AUSTRALIA'S EMPTY NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1171, 5 July 1911, Page 7

AUSTRALIA'S EMPTY NORTH.

LITTLE LAND ALIENATED. Py TeleeruDQ—Press Association—CopyTieo' Melbourne, July 4. Returns show that of the Northern Territory's total area of 315,117,000 acres, only 47-1,000 acres have been alienated. Excepting township allotments, most of the alienated lands are within fifty miles of Port Darwin. A LAND AVITH POSSIBILITIES. ' Tho'Northern Territory, which was recently transferred by South Australia to the Commonwealth,, hae an area of 523,620 square miles, or 335,116,800 acresequal to about five times the size of New Zealand. At the end of 1909 the area of land alienated was roughly one-seven-hundredth part' of the total. One-third of the vast area of the Territory was, however, held under lease, and two-thirds remained totally unoccupied. The area leased was chiefly made up as follows: —Pastoral leases, 69,276,320 acres; pastoral permits and approved applications, 27,8-12,560 acres; coal permits, 1,664.000 acres; annual pastoral leases, 1,103,720 acres; special permits (mining), 726,400 acres; agricultural leases, 5531 acres; mixed farming permits, 3810 acres; mineral leases, 1814 acres; sold mining leases, 1005 acres.

The Northern Territory possesses many fine rivers, several good harbours, and away from the coast the bulk of the territory consists of a tableland which rises gradually from the coast to a height of apout 1700 feet. The country is full of undeveloped riches. The mining industry is at a low ebb, but that the country is •rich in minerals is evident from the fact that over ,£2,500,000 worth of gold, silver, tin, copper, etc., has been produced.