MR GEDDIS' REVIEW

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 122, 9 June 1937, Page 12

MR GEDDIS' REVIEW

Cropping Experimentation Carried Out BASE FARM ESTABLISIIED "Gratifying success bas attended on© of tbe most important ventures with which the Napier Harbour Board is associated — the development of the Ahuriri Lagoon, 5 ! said the chairman of ihe board, Mr. T. M. Geddds, in addreasing a meeting of the Napier branch of the Labour Party 'on Monday night. "This vast area of apijroximately 7500 acres, which was raised suificiently by the 1931 earthquake to make' its development for farming purposes possible, was leased by the Harbour Board to the Small Parms Board with the object that, when the preparatory work had been completed and the land brought to a state at which it could be safeiy and profitably farmed, it should be subdivided into areas of suitable size for settlement under the provisions of the Small Parms (Eelief of Unempioyment) Act, i935. ' ' The enormous and caref ullyplanned task of reclaiming and developing this large tract of land and bringing it to a state where farming operations can be eommenced is being carried out by the Public Works Department, acting on behalf of the Small Parms Board," Mr. Geddis added. ' ' The subsequent farming operations will be conducted by the Lands Department and will be Continued lintii it has been definitely established that the portions of the lagoon to which attention is being given are sufdciently sweetened to ensure th© settlers of success. ' ' When the magnitude of the wotk involved was taken into consideration, he said, it must be cbnceded that wonder* ful progress had been recorded sinee reclamation operations were set in train by the Public Works Department in June, 1934. Apart from the work of eupervision by the staff of the Publie "Works Department, all labour had been recruited from the ranks Of the registered unemploye-i, in consequence of which Up to 200 men had been provided with steady employment. RoacUug and Drains. "In the completed task," Mr. Geddm added, "roads, banks, channels and ponding areas will account for about' 1500 acres of the total area of 7500 acres, leaving about 6000 acres for subsequeiit subdivision into farming lands. Not the least diificult phaBe of the operations is the draining of the land which, sinee the earthquake, has been covered by Water, and in this connection an area of about 1500 acres is being drained by the gravity method and the remainder by pumping. "At the completion of tke seheme there will be approximately 30 miles of roads on the lagoon. Up to the present 10 miles of roading has been formed and a total length of three miles metalled. "Eleven miles of stopbanks and eight miles of eontour banks have been fOrmed. These eontour banks are for the purpose of catching the rainfall from the adjoining hill country and conducting it to the main gravity outfall channel, through which it is led to the sea.

"A total of 30 miles of main drains and approximately 400 miles of lateral drains are to be eonstructed. Th© purpose of the lateral drains is to assist in the process of desalting the area, on the completion of which task the anajority of them will be filled iu. Splendid progress has been recorded with the draining of the area of approximately 2000 acres bounded by the Taradale road, the Wharerangi road and the main gravity outfall, which has now reaehed completion, but similar operations on the larger area to the north of the main outfall hav© only been eommenced sinee the pumps were installed and the land dewatered early this year. The south dewatering area contains between 600 and 700 acres, and is dealt with by means of one five-inch pump, with a capaeity of 200 gallons per minute, and one 12-dneh pump, with a capaeity of 2500 gallons per minute. Work of the Eumps. "In the north dewatering area," Mr.

Geddis continued, "there is an area oi 5189 acres, including 1000 acres actually outside the lagoon but diseharging water into it. In this instance three pumps — two 26-inch pumps each with a eapacity of 13,000 gallons per minute and one 10-ineh pump with a eapacity of 2000 gallons a minute — -are employed. These pumps are eleetrically driven and operate automatically with the rise and fall of the water in the main dewatering drains. "In add'ition to the 1500 acres of the lagoon whieh are drained by the gravity method, an area of 7000 acres to the south of the lagoon — namely, Meeanee, Taradale and Greenmeadows — is dealt with by similar means. Another point of interest lies in the fact that no less than 17,000 acres of adjoining hill country drains into the eontour chaunels. "The total length of the huge drainage system Which has been woven across the face of the lagoon is 00 miles. "The Public Works Department has already eommenced the worlc of fencing the developed portions of the lagoon. To date, five miies of boundary fencing and two miles of interiial feucing have been carried out,, but that there still remains mucn to be done in this connection may be dedueed from the fact that the total amount of boundary fencing to be erected is approximately 30 miles. As yet i,t is too early for an aceurate estimate to be given of the amount of subdivisional fencing that will be required, but it must be recogniised that this will be very considerable. An Interesting Stage. "The opening-up of the more advaneed areas of the lagoon has reaehed the interesting stage when the attention of the authorities in charge of the lagoon _ development scheme has embraced a

