Water Conservation iv Central Otago.

Otago Witness, Issue 2727, 20 June 1906, Page 11

Water Conservation iv Central Otago.

TO THE EDITOR Sir,— ln last Friday's Daily Time 3 I noticed a condensod letter by " Settler," Clyde, who found fault with the meeting held recently about the conservation of water, and said that the resolution was wrongly worded. If so, why did he not propose an amendment, or bring forward another resolution? It was asked in the meeting that, if there was any better schemo than the Frascr River, it should bo brought forward. No amendment was proposed. One or tv.o gentlemen suggested that the Government ought to bo asked to buy somo water races coming from the Dunstan Range, but all the water from there is now made use of either for mining, irrigation, or the town use. There are some races which contain water in the spring months of the year, and for the rest of the summer have little or none I have heard since that one such case has been bought, likely with the hope of reselling it to the Government at a preat advance in price. Possibly the writer is interested in some such races, and wants to make a rise ! " Settler" brings Earnscleugh settlers and Blackrnans water forward in his letter— why, I don't know, — but, by his own writing, he shows that he does not know anything about irrigation or what he is writ- ] ing about. He states there is plenty water all over Earnscleugh and Blackmans. and 1 that races have been constructed in all directions able to irrigate the highest cultivable land on Earnscleugh. Then, again, he states that there are in somo , seasons half a dozen heads used, and that a race could bo constructed for £100 and be brought to all cultivable areas. Now, if the first statement about water is correct, what need to construct any more races? Both, however, arc wrong. Again, what good would it be to have water, perhaps one year in fi%e or ton? All who have had any experience know that if water has once been brought on the land it must not be long before it is on again, otherwise the ground becomes hard l'ke a stone, and all the clover and best grass clies out. I. myself, had one paddock like that spoilt last year through scarcity of water. Again, there are thousands of acres which are of little or no use without irriuation, and if "Settler" knows anything about race cutting that £100 would be of no use for that ourpose — miles of races would be required. As for the storage of water in the Fraser Piver. all here knows that there is nn abundance of water for many months in the year flowing- into th<^ Molvneux without any use been made of it. When the Government export. Mr Perharn, wn° here bo called at mv place, and asked me if I could show him any plnc« wr-e^e a reservoir could be made. I took him to

Blackman's and Conroy's Gullies, and he | stated that at the places I showed hi in small reservoirs could be made for one or two farms. He said that the people- of C.yde had taken him up to Waikerikeri Valley, at the back of Clyde, but that there was no suitable p'axe for any large reservoir, and it was of no uso to make these small reservoirs, as there was a sp'endid place for a reservoir in the Fraser Rher. the dam to be made in a narrow, rocky gorge, , where at 40ft high it would only be one ] chain across, and at 60ft a chain and a- . .half, and whereby the water would be \ backed up for mi'es. and cover a large flat, j with sufficient storage for water to irrigate , all the land on the Earnsr'eush Run from Fraser River to Biackman's, Conroy's. and Butcher's Gullies, right clown to Alexandra _: while another race could go to Cairnmuir and take the water aero-s in pipes at the Clyde bridge, and bring it to the top of the terraces at the back of Clyde, and irrigate all the lower land from there to Chatto Creek and Alexandra, and he added that there would be plenty of water for mining purposes, and water to spare. Last year, when the meeting was held in Alexandra about the water question, the same three gentlemen who objected to the Fraser River in Clyde also found fault with it in Alexandra. This caused a number of gentlemen, together with the county engineer, to visit the Fraser River site, and they found that it was an ideal pla«» for a reservoir, and that the statement of Mr Perham, the engineer, was as true in every respect. Ac for the water in Blackman'e Gully,

there is onV a time in th" year — wlv n thj snow !-," melting on tho hil\s — I', at thc,-e is any water of any ocnspquoni-e, and the bio; stroa:>i gci'o aily ;s finis 1 ed early in December, when it comes down to about two hoAt's. and remains about th;tt through tie summer, when the water is wanted fcr irrigat'on. As theie is not enough for the settlors now u«inj it on the fiat, there is none for future s^ttknvnt. — I am. etc., A. C. IVERSEV. Earnscleugh. Alexandra, June 6.