DRAINING OF ZUIDER ZEE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 January 1928, Page 8

DRAINING OF ZUIDER ZEE

LONG-PLANNED PROJECT.

Every visitor to Holland knows the Zuider Zee, the small inner sear Am- ■ sterdam where the Island of Marken lies, write?. The Hague correspondent • of the “San Francisco Chronicle.” Trips to’ Marken, Hoorn, Enkhuizen, and Medemblik are favourite excursions for the tourists who visit Holland. These small places are the socalled, “dead towns” of the Zuider Zee. It will not be long before the Zuider Zee disappears. For many years various Bills have been presented to the Dutch Parliament for the draining of this inland lake, but the idea, always remained as a vision of the future' - . The oldest project for this drainage dates from 1848. Important objections impeded such plans. Mr Bauma, member of Parliament from Frisia, who comes of a tenacious race, was aware of the, fact that the principal cause of these failures lay in the lack of unity and co-operation, and he founded the Zuider Zee Company, whose object was the realisation of the project of damning and draining the inland sea. It was due to the efforts of Dr. Lely, engineer , and technical adviser of this company, that the difficult problem was solved. Dr Lely has served three times as* head of the Department of Public Works. In his position as Minister he was able to push the scheme of draining the Zuider Zee. The Bill was passed on June 14, 1918, and on June 29, 1920, the first load of soil was emptied into the sea. A dam will be built connecting the provinces of North Holland and Friesland. The parts wehere the best soil is found will be made into “polders.” There will be four, the north-west, north-east, and south-west, and southeast polders, and only a small part | will be reserved for a fresh water lake, the Yesselmeer. Two large locks will be built to insure the drainage and navigation of the Yesselmeer. The great importance of these enormous works lies in the reclamation of new arable land, an extension of agriculture and a check against unemployment. The draining of the Zuider Zee restores 220,000 hectares of splendid, fertile new soil to Holland.

Thus this gigantic scheme has great economic advantages. Holland has commenced a work that promises fruitful results, and the small country, reclaimed from the sea, will once more astonish the world by demonstrating the dauntless spirit and limitless energy of its citizens in their unceasing struggle against the powers of Nature.