IRRIGATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1716, 18 January 1905, Page 30

IRRIGATION.

THE QUESTION OF FINANCE. SYDNEY, January 16

The Premier, Mr Carruthers, speaking at a conference held to discuss the question of irrigation generally, and the Murx-ay riparian rights especially, with a view to submitting the decisions of the conference to the forthcoming Premiers’ Conference, said it would he better to> pay South Australia a lump sum for any rights she considered she possessed in regard to the navigability of the Murray river, than to endanger the chance of New South Wales using the waters of the Murray for irrigation purposes.

Mr Carruthers said that ten million pounds would be required to construct irrigation works on the various rivers of the State. " It would be absolutely impossible for a few years to com© to go to London and borrow largely. The question was, Could they not help themselves in solving this problem ? Was it not possible for those having a large stake in the country—those who would gain largely by irrigation—to assist in financing such a venture?