IRRIGATION AND POWER

Otago Witness, Issue 4031, 16 June 1931, Page 29

IRRIGATION AND POWER

HAWEA OUTLET SCHEME DEVELOPMENT OF UPPER CLUTHA VALLEY. A .scheme which, it is claimed, could bring 70.000 acres of the Upper Clutha Valley under irrigation was outlined to members of the Otago Expansion League who visited Cromwell and Hawea on Saturday Briefly, the proposals are that a dam and power station should be erected at the outlet of Lake Hawea, supplying water by gravitation races to the low levels and power for pumping water on to land up to 300 feet above the river level. The scheme is one which has been widely discussed in the district for some time, and interest became so keen that the Cromwell Borough Council recently set up a committee, known as the Upper Clutha Hydro-Electric and Irrigation Committee, in order to bring the proposal prominently, before the Government. It was with the intention of obtaining first-hand information with respect to the scheme and ascertaining the strength ot Cublie opinion in favour of it before ringing it before the Otago members of Parliament that the members of the Expansion League made the visit. On Saturday they toured through the country which it is proposed to irrigate and inspected the site of the dam and power station. There, they were met by a large number of local farmers, who expressed themselves unanimously in favour of the scheme, and at night a public meeting was held at Cromwell.

It has been conclusively proved that the land which it is proposed to bring under the scheme responds particularly well to irrigation, and the fact that ample supplies of water were necessary, and would increase the productivity of the laud enormously, were dismissed as obvious, one member of the party stating that one might as well talk of the benefits of the sunshine as of the benefits of irrigation. The members of the league party and the local residents who took part in the discussion were more concerned with the feasibility of the scheme and particularly with the question whether the cost of the construction work and the power which it is proposed to produce would be sufficiently low to enable the water to be supplied to the farmers at a cost which would not be too great a burden for them to carry. The aspect of the question which appealed to appeal most to the league party was that the carrying out of the scheme would enable the land, most of which belongs to the Crown, to be cut up into small sections, bringing about closer settlement and consequently vastlyincreased production. It was claimed that farms of 200 acres under cheap irrigation would be sufficiently large to provide farmers with a good living. On all hands it was agreed that from a layman’s point of view the scheme seemed to be perfectly sound, but the opinion was just as widelyexpressed that in view of past experience of irrigation schemes the Hawea proposal could not be recommended until the closest investigation had been made into the question of cost. That the Goy : eminent is already* showing interest in the proposal is demonstrated by the fact that Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., who took a prominent part in the discussion and expressed himself to be in favour of the scheme, announced that the Minister of Public Works (Mr W. B. Taverner) had

informed him that he had given instructions to the Public Works Department to report to the Government on the proposal. An interesting feature of Saturdays proceedings was Mr Bodkin's assertion that Dunedin was lacking in a sense of its obligations to Central Otago in the direction of advocating its development. He made a strong appeal for the suppoit of the city in bringing the scheme to fruition, claiming that the full future of Dunedin depended on the development of Central Otago. The members of the Otago Expansion League who made the trip were the president (Mr G. J. Errington), the secretary (Mr W. B. Steel), and Messrs S. B. Macdonald, J. Inglis Wright, H. M. Mackay. and James Horn, formerly member of Parliament for the Wakatipu electorate. They* were accompanied by the Mayor of Cromwell (Mr J. Roberta), who is also chairman of the Upper Clutha Hydro-elec-tric and Irrigation Committee, and the secretary- of the committee (Mr R. Orr). THE SCHEME OUTLINED

The scheme which is at present being put forward is one which has been principally evolved by* dr E. J. Iles, who is well kuoivn as an engineer in Central Otago. His proposal is that a dam should be placed across the Hawea River at a point just below the outlet of the lake, diverting the river into a former bed in order to obtain the necessary fall. At the point at which the dam, 10ft in height, would be erected the bed of the river ie six feet below lake level, with the result that if the dam were full the height of the lake would be increased by only four feet. The water would be taken along the old river bed to a point a few hundred yards lower down, where the power-house would be erected. It is claimed by- Mr Iles that the cost would be low in view of the fact that from the nature of the scheme power could be developed in small quantities at the start and increased as it is required by the erection of further stations.

