332 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



THE MURRAY WATERS AGREEMENT. 



The misunderstanding that has arisen regarding- the nature and 

 effects of the agreement entered into by the Premiers of New South 

 Wales, Victoria and South Australia for the allocation of the waters 

 of the Murray, makes it desirable to present to our readers the 

 salient points of the explanation given by the State Premier, 

 Mr. Irvine, to the deputation representing the Water Trusts which 

 recently waited upon him in connection with this matter. 



In dealing with the resolution : — 

 " That the Waterworks and Irrigation Trusts' Association, on behalf of 

 water trusts throughout Victoria, most strongly protests against the 

 allotment of the River Murray waters as proposed by the recent 

 Conference of Premiers, as such arrangement, if ratified by Parlia- 

 ment, would be disastrous to the interests of the people of this State 

 who are dependent upon the waters of the Murray and its tributaries, 

 more particularly during the summer months." 



the Premier said, that if there were any foundation for the statement 



in it, there would be very good grounds for asking Parliament not to 

 -ratify the agreement. If the agreement would have the effect of 



seriously curtailing the flow of the waters of the river, not merely 

 •in an ordinary year, or in an average low year, but in any year we 



have known, he would not be a party to it nor ask Parliament to 



ratify it. 



The charge was that Victorian interests would be endangered 

 during the five months period, February to June inclusive. 



The Department of Water Supply had prepared a chart showing- 

 the gaugiiigs of the Murray from 1884 to the present time, a period 

 covering twenty summers, the figures for each month in each year 

 t)eing shown separately. 



That chart showed the natural flow at the eastern boundary of 

 South Australia, estimated from the Morgan gaugings. It also 

 showed the flow as it should be, in each month, in order to enable 

 the agreement to be complied with. The chart further shoAved that 

 even during these extremely dry, these abnormal months of the late 

 drought, the agreement as it now stood would enable all the water 

 ^which was being taken away during that period of five months to be 

 still taken away, without any storage whatever. Any allocation of 

 water for irrigation must depend largely on storage. The actual 

 amount of water pumped could not bear any comparison with what 

 can be taken away by gravitation, as at the Goulburn Weir off-take. 

 Large quantities, therefore, can only be taken away by having large 

 storages. Suppose there were no water stored to fall back upon, we 

 would be entitled to draw from the Goulburn and the Murray as much 

 as has ever been drawn in those five months. The chart shows that 

 there has been a terrible fall during the last few months. In 

 ordinary years the flow goes up to — in the seven months — considerably 

 over 1,000,000—1,500,000, or 2,000,000— cubic feet per minute. During 

 the five months it has almost always maintained a flow (leaving out 



