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An Irrigation Scheme.
TO THE EDITOR.
—I am, &c.,
A RENMARKIAN.
Renmark, July 18, 1892.
Sir —I wish to thank your correspondent,
Mr. R. St. John Hall, for his vary valuable
letter under the above heading. I do so
heartily and very respectfully. " Neglected"
Kenmark needed a champion. lam glad to
find that she has secured one. Mr. St. John
Hall's objects are admirable. He may be
assure* of the interest, assistance, and applause
of the Benmark settlers in the pursuit of them.
The. extension of the railway service from
Morgan, and the catting of a canal
from Overland Comer, and the consequent
shortening of the time distance from
Adelaide, are of the greatest moment).
I note, too, the conclusive reasoning of Mr.
St. John Hall to show the trays and means o£
effecting bis objects, and with peculiar satisfac
tion, for this very question of a loan was the
bugbear and etmnblingblock of local politicians.
Bnt Mr. St John Hall's method is hardly cal
culated to find favor here. He says:—"Open
negotiations with the Chaffey Brothers to re
cover the land at Renmark." Mr. St.
John Hall cannot have the pleasure
of personal acquaintance with the Messrs.
Chaffey; be cannot have perused with
attention the sumptuous descriptive hand
book—"The Australian Irrigation Colonies^
lomited." He would otherwise have learnt
that the hand has been put" to the
plough, and that there is no turning back.
Not mere greed of gain, bnt the credit of
a world-famous achievement has been the
incentive of the Messrs. Chaffey. It certainly
appears unjust and unfair to call npon them to
forego the result of their earnest efforts. Then
settlers may be expected to have something to
say concerning a severance of the connection
between the Messrs.'Chaffey and themselves.
Will they have greater advantages, sounder
security, heartier co-operation, good feeling,
confidence, consideration at the hands of a
mechanical Government official than (as now)
at those of their present prompters? And
what about practical instruction in irrigation
and high culture generally? Think, too, of
the redtape dilatonnees of Government opera
tions! And Governments fall and Govern
ments rise, and your sympathetic Minister of
to-day is replaced by your antipathetis Minister
of to-morrow; and settlers might well become
the puppetE of political wire-polling! No, sir;
Mr. St. John Hall must promise himself no loaal
support for bis particular method. Let Mr. St.
John Hall disembnrden his admirable scheme of
this objectionable feature; let him make the
personal acquaintance of the Messrs. Chaffey
and of the Kenmark settlers and he will secure
their earnest, consistent, and valuable co
operation. With his mind made " racy" of our
coil and disabused of erratic notions of "pet
schemes" he possesses all the materials for
success in a great work. Admirably fitted
otherwise, alike by his natural endowments
and the importance of his influence and oon
sections to secure this success, he will earn the
gratitude, not of one generation, colony, or
country, but of the. whole world and for all
time.
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