HOPE FOR FUTURE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 33, 1 October 1931, Page 4

HOPE FOR FUTURE

VISITOR'S VIEWS YALUE OF GREAT IRRIGATION SCHEMES FELT IN AUSTRALIA. At a time, when Australian new3 is pitched in a uniformly depressing key it is eneouraging to hear that in spite of her politics, the Commonwealth is making enormous strides in the direction of wealth and prosperity. Little is known to the outside world of the gigantic irrigation, ischemes that have come into operation within the past few years and of other3 in process of development. An Australian yisitor to Rotorua yesterday gave to the "Post" fact3 of arresting significance which prove that the businessmen of the Commonwealth are endowed with a "vision and a purpose that will ultimately lift the great island continent from the financial and .industrial slough into which it has for the moment fallen. Tremendous Dam. The Hume dam, for instance, on the Murray' River, built at a distance of 1500 miles from the sea, will contain an area greater than Sydney Harbour. The Burranjack dam on the Murrumbigee is three and a half mile3 wide, 45 miles long, with a depth over the main area of 80 feet. Not only are these great dams utilised for the irrigation of enormous stretche3 of potentially rich country, but are also used for hydro-electrie purposes. Great Endowment. One of Australia's greatest endowments is the belt of black soil running diagonally through parts of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, across the dividing range/ which when watered will have a productivity almost without parallel. To bring this incalculably rich extent of plain under cultivation chains of dams are being built across a number of inland rivers. Dry Farming. Modern agricultural science has done mueh to combat the natural shortage of water hy the discoyery of a process of dry farming which is proving wonderfully sucecssful. As ljttle as 50 points of rain per annum is sufficient to yield marvellously good crops. Exportahle Snpplies. There is to-day an exportahle surpfus of almost every class of fruit and cereal. More than sufficient rice is grown to meet domestic requirements, leaving a margin for export. The rice is grown under conditions that a few years ago would have been considered impossihle. Hope For Future The visitor in question expressed the opinion that once the incubus of Communist politics is effectively checked or removed, Australia will fall in line with the wealthy nations of the world and become a power commanding universal respect. The present chaotic eondition3 concealed the true greatness of the country and blinded people everywhere to the fact that the Australian Commonwealth was one of the greatest depositaries of undeveloped wealth known to history and one which science and industry would do much to render inexhaustible. ,