TEVIOT AND PISA

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 96, 18 January 1924, Page 5

TEVIOT AND PISA

BLOCKS FOR SELECTION IRRIGATION PROJECTS The Teviot and Mount Pisa settlements, which have been run by the Government for the last few years as going concerns, are now being thrown open for settlement. At Mount Pisa, there are ten runs, totalling 128,000 acres, the size ranging from 7900 acres to 21,600 acres. Situated between the Clutha, Cardrona and Kawarau Rivers, within easy distance of Cromwell and Pembroke, the land is suited to pastoral pursuits. The flat country on the lower slopes is highly adapted to fruit, lucerne and general crapping, under irrigation. Mount Pisa. was originally held by Mrs. (Colonel) Nicholls, and the Government acquired it as a going concern two or three years ago, together with the stock. The new lessees will be given the option of taking over the Government sheep at a valuation, and one of the conditions of the license will be that certain portions have to be planted with suitable trees every year.

At Teviot, seven pastoral runs are being offered, ranging from T 382 acres to 5700. acres, and totalling 30,740. It is situated five miles from ■ Miller’s Flat, and close to Roxburgh. It is beautiful, undulating country, containing a large proportion of arable land, which can grow cereal and root crops. The same conditions apply, as regards acquiring the. Teviot sheep, which are famous all over the Dominion. That portion ’of the countrycomprising pastoral land is Crown land. The settlement portion was acquired in 1918 from the executors of the late A. F. Roberts, other portions being acquired from Mrs. J. H. Plannett, G. Richards, and the Walker Estate. This B block has also been run as a going concern by the Land for Settlement Department. A Government official who visited Teviot three weeks ago stated yesterday that the country was in fine condition; English grass and clovers were knee-deep. Teviot shore 19,000 sheep and 5000 lambs last season. Irrigation Projects. Discussing the question of irriga.tting the Teviot and Mount Pisa lands, 1 the engineer-in-chief for Public Works (Mr. F. W. Furkert) remarked that there were Government projects in hand for both. With regard to Teviot, the Government had bought the water rights, and were now using part of the w'ater on the more accessible portions. There was plenty of surplus available Fo spread over the whole of Teviot, when the call for it arose. Except in an isolated part of it, nothing had yet been done in regard to irrigating Mount Pisa, which was a most difficult problem, owing to the geographical configuration of the country there. There were prot posals to bring water from the Roaring . Meg. The scheme for irrigating the - flat lands had not yet been definitely . decided. There are two alternatives: ’ to pump W’ater, by elctric power from , the Clutha River, and tho other to t bring water in by gravitation. “Irrigation farming is a specialist’s ' job.” said Mr. Furkert. “and, necessarily, we are proceeding cautiously ' with it, making sure that there will be enough settlers thoroughly understanding farming in the dry Belt when the irrigation projects are consummated.”