IRRIGATION PROBLEMS

Evening Star, Issue 20132, 23 March 1929, Page 3

IRRIGATION PROBLEMS

- SETTLERS AFT-ROACH MINISTER At Alexandra last evening. I lie Minister of Mines and Labour (the lion. W. A. Veitcb) met irrigation settlors. He was asked to give support to the proposal to built a now reservoir in tho Poolburn watershed to augment tho supply that is at present drawn Crum the Manorhiirn. ■'['he position in the Ida A alley and Galloway settlements is that tho water has been oversold lo some extent, and. although there has been no shortage this season, t here is a. danger that in a dry year the Public Works Department will not be able to deliver lull quotas of wale)' to every settler. r | be dam now serve.-, an area ol about .14,(KM acres and it is considered that in order to supply that area the construction of tho Poolhnrn dam is absolutely imperative. Thu Engineer-in -Chief of I'm Public Works Department (Air F. AV. Furkert) has estimated the cost of the dam at between .(HO. OIK) and .L'oO.Onn, and the settlers' proposal does not include any provision for their making any contribution to the cost nt the dam through the payment of increased rates for wafer. AVhatevor return tho Government gets for the outlay of such a sum will he in the form of charges on any new land Unit might he brought into the scheme. Tho Minister said he had been anxious to see something ol the work that was being done in the irrigation settlements of Central Otago, as Cabinet woidd bopn to come to some decision on a great many difficult points In that connection, and when the time came ho wanted to know a litllo about, the matters that were under discussion. He promised to go into the whole question i liorougldy with bis colleagues when be returned to AA'ellington, and be also accepted (be invitation of settlers to visit the neighbouring settlements and see for himself what was being done under irrigation. Later the Minister expressed amazement at the development that had followed tho introduction of irrigation.