236 H. G. McKINNEY. 



Considering the experience which Colonel Home had whilst his 

 duties as Inspector-General of Irrigation in India made him 

 acquainted with all the important irrigation works throughout 

 that country, this description of Lake Coolacumpama shows that 

 there was abundant reason for testing the practicability of turning 

 it to account. 



Practicability of constructing canals below Narandera. — Whilst 

 the surveys showed clearly the impracticability of constructing 

 canals from the Murrumbidjee above Narandera, they showed 

 equally clearly the remarkable facilities which exist for the con- 

 struction of canals below that place and for the distribution of the 

 water throughout the plains on both sides of the river. A scheme 

 was therefore prepared for a system of canals to distribute water 

 throughout the district between the Murrumbidgee River and the 

 Billabong Creek, involving a main canal following generally the 

 direction of the river and at a distance of fifteen to eighteen miles 

 from it, and branch canals extending south-westerly to the Billa- 

 bong Creek and north-westerly to the Murrumbidgee. As the 

 levels showed that it was quite practicable to draw off the required 

 supply without incurring the cost of constructing a weir, it was 

 proposed to adopt this course and merely to have regulating sluices 

 at the head of the canal, to control the supply and prevent the 

 ingress of flood water. This was the only part of the scheme with 

 which Colonel Home differed, his reason being that recent practice 

 in India has shown that in the case of a large irrigation canal it 

 is preferable to construct a weir on account of the increased 

 guarantee which it gives of a regular supply. On this account, 

 Colonel Home selected a site for the headworks at one of the few 

 places fairly suitable for the construction of a weir. This affected 

 merely a portion of the main canal, and this portion was altered 

 without delay, and plans of the weir and regulating works for the 

 head of the canal were prepared. 



Particulars regarding the proposed Murrumbidgee southern canal 

 — The maximum discharge of the canal as originally proposed was 

 one thousand cusecs, and the rate of fall nine inches per mile, and 



