DROUGHT AND DISASTER

Evening Star, Issue 15908, 14 September 1915, Page 4

DROUGHT AND DISASTER

'POSITIONS DESPERATE IN NORTH. SOUTHERN CONDITIONS BETTER. While the complacent town folk are congratulating themselves upon an aus-.i piciously dry introduction to the summer season, country folk are looking as despeKi ately for rain as Wellington looked for Blucher at Waterloo. Roughly speaking, the pastoral position in the three big belts between Christehurch and fnvercargill may be summed urj in a few words. From Christchurch to-Dunedin the situation is desperate, fraught with alarming possibilities should rain be delayed much longer; from Dunedin to Clinton rain is necessary; from Clinton to Invercargill it is desirable. In Canterbury there ha,s been no rain for practically 12 months, creeks are dry that were never *efore so in the recollection of the oldest inhabitants, and the position of stock is "parlous. Farmers have been holding on to their stock in the delusive hope of rain to-day, to-morrow, next day, and now.are sacrificing them, for anything unfit for the freezing works is practically unsaleable. Constantly the Dunedin agents are .receiving communications from Canterbury farmers desiring to ' send stock to Otago or Southland, either to j be put on feed or to bs sold, but it is taking the agents all their time to dispose of local clients' stock. Fat sheep are realising extreme prices for export, freezing buyers* offering the tremendous price of 6£d "per lb, "all sunk."

So far as Central Otago is concerned, the upper reaches of the Clutha River and the top end of the Maniototo Plain ■had an inch of rain a week ago; but the lower end of the plain has had no rain, and the- same condition applies ou the coaet and at Miller's Flat. Nevertheless, if rain comes soon, "things will be all both there and in South. Otago. ° North Otago's situation is prettv desperate. There has been no rain of importance for months, and if has been found necessary in many places to kill the lambs to eave the ewes, which have been in too poor condition to nourish them. In other cases the ewes have been killed to save the skins. A good deal of grub is in the , crops. The winter *and autumn-sown crops made a good start, but have not come away well. - Even now, however, a. good rain could Tevive the crops, bit the outlook is not .sanguine. Prospect 6' are brightest in Southland. Farm work there is well advanced, owing to the exceptionally dry season, and in the western district .the country is looking well, there being more grass "in evidence than on the Taieri Plains. Stock in 'Southland has never come through the winter in better condition, and if a little rain replaces the hard, dry winds, it will be an ideal spring for the south. A* to the winter-sown grain in the districts immediately sou til of Dunedin, itcould now do with rain, hut no anxiety is being expressed by farmers so far as crops in these particular districts are concerned. But for North Otago, a good and early rain alone can save the crops from complete failure.