrybar and North" Casino on,the Richmond River, Ulmarra.bn the .Clarence River,-, arid ;Cooroobongatti 'on 'the .Macleay. River. There are at-least 200,000.acres of , swamp,land- requiring drainage' on the- coast, .which,/when drained, will add, materially to the potential wealth' of-'the'.State'.-;'■-.■'. /...-;... :',. .■"■.';-, .-'•'..Where the larger rivers, such" as.the Mur-: ray, Darling/Murrumbidgee, Laohlan, Macquarie, -Namoi,; and Gwydir debouch on to.the. plain country, their waters, in times of floods, overflow, the ;river banks and spread out'oyer -large; : .areas. Thisiwater forms creeks'.and billabongs as.it. drains'off. These either re-, join the s river, lower down or;find, their way into other-larger channels or rivers; These creeks provide the main water for the districts through which they. flow, ; arid) as may readily be surmised, fail and dry up/during periods of small, rainfall. To assist in improving this water-supply the 'outlet; from the river to, the creek is deepened and improved, or a cuttingis made to connect the river: and '.creek'! In most- cases; gates are fixed : near the river to regulate and control the flow,- to avoid either an excess of water, passing down same, which would'flood, land and be dangerous to stock,, or. to stop :the water from entering-at all when all of it is for the river itself. These works are; also carried out under the.trust provisions of the Act, and will add greatly to the value of the land:watered, thereby. ;Works of this nature have been carried out, near the Murray, and other rivers, and applications for their extension aro now. being made from, owners of land fronting creeks fed-by rivers. ' . .'.'■: -.-'.. .' . .'.