GOLDEN RAIN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23828, 2 December 1940, Page 9

GOLDEN RAIN

NEW SOUTH WALES RELIEF FROM THE DROUGHT SOME AREAS MISS DOWNPOUR By Tasman Air Mail SYDNEY, Pec. 1 A deluge of rain occurred in the catchment area, yesterday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m and it was still raining steadily late last night. A full stall at Wnrragamba Weir began pumping the lull capacity of 40,000,000 gallons daily. Copious rains, thought to be the forerunner of the breaking of I he drought, have also fallen over the whole of the eastern half of New South Wales. To the dairying industry and to lucerne, maize, vegetable and millet, crops, the value of the rain i« incalculable. Prospects of further falls artbright. and the rain has a tendency to spread further inland, according to the State Meteorologist. Mr. Mares. In the wide area that has benefited the average fall has been from one to three inches, but in parts of the catchment areas from live to eight inches have fallen. Except in the Far West and Uiverina, the golden rain has deluged practically the whole State. Plight of Dairymen Hcgret that the falls were not spread over areas further inland was voiced by officers of the Department of Agriculture. Harvesting in the wheat areas is too far advanced for rain to assist them now, but crops generally have benefited, and the districts stood in urgent; need of the soaking rains. Dairymen are rejoicing at the rain, but to many of them it may have eonm too late. Reduced to the bread line as a result of heavy looses due to the drought, hundreds of dairy farmers throughout the State are doing casual work on the roads and otherwise eking out an existence as best they can. A Commonwealth-wide shortage of fodder for hand-feeding and difficulty in obtaining railway trucks to transport what little feed is available are two vital factors that are making the problem more acute.

A Dearth of Fodder "The situation in the dairy industry is disastrous," the president of the Primary Producers' Union, Mr. M. 11.I 1 . Dimlop. said yesterday. "Fodder is the crying need of the moment, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain supplies," he added. "It the Wheat Board could be persuaded to make available some of the surplus wheat now filling the silos at a price considerablv below the Sydney f.a.q. price of -)s a bushel, then considerable relief of the fodder problem would result. "This wheat., it is said, cannot be made available by the Wheat Hoard under its charter, but the Federal Government could take the necessary steps to see that wheat for wheatmeal feed was supplied at a reasonable price. Something will have to be done, because the dairy industry is in a very serious plight, which is becoming such a problem th.it a financial crisis is arising for the thousands of farmers concerned."