THE WATERLESS WEST

Hokitika Guardian, 22 June 1920, Page 1

THE WATERLESS WEST

DI VINING RODS AND ARTESIAN WELLS. SYDNEY, Juno 2. During the recent, drought'—one may say “recent,” for the rain is falling heavily at this moment, and the reports arc that it is hcavest in the far west drought region—one frequently saw the curious statement that “the so-ahd so station has plenty of water, but the stock are dying from starvation.” And that is. the literal fact, 'JTie water comes bubbling up from the interior of the earth, when a bore is put down in the right place; but this water will not cover the plains with green, and ' the sheep aiid cattle cannot live on water alone. But they can live sa long time if fodder can be brought to them, so that artesian water helps enormously in fighting a drought. Fodder, minus water, is almost useless. Fodder, plus water, can keep the animals going for months, until the rain comes again., This matter ofi discovering water lias become almost a profession in the dry areas. Everyone remembers how we first regarded the man with the divininrod. But the gentleman who was once looked on as a combination of lunatic, crank, and mystic, has come into' his own. He is much in demand, and gets big fees. Out on a Scone Station the other day a well-known diviner went out to locate water. This man—a Mr H. L. White—selected a bit of very hard country, on an elevation where water seined most unlikely. But the sta--tion owner sent a gang of men to work.*. They had to use 'explosive to get through the slaty rock, At a depth of ]3 feet Obey began to notice a soakage. A 22 feet water began to flow freely from the crevices in the rock; and at 25 it'et they broke into a good steady It is said to be even and consist cut and will supply the whole locality with water.

The number of these artesian wells is increasing very rapidly all over the interior —which is practically the western part of Ne\v South Wales and Queensland, and the nortli-east of South Australia. The water comes hot from most of the bores, and of course is highly mineralised. There are about 400 bores in New South Wales from which water (lows, naturally at the rate of 100,C00,030 gallons per day, and about 1200 in Queensland, yielding nearly 600,000,000 gallons per day.., .These figures give some idea of what the artesian water supply means to Australia. The most disturbing, aspect of- the matter is that a bore has omy a limited life. It seems that it may be expected to give a certain quantity of water—and then it dies out. Some scientists are of opinion that it is only a matter of time before the whole artesian supply will become exhausted. The question, which is of tremendous importance to Australia’s future, is still the subject of argument by B avants. At present ,the various State Governments are seeking to limit the number of bores being put down.