LXXXVI. T. ROOKE. 
miles from the power houses, there is a sub-station from 
which electricity is distributed at 10,000 volts to the 
neighbouring irrigating plants. 
The switchgear in the pump house consisted of a 3 phase 
meter, 3 pole switch, plug sockets for connection of 
standard meter and 3 pole fuse. The 440 volt current is 
supplied from transformers sometimes placed in a little tin 
shed, and sometimes on poles outside the pump house. 
Into this shed the 10,000 volt line wires are led, and three 
single pole switches, known as ram horn switches, are 
provided, by means of which the transformers may be dis- 
connected from the line wire. <A multiple gap lighting 
arrestor is also provided. The cost of rough labour is 6/- 
aday. The wages of a pump attendant is £12 a month, 
and one man attends to several stations, the number 
depending on the distance between them. 
In this district water for irrigating iS obtained from a 
sandy sub-stratum, into which the supply enters through 
an outcrop of limited area at the foot of the mountain 
ranges. The last few years have been exceptionally dry, 
and the author was told that the level of the water in this 
stratum has gradually been lowered, a matter which causes 
some anxiety, and points to the necessity of restricting the 
number of wells or the quantity of water pumped, in such 
a manner as to prevent exhaustion of the supply. 
From Pomona, we drove east to Ontario, passing a 
number of pumping stations all operated electrically. The 
water raised by the first pumping station was used to 
irrigate a crop of lucerne, the water raised at the other 
stations visited, appeared to be used principally to irrigate 
orange orchards. Concrete pipes laid underground 
distribute the water from the pumping stations. At 
suitable distances along these pipes, vertical branches 
project above the ground sufficiently to prevent the water 
