EXPENSIVE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 August 1918, Page 4

EXPENSIVE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Sydney, August 15 “The Northern Territory is a nightmare to all students of Federal finance,” says the Melbourne “Age” in a striking article dealing with the position of affairs in the Northern Territory - . The Territory was taken over by the Commonwealth in 1911, so that it might be developed and not allowed to remain as “ our dangerous open back door.” It has already cost the Commonwealth over .£6,000,000, and it looks as if it is going to cost some millions more without any return. It is a little tropical paradise for an army of officials.

In 1911, the population, exclusive of aborigines, was 3301. There is now, after seven years, a population of 4SS3, of whom only 3554 are Europeans. To administer government to this handful of people, no less than 160 highly-paid officials are employed, at an annual cost to the Commonwealth ofover ,£IOO,OOO. The revenue last year was .£103,000, and the expenditure

There is one Government official to every 22 white people. A complete set of departments has been established: no part of the administrative machine has been forgotten. There is an Agricultural Department and a Lauds and Survey Department to look after the needs of ten settlers. Included in the personnel is a parasitologist (£4OO a year), a chief veterinary officer (£*sso), an inspector of stock, three farm and experimental station managers a director of lauds four draftsmen, three survevors, seven clerks, making a total of twenty—or two officials for each settler!

There are 140 Europeans engaged in mining, and there are a director of mines (7J700), a chief warden and surveyor (£529). another warden (£350). a geologist and draftsman (£460), a Government assayer >'i mining manager, and numerous others. There is a police department with nearly sixty officials, a gaol department, with keepers, guards, and matron, a legal department, with special magistrates, clerks, and bailiffs, a public works department, for practically no work at all, a fullsized education department, for a handful of children, a department to look after aboriginal affairs, another to take care of the botanic gardens, a health department, and a department of charitable institutions, with medical officers, matron, and nurses. There is even a department controlling The hotels, the supervisor of which gets £6OO a year., and the six hotel managers .£3OO each. There arc-, perhaps, 40 officials with an average salary of £SOO each, plus allowances. Huge sums have been spent to stimulate production, yet there are only ten agricultural settlers on the laud. “ This,” says the “Age,” is due entirely to the fact that Ministers have committed the unpardonable error of failing to recognise that the Territory is a tropical country,. and should be developed as such. Instead ot there being two settlers, there should be 10,000. But how can such a country be developed successfully while labour demands wages like those now in force ? The range is from .{,3 a week for rouseabouls to £6 a week for teamsters and drovers. With a supply of cheap labour the Territory could be transformed into one of our greatest assets.”