VALUE OF IRRIGATION

Otago Witness, Issue 4084, 21 June 1932, Page 10

VALUE OF IRRIGATION

BENEFITS IN CENTRAL OTAGO ADDRESS BY MR R. B. TENNENT. A joint meeting of the Otago Institute and the Field Club was held in the Museum on Tuesday evening, when an address was given by Mr R. B. Tennent on “ Irrigation in Central Otago.” Professor T. D. Adams presided. Air Tennent commenced his address by indicating, through a lantern slide, the average rainfall in various parts of the South Island. The map revealed the fact that a very wet belt embraced Dunedin and swung round through South Otago in the form of a horseshoe bend and linked up with the West Coast wet strip. Southland was slightly drier, and North Otago, Canterbury, and the Lakes District still more so. For arid condition, however, Central Otago proper, which received less than 20in of rain per annum, held the record. As a matter of fact, said Air Tennent, there was one particular belt in which the rainfall was as low as Ilin a year. It was the old miners who, by means of their races, first made people realise the fertility that was locked away in these apparently barren wastes. The lecturer used another diagram to show that during only one month in the year—January—was there ove r 2in of rain in Central Otago. February was the driest month, with Alay and August next. He went on to point out the value of water from irrigation schemes in raising the land to a high standard of fertility, stating that 72,683 acres were at present being irrigated. Of these the Government had developed a little over 50,000 acres, private individuals 10,000 acres, companies 5000 acres, and local bodies 7500 acres. The work of irrigation in Central Otago was really only starting, for there were enormous possibilities in the scheme. He considered that close on 400,000 acres could be kept under water by some means or other and that 280,000 acres of this could be supplied by gravitation. Pumping methods could deal with some 42,000 acres. If the Lake Hawea scheme w-ere developed there would, be plenty of cheap electricity available for pumping purposes. Air Tennent estimated that before this territory of 72,000 acres was irrigated its production value was only about £28,000, whereas now it would produce £500,000. — (Applause.) With water the country could be made the most fertile in New Zealand, and the Government whether or not the land was paying under the present temporary depressed conditions, was quite justified iu developing it in this way. In dealing with the various types of farming which were carried on in Central Otago the lecturer said that there was a great future for the dairying industry in these parts. People were generally attracted by the beautiful orchards when they passed through, but he considered that most of the suitable land for fruit growing was now occupied and that there was little room for further expansion. Water was important for sheep farming, for the number of sheep that could be run depended on the quantity of winter feed available, and if there was irrigation much hay and lucerne could be grown to feed the animals when they were brought down from the snowthreatened ranges before winter set in. After throwing interesting slides on the screen depicting primitive methods of irrigation in Egypt and India, Air Tennent presented pictures which showed clearly what had been done to develop Central Otago. Substantial-looking dams on the Manorburn, Aloa Creek, and the Kawarau were shown, as well as many others illustrating the various methods of distributing the water. At the conclusion of the address Mr Tennent was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks.