Australia Begins Food Survey for Wider Population

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 107, 22 May 1937, Page 18

Australia Begins Food Survey for Wider Population

MELBOURNE. Trainod . obsorvers nre to make a survey ,to deterprine tbe maximum . population tbat Austraiia could support at -preseut standards oi living.' Until sucb* an autboritative survey bas been made, Australians are liandicapped in refuting loose cbarges by land-bungry nations tbat less tban 7,000,000 persons are occupying territory tnat. is eapable of suppo'rting " anytbing up to 100,000,000." To tbe 350 members of tbe Australian Institute of Agricultural Science will fall tbe task of determining witb scien% tific accuraey wbat .tbe land will produce if developed and put to its bigbest and most intensive .use. Tbeir findings .will be . cbecked by economists and specialists in production in eacb "district. - • Already sucb a survey bas been carried out' in tbe State of Soutb Austraiia. It sbowed tbat witb maximum practical developmeni, and ■ assuming adequate markets, tbe State would suppport a population only -%i timcs greater tban its present total of nearly 000,000. Professor A. E. Y. Ricbardson, of tbe Waite Agricultural Kesearch Institute, has. pointed out^ tbat_ Austraiia could produce vaat quantities of iron and steel goods, coai and ceiluloso fabrics; ber capacity is not limited by lack of resources. but. by markets, botb local and oversea. Limit.to agricultural development, on tbe other band, is set by tbe productivity . of tbe aoil. Exact figures copcerningr tbe -maximum agricultural potentialities ■ would give a - basis for calculating tbe entire population of Austraiia, it is held. ' Tbe survey of tbe State of Victoria is to begin immediately ' and will probably take two years. Practically all tbe information required in tbe matter of rainfall, soil fertility and tbe maximum capacity of tbe land ■ is already availabie, but it needs to be collated. Tbe same is true of tbe other States. it is boped to eompress into scientifically unassailable form all tbe knowledge already acquired concerning Austraiia 's agricultural capacities.