THE ELTHAM CLOUDBURST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18457, 19 January 1922, Page 4

THE ELTHAM CLOUDBURST

FARMER® SEVERE LOSSES. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE SOUGHT, I - (Fbom Otjb Own Cobsespondent.) HAWERA. January 18. Reports from the hinterland concerning . last week’s cloudburst at Eltham now confirm tbe earlier opinions that the farmers in the Omona district have suffered very severe losses. v At one place the Eltham county engineer said that there was definite evidence of at least seven inches of rainfall in about ' two hours, whilst near Omona he saw evidence of approximately 12 indies in the same time. Roods and bridges have been seriously affected, and the engineer, discussing his journey through the devastated district, estimates that one quarter of the grazing land had either slipped away or had been covered with day from the higher' levels until further rain_ came and washed some of the clay off again. The chairman of the county considered the occurrence was the result of probably one of the worst cloudbursts that had ever ■ happened in their experience, and the oouncillora.were erf the opinion that if ever there was a case for Government assistance it was this. _ - Representatives of the Omona Riding said that before the cloudburst came many of the settlers were as near insolvency as they could be, and now no one knew where he stood with the loss of stock, the damage to fences, and the greatly reduced grazing area. . The damage to the road in one district alone is over £IOOO, and, with the farmers’ losses and the damage to the railway bridge, it will run into many thousands of pounds. Assistance for settlers is to bo asked from the Government.