DROUGHT AND HEAT

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1933, Page 6

DROUGHT AND HEAT

IN INTERIOR OF AUSTRALIA.

VAST AREA OF OPEN SPACES

'SYDNEY, January 10

Mr A. S. Henry, M.L.A., who has recently motored 2DCO mites ill* New South Wale*, and traversed great aieas beyond the Darling, has given a vivid picture of the great open spaces of tlio far west. He travelled 103 miles without seeing a. human being or a human habitation; he travelled two and a half .days without meeting; another vehicle; he visited pastoral holdings l , gotiMj of which comprise more than one lnjllio'ii acres, with a breadth of 70 miles.

It is a wonderful land of open spaces, potentially rich by reason of its fertile soil, but deficient.in water supply, lb is a land of drought© and terrific heat, At White "Clifts,..Mr Henry; said, there are fogsickers who live underground to escape the oppressive atmosphere. Pawtoralists in the far west at present are fighting a drought, and they are fighting an enemy which is just as deadly—the rabbit.

Waterholes weil e drying up, said Mr Henry, and millions of rabbits were moving east, eating out pastures. At one tank near Wilcannia 6000 rabbits were killed the first night poisoned water.was set for them, and at other tanks where systematic poi-cuing hadbeen, started from 300 to 600 rabbits wei'e accounted for each night. In the ooivrion of far west settlers,, unless ran fell soon or the rabbits were checked, millions of sheep would die before next winter.

“Subterranean water is there, " add-, prl Mr Henry, “but the small settler cannot finance deep wells or bores. Algeria, which I visited three yeans ago, is very lilt© New South Wale*, and there the French Government has embarked on a policy of Government bores, and has increased the oases from a. few thousand palm tree? to hundreds of thousands, and the sheenbear i no- capacity of the near Sahara lands to an amazing extent. Similar efforts should lie made here.

“I believe also, from my talks with old minert?, that one day a. goldmine will he discovered in Central Australia that will nstoni'-h th, 8 . world. Some wanderjug focssicker will turn over a stone and reveal a rich vein.”