In a report which he submitted to the Expansion League Mr Iles stated: — “Troubles of finance are reduced to a minimum as revenue will be produced very early- in the development. In this valley there can be no slump. Land is at present as low as it ever can be, 70,000 acres of it are producing nothing, and this is land that is extremely adaptable to any class of farming. Where can better grain be grown than in this valley? Hawea Flat is noted for its barley. I know that after a continuous cropping in white crops over a period of 40 years this area is going back, but this scheme will make possible the correct rotation of crops, and this area will shortly- be yielding as good returns of barley as it ever did.

The correct method, of course, is to plant these fields in legumes, say fieldpeas or red clover, and then stock and irrigate for a couple of seasons, and barley can be grown as well as before. This is not a purely theoretical idea. It is in practice in a not distant and similar district on the farms near Frankton at Lake Wakatipu; but even there not as much as it would be possible under irrigation at Hawea. Again, there are many of the district just as suitable, as far as quality of soil is concerned, for growing white crops as Hawea Flat. What makes grain-growing commercially possible round the Hat is that the drying north-west winds, after their passage across the Southern Alps, where they deposited their moisture, regain a portion of it on their passage over the lake. This moisture is not as great as desirable, but it benefits about 5000 acres on the southern boundary of the lake, and .gives some idea what an ample supply of water would do not only for Hawea Flat, but for the whole valley. After the fertility* of the soil of this part had been restored by judicious irrigation and rotation of crops but little water would be required for the growing of cereals. After this 5000 acres are passed, there remain 05,000 acres of land which are not only useless, but worse than useless at present. The high winds, sweeping across these plains, are removing the soil, and in a few years thousands of acres will be swept entirely bare to the gravel. This liberates sand which at times much inconveniences Cromwell. There is no reason why- large stretches of these Hate should not be made as productive as Hawea Flat, which will also be improved by a limited supply of water. Wool, lamb, and mutton are at present very low in price, but with prices at a very* moderate rate this country, under irrigation, has been proved to be excellent sheep country*. Wheat, oats, and barley are now at payable prices, and this country is as good as any part of New Zealand for the production of such crops, while all hay crops grow excellently under irrigation.

“Now that the railway has reached Cromwell, and by the use of modern means of transport, the whole of this country- would immediately be made valuable by the development of Hawea power.

For the production of grain crops and fodder, and for the production of wool, lamb, and mutton, although prices are low, the sheep to stock-up with would be bought at a correspondingly lower price, thus still leaving a good margin of profit. The sheep would not be carried continu ously on this land. They would be bought from the hill runs in the autumn, wintered, and the lambs, wool, and ewes sold right off during the summer, and a new lot bought later on for the next season. The whole of the Upper Clutha Valley is surrounded by- hills and mountain ranges carrying hundreds of thousands of sheep, a proportion of which die every year, simply* because there is no soft feed to put them on to, and their teeth have been worn down by grazing on the hard rocky hills. A sheep may be said to be as old as its mouth, and a sheep grazing on those hill runs has its teeth worn down at a fairly early age, and cannot safely be put out to winter on them; but these sheep are good enough in constitution to rear a lamb, and do very well indeed on irrigated feed. I have seen advertised a request for an offer per thousand (not per head or per dozen) for cull sheep to kill for manure. These can be purchased for a few pence each. They would be readily saleable at a fair price if the Hawea scheme were in operation. To-day they are almost a total loss to Otago. Again, dairying is gaining ground on the irrigated lands oi Central Otago, but I think that the Upper Clutha Valley, on account of its low elevation and warmth, would, under irrigation, soon eclipse all other lands there. Therefore. I contend that, on account of the different purposes for which it can be so readily used, it will be practically free from the bad effect of slumps. This year, for instance, the production of grain crops would have saved the situation. There is no ground to clear of bush and stumps. The ground is all ready for the plough. Is there any land so readily adaptable in New Zealand, and with water, is there any land so fertile? Swamps, for instance, have to be drained before they can be used, and at a far greater cost per acre than will irrigate this laud. Then, there is no great time to wait for returns. such as there is with swamp or bush land. In one season this valley will be in full bearing. At the Dunedin Exhibition the Public Works Department showed. on a revolving screen, the great increase of the carrying capacity of the Ida Valley under irrigation. In the case of the Clutha Valley, the difference and improvement would be much greater, because, strange though it may seem, as it is so much further inland, it is at a much lower elevation than Ida Valley and so much warmer. Lake>- Hawea is only 1062 feet above sea level, and Wanaka is only 928 feet. These figures are astounding, but they will serve to show you why this valley is so hot in the summer and how it will respond to irrigation. There is another advantage that this scheme holds above any previously put in in Otago and that is that all bad race cutting can be avoided by the interposition of hydro-electric power. This watei supply is available from Hawea not only for the area I have spoken of, but for Bannockburn and for large areas around Alexandra and Clyde that cannot ifossibly be supplied by any other means. This will be the source of supply for the Dunstan and Earlscleugli Flats. There are also large areas of the Maniototo plains to be served by pumping and cheap hydroelectric power. The whole of the country can be linked up with the Teviot power scheme, and ultimately reinforce Waipori.’ MEETING AT CROMWELL

