676 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



IRRIGATION IN THE UNION. 



The report of the Director of Irrigation for tlie year ended 31st 

 March, 1919,* is a document of great public interest, for the future 

 of the country is closely associated with the trend of its irrigation 

 policy, arid the report includes a valuable review of what has been 

 done in the past in this respect, leading up to the present establish- 

 ment of the Irrigation Department and determination of the policy 

 devised for its future operations. Mr. Kanthack states in the course 

 of his report that, notwithstanding the disability generally associated 

 with the war, the Irrig^ation Department has, since 1916, been engaged 

 in a most active policy of progressive development, and year after 

 year Parliament has not hesitated to vote large sums of money for this 

 purpose. But no matter how lavish the Government may be in 

 supplying funds for the furtherance of a inatter of such vital 

 importance to the country, progress is limited by the available 

 staff to devise and carry out the irrigation projects, and the Depart- 

 ment has now reached a stage where enlargement is imperative if the 

 same rate of progress as in recent years is to be maintained. 



The report outlines the evolution of our irrigation policy which, 

 based primarily on methods of flood irrigation in vogue in the Cape 

 Colony, was completelj'- changed by later happenings. The drought 

 of 1913-15 and the slump in ostrich feathers — an industry responsible 

 for the early inception of irrigation enterprise in South Afric due to 

 the necessities of lucerne cultivation — followed by the war, brought 

 home to farmers the fact that their future lay in the production of 

 agricultural staples for which there was firm demand, and with this 

 came the conviction that the prevailing method of flood irrigation 

 would not suffice, and that a more secure supply of water must be 

 assured during critical seasons of the vear. This certain supply could 

 only be attained by the conservation of water in large storage 

 reservoirs. Foreseeing the inevitable change in the country's require- 

 ments, the Government was prepared in a measure to meet the position 

 thus created, and in spite of the many adverse conditions caused by 

 the war it made 



Conservation the Keynote of its Policy. 



To this end it was necessary, in the first instance, to 

 give preference to areas already served by large flood irriga- 

 tion schemes constructed bv Irrigation Boards with Govern- 

 ment money, and, secondly, to such of these areas not 

 hitherto controlled by Irrigation Boards, such as the Olifants 

 Piver Yalley in Oudtshoorn. Finally, new areas, in which little or 

 no previous irrigation development had taken place, received atten- 

 iion, all such schemes being, however, brought under the conti'ol of 



* Obtainable froni theiGrovernmejjt Printer ; price 7s. 6d, 



