IRRIGATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 450, 4 September 1928, Page 13

IRRIGATION

A.ustralia Notv Able To Export Rice EXPERT FOR AUCKLAND Australia is now producing more rice than she can use. Last year 17,000 tons were harvested from irrigated land in the IVi urrambidgee area. Mr. H. H. Dare, who arrived from Sydney this morning on the Ulimaroa to report on the proposed extension of the water supply of Auckland, gave the above information when speaking of the wonderful advantage irrigation has been to Australia. Mr. Dare is the New South Wales Commissioner of the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission and the River Murray Commission. He has also been closely associated with the Sydney water supply. In the course of a chat this morning Mr. Dare said that the New South Wales Government had just completed a large dam on the Murrambidgee River which will ultimately serve between 200,000 and 250,000 acres. A.t present about one-third of the area is developed. The products of this area are principally citrus fruits and rice. Of the latter only one-third of the total harvest was necessary for Australian consumption—the remainder was exported. On the Murray River an immense storage dam costing £5,000,000 is being built. When finished it will rank :*s the fourth largest dam in the world. Water from the dam will supply large areas in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Now that considerable attention is being paid to irrigation in various parts of Australia, immense areas of formerly arid land are being turned into fertile country. “Now comes the question of markets,” said Mr. Dare. “The fruitgrowing industry has increased so much that 80 per cent, of our dried fruits and 40 per cent, of our canned fruits have to be exported. It is the same with the rice—we must find markets for our product and if those markets can be found it will mean opening up more country/’ Sydney is well supplied with water, said Mr. Dare. A supply which will last for three years is always stored in the dams. The city draws its water from three dams, which have a total capacity of 100,000 million gallons. Each dam cost about £1,000,000 to build. Mr. Dare said that the Sydney water supply is taken to the city through open channels and pipes for a distance of between 30 and 40 miles. The open channels carry the water for some distance after it leaves the dams. The present scheme, which is now in hand, is to drill a high-pressure tunnel through sandstone which will carry all the water underground. Mr. Dare is accompanied by Mr. W. Renshaw, his assistant executive officer. They will spend some time in Auckland visiting the dams which supply the city with water and investigating the proposed schemes for increasing the supply.