FOUR FEET OF RUIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20081, 19 October 1928, Page 16

FOUR FEET OF RUIN.

YEAR'S REGISTER TO DATE.

TOTAL ABOVE THE AVERAGE. ANOTHER HEAVY DOWNPOUR. The heavy downpour in the city yesterday made (he total rainfall for the year to date over four feet. The reading at the Albert Park gauge at nine o'clock yeste/day morning brought tho record up to 47.78 in. The rainfall for the 24 hours ended midnight, as measured by the Herald gauge, was 80 points, and as only 10 points fell between midnight on Wednesday and nine o'clock yesterday morning, this will raise the total rainfall for the year over the fourt-feet mark. While the past winter was much milder than that which tired the patience of footballers and golfers last year, there has been a good, steady rainfall which must prove of immense benefit, to the whole of the Auckland Province. After last, winter's rain- the four-feet mark was passed in September last year there came the very dry summer which, according to those old in the knowledge of the land, sweetened and enriched the earth.

Yesterday's downpour may have drawn strong comments from those who. earlier in the week have been taking advantage of an extra half-hour of daylight on the tennis courts, but it is rain like that which makes the grass green, keeps the cows in good condition and swells the butter-fat figures. With an average yearly rainfall of 43.88 in., four feet of rain does not appeal' to lie a stupendous figure. But a fall of lin. is equal to 100 tons of water an acre. The area of Auckland is about 18.000 acres, and so this year the citv ►has laboured under the weight of 86.400.000 tons of water.

The. rain yesterday was responsible for a certain amount of inconvenience, principally on the waterfront. 'lhe Port Dai-v.-in and the Wairuna were both announced to leave Auckland yesterday for Wellington and Vancouver respectively, but rain hindered cargo work and the departure of both vessels had to be postponed until to-day. Similarly, the Arapawa and the llauturu were unable to leave Onehunga yesterday.

However, it was not a cold rain that soaked pedestrians to the skin. There was in it the warmth of spring, and Aucklanders may count themselves fortunate that they did not suffer a rainstorm of the typo encountered by the Canadian Explorer on Tuesday. This was a day of glorious sunshine ir. Auckland, but the Canadian Explorer, which arrived yesterday after being delayed by heavy weather, ran into hailstorms and heavy rain, which was bitterly cold. Even yesterday, with tho rain pelting down, there were on tho waterfront old mariners who sniffed the air with dauntless optimism and informed younger listeners that the fine weather was unquestionably coming.