THE DROUGHT BREAKS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 201, 20 May 1919, Page 6

THE DROUGHT BREAKS

I | WELLINGTON GETS FULL BENEFIT j ') i RAIN IN - HAWKE'S BAY AND ; ' a POVERTY BAY j "'After'four months of very dry weather ' the' 'Tain which set in here- on Sunday ; Dibfning'has'proved ilself to be the pre? i cursor of a general-fall pretty, well all i over tho Nflrtli Island, so that one may i fairly say that tho drought, or threaten- | ed drought, has broken. In Wellington ; .80 was rqjfetored . up 9 # > aim.,' on Sunday (M points at Wainui), j but there;, hag been ■'pretty." .continuous [ rn'in fjifica 10 ajn. yesterday all over the 1 disfrict-r usually 'light, misty, rain ,from ! . tho Bouth, b'ut''.foirly. ,heayy i on occai fiions, and quite sufficient to justify the | toief l .,that ..,tijere n'eejl be ...no. further I, cause for anxietj'. . >As ..far is Welhng- ■' ton is concerned the acting-engineer (Mr. i J. M..Motice) stated yesterday that Wai- ! nui was just about holding its own—the > fall had been lighter at Wainui than i in town. | During the time 110 joints (1 inch, 10 points) had fallen at Karon, ! only 60 points were registered at WaiI nui. It wos fortunate that the rain i .was from the south, as the 'best results I ■were* always obtainable at Wainui from j a rainfall when the wind was southerly. | - • TH^MAYMATIFIED "THERE ITOST' BE NO BELAY IN | TAPPING NEW SUPPLY," . ! . The Mayor exjfressed his keen gratij flcation that rain had set in before conr ditions through shortage of water be- ; came acute. He had visited the-water-works personally last week, and hau i ■ seen for' himself the danger that existed • -for tho big and ever-growing community !' of "NYelUngtori. Now that the,/rain had | come they miist riot bo put /off their [ guard. Had they had the Orongorongo : Stream as on extra supply during the rej cent dry spell there would hove been a ! margin of water over and above what ! was wanted for all purposes, but they i could not go on for long using over f 5,100,000. gallons a day, when the meas- ! ul'ed flow of the Wainui and tS. George ! Streams was . only 3,000,000 gallons . a [ riay. Now that, the danger point was i - passed the work . must ■.bo' pushed on \ with.- They must erect another big dam i above the 'Morton Dam, and.the v officers ! of . the engineers department wero. at ! iiresent sinking shafts at various poims, ' seeking a ; suitable foundation for the i new dam. As soon as that work was '. done, plans would be prepared, and the '. council .. would-consider.-the raising of [ the money for the work., . f .In.the meantime, continued the Mayor, {• it'was absolutely necessary to■ s4cure> a I pupplementary . water supply, by ; con- '. ducting the water of the . Orongorongo . ! Stream through a\tunnel in'to.tlfe exist- ; ins impounding dams. Before the war, ! f the Citv Engineer (Mr. W. IL Morton) i had-estimated that the work could be I done for the; sum of <£25,000. He thought _ i that the work could 'now be put through j for about ,£30,000, a small amount considering, .the inestimable benefits con- : ferred,upon the whole community, i : "Th-fe should be-no del"v with this \ work,'- said 'Mr. Luke. "The survey I completed, gangs of men shoijlfT, drive Yrom both sides and wo-tk- to a c.ommonj j' centre if possible, and so facilitate, a i woTk which' "will benefit the city for. air time."

| REPORTS FROM OTHER DISTRICTS 8 Press.' 'Association' - telegram from 1 BRnnevirkfl. states that lain lias been ; falling-, -there,' steadily ' since Saturday I night. •• ■ : ' ' ' A message from Waipawa states:— ' The drought has broken; A good soak- ; Ing rain started oil Sunday morning, and continued steadily. ' The weather is. • xvaTJU", find Lopes are entertained i. .'the' frost will keep off. long enough to. j allow a .little new growth to tide the over-the wintor. .- , r ' Four inches ,of rain - have, fallen at • Whakatane since noon oil Saturday. I' Eltham reports that the long drought. \ brake on Sunday night. i Heavy warm rain fell at Gisborne on j. Sunday night, bringing great relief to I pastoralists. ■ A Press Association message fropi MasLi terton» states that heavy rain feu in the t-5 Wairarapa throughout yesterday, and the Vdrought \yas entirely broken.' \S>ur Palmerston North correspondent telegraphs that a welcome break oc- ; currfed: ill ; the. weather in that district 1 on'Sunday,'light showers "falling <lurin« ; the early morning.- hours, '.while the glass dropped several points: ..Towards eveni • inga'gale set in, tha'wind rising during 1 the : -night, with --fiirther showers, which ! fcrved'-'to -freshen ..the v&getaticm and pasf tures generally.'' The ,rain was greatly ! n'e'eded'in 'view of the- prolonged drought, t- and nowithat the weather had broken i the, possibility- of a heavier downfall i than'tWt so was hope-, 1 'fplly'ffiscussedby farmers'and others doj pendant-. for •; their-' water r' supplies on ! tanks and .'rain' catchment ''areas.': ThjTainfall registered locally- up to ,9 a.m. '.. yesterday . was 11'-points, since when a- ■ light but soaking rain'had been falling continuously. ' ■ .' v • 1 ' . . By. Telegraph—Press Association. ; '.' '.' '■ -.- Whangarei,' May 19. i During the 48 hours from 8 a-.m. on ■ Saturday the rainfall registered .at i Whangarei tolled 3.2S inches.. Chitsido I Teports indicate that' the j rainfall . is i general throughout the northern peninBula- "fjapier, May 19. ' Two point four inqhes of rain fell to ? | : u,; to-day.: <- The weather -is now i cleaning,,up.