DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 June 1920, Page 4

DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA.

HEAVY LOSSES OF STOCK REPORTED.

SIDNEY, May 18,

Any man who lives in this country for a year or two and goes back through the newspaper liles, must got the impression that tin's is the land of perpetual drought. Yet it is a wealthy country,- Exporting enormous quantities of valuable food and raw maerials, and the value of tho excess of exports over imports is how huge. Yet, according, to the highly coloured reports one may lind in tho newspapers at any time, the Commonwealth is suffering, a disastrous drought, and is face to face with imminent black vruin. That was the cry in 1917, for instance; there were similar dire forebodings in 1918; in tho latter part of 1919 tho drought appeared to be something tenable beyond description; and here we are to-day, again, with.a position—according to headings jn the Sunday papers—“serious beyond description.”

- And it is serious—there is no don... about that. And so were the other yearly droughts. Tens of thousands of stock perished, hundreds of farmers were ruined, the country suffered a heavy loss in the destruction of potential exports. Yet to-day Australia is .producing more wealth, and clinking more money in its pocket, than it ever knew before. Really awful drought conditions reign at this moment out in the western districts and the Riverina — but Australia, this time next year, wili be drawing as much wealth from her rural population this year as she is to-day.

That fact of the matter is, if this is n land of perpetual drought, it is also a land of marvellous recovery.- Whole regions may be devastated by drought. Then comes a sharp, soaking rain, a month or two of cool weather —and in no time at all the fertiie soil is producing abundantly. Another point is that, so vast is the interior, the frequency reported droughts do not occur, as a rule, in the same district in succession. Last year, for instance, the north-west and north got the full force of the drought ,and it was the north-west and north of New South Wales which benefited most by the heavy rains which supervened. This year, the middle-west of the State are suffering. These are the points which people ou/tside of Australia should bear in mind, otherwise they will be sadly puzzled by the short periods which elapse between reports of “drought-breaking rains” and “terrible droughts.” The present drought is a distressingly severe one. It is accompanied by the usual sensational accounts of stock dying in thousands on their feet, of horses being sold for a few shillings, of fodder at a premium, and of frantic stockowners scouring the countryside in search of agistment. One interesting feature of the drought is the report that on many stations, there is plenty of water. This comes from bores. The artesian supply system has been wonderfully developed in recent years. But it won' r- make the grans grow.