TIMARU AIRPORT '

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21624, 9 April 1940, Page 6

TIMARU AIRPORT '

Spring Re-Sowing Planned Supply Of Gypsum Obtained Recent representations by the Timaru Borough Council concerning the delay in the completion of the work at the Timaru Airport, which was largely owing to the failure of the sowing of the grass sown due to the exceptionally dry weather experienced last season, have evidently had some effect. The Mayor, Mr W. G. Tweedy, reported to the meeting of the Council last night that approximately 70 tons of gypsum was now at the airport, and that the work of spreading it on the area to be re-sown will commence to-morrow. Mr Tweedy mentioned that he had made inquiries and officers of the Department of Agriculture had informed him that the gypsum would be spread and the ground hustled twice. It was then intended to leave it for three j months or so which would give the gypsum sufficient time to neutralise the effects of the saline in the soil before the sowing was undertaken. It had been hoped that it would be possible to carry out the sowing in this : autumn, but the Department of Agriculture’s officers had advised strongly against it. They were confident that if the gypsum were given three or four months to take effect and sowing was carried out in August or September they would get a reasonable strike of grass if conditions were anything like normal. Mr Tweedy mentioned that the reason the previous sowing had failed was because of the dry conditions which had the effect of bringing the salt to the surface in such quantities that, to use the description of an officer of the Department of Agriculture, the seed and the young growth of grass was “pickled.” The Department’s officers had every confidence in the properties of the gypsum and were definitely of the opinion that the sowing in the spring should be very satisfactory, and that a short time afterwards the airport would be available for use. Numerous Failures A number of people thought that the airport was the only area where the sowing of grass had failed, said Mr Tweedy, but such was not the case, as numbers of farmers who had sown grass at the same time had had to resow owing to the adverse effect of the dry conditions. Possibly the councillors would be disappointed that the sowing could not be undertaken this autumn, but the Department was anxious that the spring sowing should be successful and that it should be the last. Mr Tweedy said he hoped that the gypsum would prove effective and that the sowing would be successful. Earlier in the meeting Cr. M. H. Richards inquired whether anything had been heard of the pump which was to have been installed two years ago. and the Mayor replied that Cr. W. H. Hall, chairman of the Works Committee, had made inquiries about a fortnight ago, but the Public Works Department had not received any advice whether it had been despatched from England or not. Cr. H. J. Mathers said that under war conditions no one knew whether I any machinery was arriving until he received the bill of lading. The acti- ■ vity due to rearmament at Home had ' evidently been responsible for the delay. Cr. P. B. Foote thanked the Mayor for the inquiries he had made and for the information he had placed before the council. He was glad to hear that supplies of the “unobtainable” gypsum : had been obtained, and that the job was being gone on with. They were 1 in the hands of the Department of Agriculture, whose officers were very anxious to make a success of the job. In reply to a question by Cr. Richards, Cr. Mathers said that he had visited the airport on Thursday when the water in the main outlet was 4ft 6in down from the top of the culvert. Cr. Richards: That is a sign that the water is getting away.

Referring to the airport in his report, the Borough engineer. Mr R. J Comrie, said that approximately half of the parking area had been levelled and a start made with the soiling of this area. The kerbing and channelling on the entrance road had been completed on one side and around the airport buildings.