AUSTRALIA’S CATTLE KING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1683, 8 March 1917, Page 3

AUSTRALIA’S CATTLE KING.

ON A VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND. Mr Sydney Kidman, known as the “ealtle king" of Australia, is at present, on a visit to New Zealand. He intends to spend a couple of months in I lie Dominion seeing the country. Asked by a Post reporter as to tin* prospects ofthe vast Northern Territory, tie said (hat the great drawback was the lack oi water. Fur thousands of miles (hen* was nothing hut spinfex and sand, and four targe stations owned practically all the stork. On some of Ins own property —he Ims one station 8,500 squares miles in area —he has sunk many artesian bores, ami has in this way overcome the difficulty caused through lack of irrigation. He owns hundreds of camels and mules, and the tonne]' were utilised in the transportation of tinge ten and six-inch casings used for sinking the bores. In some instances it has heen necessary to go down to a depth of 3,000 feet to obtain the necessary water.

Mr Kilclmnn produced photographs of some of these wells, which produce a copious flow of water. One of the bores, at Maeumba (Station, yields no less than 500.000 gallons of water per day. Mr Kidman added that the Bovril Company had acquired a large station right up on the West Australian border, on which there were 157.000 head of cattle. There were many very large meat works along the Brisbane Biver, one of them owned by Swifts’ of America. Like many other prominent Australians,' Mr Kidman holde very pronounced views on the conscription issue. He frankly expressed himself as surprised at the result of the referendum, and said he thought that the same method should have been adopted as in New Zealand, where Parliament decided the question. The present is Mr Kidman’s first visit to New Zealand, although he has visited practically every other country in the world. He resides at Eringa Station, Kapunda, South Austral^.