The public meeting which was held in Cromwell was well attended. The Mayor, who presided, stated that the scheme, if carried out, would bring a very great benefit to Dunedin and Otago. He had been reliably informed during a recent visit to Dunedin that the loss on the Otago Central railway last year had been £BO,OOO. If the scheme were carried out there would be much closer settlement and the profits of the railways would be very considerably increased. The town and the country were essential to each other, and he hoped that Dunedin would give the proposal very strong support.

Mr Errington stressed the fact that the aim of the Expansion League was to promote the advancement of the province as a whole. He referred to the manner in which unemployment relief funds were at present being spent, and stated that the league advocated the expenditure of the money on productive works. It believed that the works which would be of most benefit to the province were irrigation and afforestation. After inspection he considered that there was no doubt that the irrigation scheme which was at present being advocated was a sound one, showing very great promise. It would not only supply water, but also power and light. Air Steel said that the residents of the district had an excellent opportunity to do something for their own progress. As

laymen the members of the league had been very much attracted to the scheme. It appeared simple, economic, and effective. Unfortunately at present there were hvdro-elcctric and irrigation schemes which were both costly and ineffective. It was utterly hopeless to ask the Government to undertake any large scheme. It was now “ up to its eyebrows,” and it ni? 11 f<*k e a few j’ears to clear the debt. J he scheme under consideration did not call for excessive engineering skill. The country was crying out for water to be supplied, and the residents must bend all their energies to increase the productivity of the land. The country must grow more and export more. The league would endeavour to bring all possible pressure on those able to help in bringing the Hawea scheme to fruition, but it was essential that the district itself should do its part. Mr J. Inglis Wright stated that the interests of the city were intensely identified with Central Otago. He had been informed by the late Mr L. Birks (chief electrical engineer for the Dominion) 10 years ago that the Hawea scheme could he easily carried out. If power were generated from that source there were places where gold could be obtained. Air Birkss unqualified support of the scheme should be sufficient to justify the starting of it with perfect confidence of success in the end.

