FAR NORTH WEATHER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21765, 3 April 1934, Page 8

FAR NORTH WEATHER

DRYNESS CAUSES ANXIETY WINTER FEED SHORTAGE f from: our own correspondent'] KAITAIA, Monday The continued dry weather experienced in the far north during the past two months has now assumed a serious aspect, as with the winter corning on there seems little prospect of a good supply of winter feed for cattle unless heavy rain soon sets in. Since the end of January only intermittent showers have fallen, and as drying winds have been blowing, these have not materially freshened the grasses, and the water supply in household tanks is again running low. The cream supply to the dairy factories has shown a further decline. At one stage it was thought that the output this season would be a record, but now it seems that the output will be little, if any, above that of last season. Another feature of the dry weather is that the peat swamps in the north are again on fire, and only heavy continuous rain will put them out. Every year damage is done to the swamps, particularly the Kaitaia Swamp, by peat fires. Until the land is settled and developed it will be a difficult matter to stop these fires. By flooding the drains in the Kaitaia Swamp the drainage engineer of the Lands Department was able to check the spread of the fires to the land that is being developed for settlement under the small farms scheme. The smoke from the fires is very noticeable on the road from Kaitaia to Waipapakauri, especially on still nights, when it hangs close to the ground and makes driving difficult for motorists. This was particularly so on the night that the Southern Cross left the Ninety-Mile Beach for AustraHa, and the large number of motor vehicles using the road that night had to proceed very carefully.