FREEDOM FROM DROUGHT

Evening Star, Issue 19064, 6 October 1925, Page 2

FREEDOM FROM DROUGHT

WHAT IT MEAHS TO OS AUSTRALIA'S HEAVY HANDICAP. Impressed by bis visit to the North tho Hon. Crawford Vaughan, es-Pre-mier of South Australia, commented upon the great natural advantages New Zealand possessed over Australia (says the Auckland 'Star’). “ It is very evident to me," ho said, “that your dominion has many advantages. Australia is essentially a place whore there is either a feast or a famine. Droughts, which are unknown hero, are a serious menace to her. Portions of the Commonwealth are indeed still desert regions, but it is a great tribute to engineering genius and the enterprise’of progressive .Governments to find arid areas gradually brought under cultivation for" pastoral and wheat production purposes. Australia h;is met its droughts by great water conservation schemes. It is safe to say that _the_ Commonwealth has the greatest irrigation works in tho world. For over 500 miles water is pumped from Perth to Kalgoorlio,dn West Australia. This great feat was performed some twenty years ago, and it has turned hitherto waste territory into an area of great productive value.” Mr Vaughan referred also to South Australia, with its variable climate and occasional droughts. There irrigation and water conservation had been brought to a high state of perfection. Some of the greatest engineers had been, consulted, and the schemes entered upon had resulted in the State of South Australia possessing a wonderful scheme, of canals, dams, and other irrigation works. Reinforced concrete pipes, which had proved the best for water mains under both high and low pressures, had resulted in tho settlement of areas once utterly valueless.

In South Australia the quantity of water available for irrigation was" approximately 690,000 acre feet a rear. Consequently, with full storage development, the State could rely on irrigating some 272,000 acres along the Murrav River. Tho estimated maximum quantity of water required was 30 acre inches.

Arrangements were made with the loading reinforced concrete pipe companies for tl]e laying of extensive mains in different sections of the State. What wore known as irrigation settlements along the Murray wore well served by reinforced water mains.

At Cohdogla, South Australia, an experiment was tried with some 1,200 acres of land, which were irrigated by concrete-lined open channels. Temporary pumping plant was installed, hut later replaced by gas pumps having a capacity of 2.857,500 gallons nn hour. This plant delivered into the main channels and fed a canal about two miles in length, from which the famous Loveday irrjgation area was supplied, ft was estimated that the contract would aggregate 34,000 tons of pipes, and, as an illustration of modern engineering enterprise, the contractors, the Hume Pipe Company, produced over 200 tons of pipes in one shift. / Australian Governments were all talcing a keen interest in reinforced concrete work, and in 1922 the contract' for the Loveday irrigation settlement called for reinforced concrete pipes amounting to £208,000, for some 270 miles of pipes. Continuing, Mr Yaughan said: “ Although. New Zealand has not to combat droughts in the same way as Australiahas,. I notice that reinforced concrete engineers have done good work for the Christchurch drainage contract, and it is indeed a tribute to the enterprise of that city to see that an expenditure of some £40.000 has been authorised. “ In Auckland you are less than four days' steam from Sydney,” he concluded, "but, although this is mv first visit to'New Zealand, T have realised fully why yon kept outside federation. The commercial conditions of the country demand that it should have a distinct Government of its own. TTndouhicdly you are entitled to the term ‘nation/ and I may say that Australia, since its troops were associated with yours in the days of the war, recognises that there is an underlying unity. Though New Zealand stands as a distinct part of the British Empire, my conversations with business men and others show me that there is a distinct Australasian attitude in the matter of world politics. With a virile race, and following up the traditions of sound government, which lias boon evidenced over many years, there is a wonderful future ahead for this country, and no one wishes it more success than I*”