NEED FOR IRRIGATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19987, 20 December 1934, Page 8

NEED FOR IRRIGATION.

Every doubting Thomas, who has hesitated to give whole-hearted support to the proposals fas yet in embryonic form, it is true) to embark upon a comprehensive irrigation sciieme for Mid-Canter-bury and South Canterbury, ought to make the journey to Christchurch on a day something approaching the torrirlness of temperature that prevailed yesterday. For miles the countryside is parched almost to a cinder. The absence of rain through the long spell of high temperatures _ has literally scorched plantations, groups of trees, shrubs, fences, crops and pastures, and to-day practically the whole of MidCanterburv is menaced by the danger of" grass fires. Quite a number of representatives associated with local governing bodies ill South Canterbury have become so acenstomed to take the weather for granted, that little orderly thought has been applied by them to the problem of irrigation. Too much lias been left to chance, however, in view of the

unquenchable supply of water available to meet all Iho needs of the whole of Mid and South Can- | terbury, as far as irrigation is concerned; so much so, that the best informed authorities on irrigation and land drainage, | have expressed the view that the conformation of the country | stretching from the foothills of Ihe Southern Alps, is regarded as eminently suited to experimentation on a fairly large scale of planned irrigation. To-day, the man on the land in Mid-Canter bury, who scans the sky with anxious eyes and retires to enjoy only broken rest at night because of the ever present menace of j grass and forest fires, needs no further argument to convince him of the immense value of irrigation. We can imagine Ihe different feelings that would lie enjoyed to-day by many agriculturists and pastoralists in AridCanterburv and portions of South Canterbury, if they had at their disposal at the moment a readilvavailable supply of water for irrigation and fire-fighting purposes. Within the past month or so unrelenting Nature lias been teaching conservatively-minded men on the land a painful lesson. Already it can lie said, however, that enlightened farmers are convinced that irrigation will be Ihe salvation of Canterbury in years of dry spells, high temperatures, and scorching winds. AATiat is not understandable by the dis corning people of this district is the prolonged apathy of the Public AVorks Department and other departments interested in the fortunes of the farmer, in approaching the question of irrigation in a progressive spirit. With such abundance of labour so readily available and such potential schemes of water supply and local bodies being deeply exercised in mind to provide work for the unemployed, it is surprising to the layman that a move has not been made to provide Alid and South Canterbury with a carefully controlled system of irrigation that would help the man on the land to survive vicious conditions such as confront many rural interests to-dav.