RAIN IN AUSTRALIA.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 124, 19 February 1919, Page 10

RAIN IN AUSTRALIA.

■ ■■'.";, ■THE-'-DBQUGiHT BROKEN. : • i-'..-- , *■'■■■■ Sydney, February 18. ■ ; tSteady rain is -falling in the West, rind i-. .'• there is every indication -that the (Iroiight I , '--- _has , ;broken.—Press Assn. ■' . .- ■ ■ ;■/'. .. (Eec. FebTuary.,lß,.9.so.. p.m.) . ' . I '.''■■■'■■■ ■ ■-.-■:.'.' Sydney, February 18. ~ : ' All the States report heavy beneficial ;, vrains.—Press Assn,. . . ' ..

The "Sydney Morning; Herakl" elated x a few. days ago that the whole of New South Wake, with' several minor ' exceptions, was/ under the..influence of. one of the most severe droughts on record, coast; tableland, and interior, appearing to be affected. '■ ■" ' : " ■' ,■• ."The pastoral outlook in the north•west is serious. A crisis is rapidly-ap- , preaching, as-the hot months are. slip-. ping..by.without rain falling.. The 'old '.handj-who is always called unon; at such ■..'times-! as this, declares this Ip: be "the ■■ >orst. drought for !M : yoarsV : ' It;'js,';! of course, not easy to compare '"droughts or their effects at long intervals, for memory is fiokle'and conditions-vary in'each decade. For instance., although the drought in the district around Moree and beyond is probably worse than iiH9O2, its effects are not as appalling, for, the.simple reason, that artesian : bore water reticulates through a vast area of this country today, while in 1902 the lack of water was onq-pfthe causes of heavy -losses of. stock.. It'does.not require anv,'effort of imagiim- : tioniojvisui!,lise,tlie effect t-n stock weakened by-, lack of'feed when they had to bo . driven .= long distances to 'water. .'Drains' artesian lioros , ovefemany miles of parched country, ap- : parentlj- bare of pasture, mean life to; stock, although practically,starving'. Travelling across these north-western', plainsj. one wonders how sheep remain alive -in paddocks with just- the barest skeleton of grass. Thefact is,' of course, that pro-" vided water is bandy; sheep will exist on the.barest picking:;of.'.grass or dry Herbage, sheltering under the long' hard grass,' which is in itself almost useless. A notable fiict in: tho 'bore' country just now.is the diminishing- Ijow from the bores. Nearly a11.'.-the-- bores between Mpree and Coonamble show shrinkage in the flow, according to readings taken by gauges recently, and compared..with .those .of nine or-twelve months f.go. Most of tho runs- in the- north-west' qujtsid.e the bore area have good wells and 1 drinking troughs. -This probably accounts for the sheep on some runs, almost devoid of ifeedj'looking in; gpmlco.ndiiioii, when one would; expect to see: them ''dog-poor.' ."Mr. J. E. Cory, president of the Boolooroo' Shire (Moree), ami chairman of the P.P.-'Board, declares' that; the" -■p-cs.ent drought; isinore,severe than' that of '190'' Th .e-effect-will,- he- siidj bo disastrous if ■ram ■does'not' fall in I "a"fe"vv '-weeks,' as' it is almost impossible to' find relief try. He issued pewnib for 8000 sheep to travel in one day this'wnek, as many pastoraliats. cannot keep their sheep' at home any , 'longer:'Some inobs are travelling towards the border side of A'ew England, ,-vnd others are ''fplioiving the slock routes roughly. in..tho direction of the wne'M 'recent'Storms.' Feeding is almost putoftho question;'with lucerne costing over ,£lO a ton at north-western stations, -and it is hard to get, at any price. Actunl losses an sheep are,. as. yet, infrequent, but they cannot hold ojit, much longer on aany runs. ,Heavy losses' are, however, beginning to occur in cattle and horses, and on "many'hbrtlwi-estern stotions-valu--able cattle aro failing down. Here and jn?re owners of land, especially towards the tableland, where showers have fallen, are getting famine prices foragist'nent Reports from all parts of the northwest indioate the seriousness of the posi-..■bonr-wUch bo'g-reHtly-agsravated uni.eea immediate folief "comes. The seri.effeot 1 of ■; the ' long■ drought' is being f?}™?, . all stock-owners in the Walge'tt district,,and a shoTtage v 6f water is imminent. -. Stocks can hold - out for anftther month;- In the Warialda district it is the driest spell /or 50 years. Sul>artesian water ig.eupplyunj local needs, and pump--ing is being carried out- day and night to Bupp l y i the needs of stock, ■ Several consignments of dead wool have 'been dispatched,' These aro samples of similar reports being received from many parts of the district. The prospects for next Beason'e lambing are gloomy. In. any case, the lambing will.probably be late. 'What makes tho position more ?erious is that New England cannot take sheep on agistment owing to the drought there."