Air Bodkin- expressed appreciation of the work of the Expansion League, which had interested itself in any scheme for the development of Central Otago. He could not say as much for Dunedin. He stressed the importance of having weight of public opinion behind the scheme, and stated that when the public of Dunedin got behind the league the scheme would be in sight. He had recently made a trip to Auckland. The development there had been extraordinary, and an immense amount of money had been spent there. He believed that more public money had been spent in Auckland in the past few years than in the whole of the South Island. The reason was that Auckland city believed that its future lay in the development of the province. When any works were proposed in Auckland province the city spoke with one voice. Wheu Dunedin city realised that in the future of the country lay the future of Dunedin success in this scheme would be assured. There was no work which would give a greater direct or indirect return to the State than irri : nation. The £BO,OOO loss on the Central Otago railway could only be converted into a profit if the available land were developed to the full. Dunedin should clamour as Auckland city had clamoured to have money spent on irrigation. If that were the policy Otago would receive more, and Dunedin would again rival the cities of the north. He believed that a round-table conference should be held to devise means of bringing city people to believe that the development of Central Otago represented the full future of the city. There could be no question as to the great benefits that must accrue from further irrigation. The land was second to none in the country. He had gone on to the best lands in the North Island, and he could say that in parts of Central Otago returns could be obtained with irrigation equal to anything in New Zealand. Was it not worth fighting for? The putting forward of this- scheme was not the beginning of a fight. The rest dents of Central Otago had been fighting for development for a very long time. If the people of Dunedin fought as the Central Otago people did they would get results. ' A campaign should be arranged which would bring home the fact that Central Otago development was the one big thing for Dunedin. Otago as a whole should ask for this scheme. He felt satisfied that, if that were done the scheme would be 'almost in sight. Air Horn said that the land in the Upper Clutha Valley responded better to irrigation than any other in Central Otago. It could not become waterlogged, as had happened in Ida Valley, as there was 100 feet of alluvial ground underneath the surface soil. This was the first public work which he had supported in Central Otago since he had acted as its member of Parliament. When irrigation schemes had been started in Central Otago it had been promised that the Upper Clutha Valley would follow Ida Valley, but the work had not been carried out yet. He had heard it said that under the scheme which was at present being discussed the water could be supplied at a cost so low as to be unheard of. He had been led to believe that the cost would not be over 8s an acre, and that more water could be supplied than under any of the schemes at present in operation. He suggested that the Government might adopt a plan which was followed near Salt Lake City, and supply the water, taking in return 10 per cent, of the value of all produce. The Hawea scheme, if carried out, would turn a desert into a rose garden. Air Mackay stated that the scheme would enable power to be Supplied to the Makarora country. Air R. Varcoe stressed the importance of carrying out the scheme at the lowest

possible cost, and stated that It should be done by contract. The Mayor of Alexandra (Air W. Bringans) promised the support of his borough, and stated that if the power could be produced at a sufficiently low eo ‘-*r would be quite feasible. Mr kJ, Ellis (engineer of the Central Otago Power Board) said that power must be supplied at a very cheap cost to make irrigation by pumping pay. It Has evident that irrigation would increase the productivity of the land enormously. Air Alacdonald, referring to the remarks of Mr Bodkin, stated that the .Expansion League had often been disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm which Central Otago residents had shown for schemes which were for their own benefit.

Air C. Saunders said that there had been the greatest difficulty in the past in getting the backing of the Dunedin Mr Bodkin: Hear, hear. The residents of Central Otago had given nearly £2OOO as a fighting fund to na\e the Ilawea-W anaka scheme put through, Mr Saunders continued, and if Dunedin had supported it as wholeheartedly it would have been put through.

Air J. C. Parcel] expressed doubt whether the district was united in favour of the scheme. All that could be said was that Air Iles considered it a good scheme. He stressed the importance of getting other engineering advice. He considered that the Kawarau scheme could be as easily carried out. Professor Park had said that there were 80,000 heads of water in the Hawea River, but they al] knew that that was wrong and that the figure was nearer 2009. When it came to irrigating 70,000 acres that was not enough. Power must be supplied at one tenth of a penny per unit before it could be used successfully for irrigation. Did the residents of Tai ras say that they were benefiting from irrigation? They were being charged 14s an acre, and said that the land could not pay at more than 6s an acre. They would have to be sure that they were not going to place the Upper Clutha Valley in a similar position.

Air W. Partridge said that experience had shown that long reticulation races were not a success, and he considered pumping much more satisfactory. He stressed the importance of finding exact costs before recommending the scheme. Air Bodkin stated that the .Public Works engineer at Alexandra (Mr F. W. Lindup) had already received instructions to report on the scheme, and his report should be available very soon. In reply to Air Parcell. Air Saunders stated that irrigation at Tarras had not got into its stride, as there had been breaks in the race, and the water had been late in coming in. The Ardgower scheme had been an unqualified success, and farmers stated that it had been the salvation of the district. Air J. L. Stewart Wright moved — “ That this meeting supports the scheme, and when it has been investigated and proved satisfactory by competent authorities, pledges itself to be unremitting in its endeavours to bring the scheme before Parliament.” The motion was carried unanimously.