A WATER SUPPLY FOR WENDONSIDE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1933, 25 February 1892, Page 20

A WATER SUPPLY FOR WENDONSIDE.

A matter of very considerable public interest was brought before the Southland County Council at its last sitting. On that occasion Messrs Bain and DennLston appeared as a deputation from the School Commissioners of Otago, to request the co-operation of the council in carrying out a scheme of irrigation which has bejn for some time under discussion. This .scheme contemplates the bringing of water through a tract in the Wendonside district, the property of the School Trust, and consisting of some 15,00 i) acres. The land is very dry, and is mcd at present for pastoral purposes only ; but, although light, it is capable of being brought under the plough, and, if liberally supplied with water to meet the needs of cattle, would no doubt be taken up for agricultural settlement. Indeed, it is in response to calls from those already in the district that the commissioners havo contracted to have the area mentioned surveyed into farms of from 100 to 300 acres, and have determined to have there, to the xtenfc of 10,003 acros, offered for lease at the firat

convenient opportunity. It was, at first, Mr 1 intention and desire of the commissioners to carry out a scheme whereby water should be spread over the land in order to increase its fertility, and they secured the services of Mr Dobson, C.X.— who has planned a great deal of such work in Canterbury— to make a survey of the country and ascertain how and at what cost this larger scheme of irrigation could be accomplished. The report of Mr Dobson was adverse to the works being undertaken on such a scale, owing to the distance of the source of watersupply and the difficulties of the country to be traversed— these drawbacks entailing a cost that could not be justified by tho result. Consequently, the commissioners resolved on confining their efforts to introducing a supply of water for cattle and domestic use only, which it was reported could be brought in at a moderate cost. The method of doing this next engaged attention, and, finding that an act of last session gave power to county councils to undertake the whole business of constructing water-races, of maintaining them, and of rating settlers who benefited by the supply, the commissioners resolved to confer with the Southland County Council in regard to its exercising those powers. Mr Bain, as one of the deputies appointed by the commissioners, made an exhaustive statement to the council as to all the aspects of the case, quoting from the new act and other documents in support of his contentions ; and Mr Dcnni.ston followed in commendation of tiie proposed work and in support of the arguments for the council's undertaking it. During this interview .-trong symptoms of opposition were manifested by one of the councillors, and some objections were taken to the competency of the council to interfere in the particular district which was to be the field of operations— an opposition which Mr Bain did his best to combat. We are glad to see that, after the retirement of the deputies tho council resolved that a committee should meet these gentlemen and discuss thft whole matter, when probably the two parties will have fully mastered the subject and will be able to discover exactly how the laud lies. At Monday's meeting of the School Commissioners the new situation was fully debated and the two Southland deputies were invested with larger powers, so that we may expect soon to see the matter taken up with .spirit, and brought to a conclusion which we tru.it may be favourable to a prosecution of the scheme. There are some complications to be considered, but the benefit to be derived is so palpable that every exertion should be made to reduce them. If Mr Dobson's recommendations should be carried out, the probability is that the land which they affect will lie doubled in value, and this will mean large additions to the revenue of the School Trust, and such advantages to the tenants as will make rating an easy and equitable burden. It would be well, on other grounds, to see the experiment tried even of this modified irrigation, for the result might be the recovery from comparative sterility of many regions similarly situated to the Waikaia Plains. —Southland Times.