AUSTRALIAN IRRIGATION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 122, 14 May 1908, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN IRRIGATION

DISCUSSED BY COLONIAL INSTITUTE.

Received 14th, 12J50 a.m. London. May 13. "*Mr. T. A. Coghlan, Agent-General f"' Kew South Wales, read a paper at the Colonial Institute on the possibilities and prospects of irrigation in Australia. He insisted that with the development of irrigation, settlement would come and be the salvation of pastoralists. He described the sU schemes in progress for water storage, and claimed that im cation works immediately doubled and sometimes quadrupled the value of irrigable land. Even if the six systems pro jected cost £7,100,000, that was a very moderate outlay compared to the advantages reaped. • Mr. Carruthers, late Premier of New South Wales, said that Australians recognised that they would never have a large population without overcoming fea natural disadvantages by large waterworks storage. This was really aa insurance against disaster to the peat industries, and also aided the •rtation of other industries. He emphasised the growingly prosperous condition of New South Wales' finance, and anticipated a surplus of two million this year. New South Wales was able

to finance its own great water schemes. Earl Jersey, the chairman, said th.t Irrigation, properly directed, must pr, c ta the long run as useful and bencu mI to Australia aa it had and was to India Ud Egypt. His experience of Jlildur* justified the belief that irrigation o-i .1 large scale elsewhere would prove tqua'\y satisfactory.