AUSTRALIA'S FAR NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1016, 4 January 1911, Page 5

AUSTRALIA'S FAR NORTH.

. *-i—, — , ' NORTHERN TERRITORY TAKEN OVER. ■ By Tolcgraph-Prees Association-Copyright. Port Darwin, January 3. The Commonwealth'took over tho administratibn of the Northern , Territory yesterday. There .was a representative gathering.. Mr. Justice Mitchell read the proclamation bf. transfer. '

AN UNDEVELOPED LAND,

1 The Northern Territory of Australia is the most undeveloped of all portions of the British Empire, and tho virgin'soils, tho primeval forests, and even much of the grass-clad plains, and metalliferous jhills:«<!; helping nothing in the. feeding and'clothing of the world. The results • of.joxaminatjfln,,ftf : the various, parts ,'of the~con'u'try and' tho soils characterising theni, show that there are three great belts,- each,of which has its own special economic .resources:—First,- the. alluvial', coastal belt' along ' the rivers, 'which is suitable for mixed farming under tropical Conditions." Tho lower hills' and plains are largely covered with useful timbers,' some of which are of commercial, value, bnt-which . spring from a.much inferior soil: Second, the vast * mineral belts, which aro exceptionally rich in surface metals, such as silver, copper, lead, tin, and wolfram; and tho auriferous country where large' quantities of alluvial .' gold have been won,, besides somo exceedingly rich reefs and "leaders. Third, the groat prairie lands''of the tablelands, 'undeveloped, but'eminently suitable for cattle,, horses, sheep, and angora goats. As.to agriculture, it has yet to'be'ascertained what can be profitably cultivated. After 40 years of occupation there is no.staple, product, and therd is no cultivation of any sort. It is in its pastoral capabilities, bowever, that the Northern. Territory holds the greatest promise. The main pastoral intoreSt'.(says a writer in the Sydney Morning Herald") centres in tho tableland country—country which is subject to climatic conditions not annrecinbly more severe than, say, Central-Western Queensland, where pastoral settlement from the south to-day is proceeding apace. It may be thought that the writer of the article is romancing when ho says that tho northern prairies will carry 50,000,000 head of stock; but his estimate is below, that of some' practical men from the south, who have made journeys through this country. The grazing capacity of. the Barclay tableland alone lias been .variously estimated at from 25,000,000 to 15,000,000 sheep, with a fair, allowance for larger stock.' These are tremendous figures. At present the absence of railway communication puts sheep out of the question. But in any case the development of these wonderful areas is likely to ba impeded by the existence, of 42-ycar leases at nominal rentals, which.were freely granted by tho Government of South Australia before the proposal for transfer was made to the Federal Government, Pastoral leases already granted cover no less than 83,000,000 acres, while leases and permits of all kinds account for 108,000,000 acres out of a total of 335.000,000 acres. No doubt, pastoral operations in the north, to be successful; involve large areas; but there is a limit to everything, and when the Commonwealth takes over the Territory, the existing ideas recording areas will have to undergo modification.