nCw phhse Of o'p'eraticiii-^ijopping. It iS necessary iii this co>hection to bCar in mind the fact that the development of such a large area of marine land is somewhat of a novelty in New Zealaiid, although to a certain exjtent the Small Parms Board is being guided by experienc© gained in the treatment of similar traets ih other cbtiiitries. Ohe very important podnt which has had to be taken Into account is that thnature of the Soil t>n difi'erCnt sefctioks of the lagoon vari.es considerably, for which reason, no doubt, it will be pdssible to obtain the best rCsults ofily oy extensiV.e experimentation. It ds not proposed, therefore, to hasten the farin development unduly, but rather to prbceed steadily and methodically oil sOund lines as the SwCetehing of the country progresses. The rCSUlts obtained and observatioiis inade dtlriilg the eXperimental period will guide vei'} materially the - subsequeitt operations. "The autumn just past r.ntroduced an important stage in the lagoon programme. So extensive had been the reduction in the salt content on tlie southern portion that it was fotmd that the sowing-down in pasture of certain areas was warranted. The fillingin of a number of the de-salting draiiih paved the way for the Bowiitg of permanent pastiire over an arek of 280 acres, in adddtion to whieh 24 acres were sown in barley and bats. "An area of approximately 750 acrCs on whieh, although the snlt eonteht is fairly low, it is not considered advisable to . fill in the eubsidiary drains, has been sown in temporary pasture to provide grazmg for stock, thus giving a means of ehecking the growth of Weeds. In the eoming spring it is iiLtended to sow trial crops, in order to aseertadn Which erops are suitable for this new country, and for this purpose an area of approximately 60 acres -S being cultivated durmg the present winter. This step will also serve as a, guide in the development of further areas in subsequent .years. "The ring-feneing is now under way of the area of 2000 acres south of the main gravity outfall. StOCk Introduced. "At the end Of May 650 breeding ewes were dntrodueed to the area, and this stdCk will be followed by an addb tional 500 ewes and a number of cattle when the work of fencing has been advfiUCed suificiently. Early stocking, oi course, is an essential faetor in the process of converting such an, area into farming land, as it is necessary to keep under control the weed growth which occurs as the salt leaches out untdl such time as the land is suffieiently sweet to permit of firOpping or laying-dowai in pastures. "At the earlieSt possible juneture the. ring-fencing of the northern atea wili folloWj and, as in the case of the ■ southern portion, stock will be introduced for the purpose of controlldng the weed growth, "The land on the lagoon which has recently been laid down in pasture is in the nature of a base farm from wnich the remainder of the development programme wijl radiate," he explained. "By carrying out this initial work, the authorities have established the entire scheme on a sound foundation, with the experience and observatxons associated with the first portion serving as an invaluable guide in deciding upon the future poliey. "Cattle stops are to be placed at the entrances of the new roads to the lagoon, thus enabling the internal road lines to be stocked for the purpose of preventing the spread of fescue and noxious weeds. "One of the latest stens to ho tn.U-#>n

is the appointment of a farm manager co take charge of the farming operations on the lagoon. Tenders have been called for a residence which is shortly to be erected for this officer, and the necessary farm buildings, yards and other equipment will follow to oue course. "A review of the progress effected to date with this important seheme cannot fail to leave the impression that a great deal has been accomplished and that complete suceess for the projeet in the futuxe seems assured. The expectations of those mostly closely connected with the promotion of the undertaking have without question been realised, and to-day the more advanced portions of the lagoon present a wonderful appearance. "All that th© completion of the undertaking is to mean to Napier and the Napier harbour distxiet may possibly be difficult to visualise at th© present time, but that the confidenc© of the promoters will be justified as the next few years bring the subdivision of the area and the establishment of large numbers of smiling homesteads is a eonclusion which must gain universal accord," Mr. Geddis concluded. ^