The Irrigation Question. 3Jii 



said to be successful, but no data whatever as to its development or 

 its present condition are available. 



About the same time the first Government scheme was started 

 at Douglas, on the Vaal River, not far from its confluence with the 

 Orange. But it was badly conceived, and had to be entirely recon- 

 structed in 1893-95 '^y the Public Works Department. 



There is water in abundance and good land, but the spirit of 

 enterprise and co-operation is wanting. 



A large number of en^en have been sold, and at good prices, 

 but the people complain that they have no market for their produce, 

 and so restrict their energies to the production of what they require 

 for their own immediate use. 



A road is now being constructed from Duuglas to Belmont — a 

 station on the railway to Kimberley — and facilities will be given for 

 the disposal of all produce on the Kimberley market. 



The most successful scheme so far is undoubtedly that of the 

 Breede River Irrigation at Robertson. It was originally contemplated 

 to start this as a Government scheme, and the route of the canal and 

 the irrigable lands were surveyed, but the amounts asked as com- 

 pensation by the owners through whose properties the canal M^as to 

 pass were so large that the scheme had to be abandoned. 



Subsequently a few of the more enlightened and energetic pro- 

 prietors formed themselves into an Irrigation Board, with the sanc- 

 tion of the Government, and raised a loan of ^30,000 for the con- 

 struction of the works. These consist mainly of a weir in the Breede 

 River, about six miles above Robertson, and nearly 31 miles of main 

 canal. The weir itself is 1,200 feet in length, and consists of a 

 concrete wall or core backed by pitched rubble slopes on each side. 

 The concrete core is 15 feet in depth, and is carried down to 8 feet 

 below the river bed. The stone for the backing had to- be con- 

 veyed for a distance of nearly two miles. 



The work was started in February. 1900. and would have been 

 completed about 12 months agO' but for the abnormal flood of 

 February. 1902. which did a great deal of damage to some of the 

 minor works. The weir itself, however, has successful 1\ withstood 

 the severe Breede River floods, some of which overflowed it to the 

 extent of 9 feet. 



The canal terminates near Ashton, and discharges its surplus 

 waters into the Cogman's Kloof River, but a further extension of 

 about 3^ miles is contemplated. 



The total area to be irrigated by the scheme is about 5,200 

 acres, and though in an unfinished state lands have been irrigated 

 for many months past at a distance of from 14 to 16 miles from the 

 head works. 



It is interesting to note that the compensation paid to land- 

 owners along the line of canal has, under the arrangements made bv 

 the Irrigation Board, not amounted to as many hundreds as 

 thousands were asked for when it was looked upon as a Government 

 scheme. 



