LEAVING THE TERRITORY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2010, 18 March 1914, Page 3

LEAVING THE TERRITORY.

SOME WHO HAVE BEEN THERE.

A number of people who tried their fortvuie in the N«rthern Territory were passengers by the Taiynan, which' arrived in Brisbane on March 3. In conversation they stated that there Was no really permanent work offering in the Territory, and the eiily work which could be obtained was on the construetjon of roads. The inen were employed fo/about a fortnight only at this Work, and they were ali anxious to leave the country, and those who, had not suffi-. eicirt money to carry them, to Brisbaito or Sydney were conteiat to disembark from'the Territory at the far northern Queensland ports, The- Taiyuan carried eight cx-Tcrri-toiy men to Thursday Island, eight,t« Cairas, fiv'e to Townsyille, and several landed at Brisbane. The others ar.e. proceeding to Sydney. The passengers declared that unJess the. labour conditions improve further batches would be leaving by tlie later boats.

Mr, J. Mullins, who spent th-e last nine years prospecting in the Northern Territory, travelling over very large tracts of country, was also a passenger. He said he had travelled aIJ over the Territory, and was satisfied that there was good grazing country and any amount of prospecting country. There was. land which was very siiitnbjo for sheep-raising, and he was satisfied that in parts tlio country was eqrta! to anything he had seen in the southern Siates. Cattle land was also plentiful, but he did not think that agriculture would be successful until some system of irrigation was devises). Ho ind grown potatoes and other vegetables successfully. If meat works were es» iablished he was'oi the opinion that the grazing industry would 1>» more nnergetfcsHy pursued and considerably more land would fee taken up. However, he would strongly advise men who eontemplatod leaving tlw southern States in renroh of work not to £o"'to the Northern Territory, noi- wcmicl he advise tlw man with small capital to v-pnttire there, as a lot of capital was required, to make a success.