THE DROUGHT IN N.S.W.

Patea Mail, 3 July 1882, Page 3

THE DROUGHT IN N.S.W.

During the drought the Dubbo correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald wrote :—From this to Cannonbar (120 miles) there is not a mouthful of grass. From here to the Bogan, and along that river for 60 to 70 miles, the same state of things exist. On the Castlereagh-road, as far as Gilgandra, no grass, and only very little water. There is little or no stock on any runs. The deaths have been beyond calculation, and those who have been lucky to get the remnants of their flocks and herds away to the grassed lands are to be congratulated. Few, however, it is to be feared, took time by the forelock; if they had, they might have been able to save many thousands of sheep and cattle, whose bones are bleaching in paddocks, now without a vestige of pasture, but which in ordinary seasons were like meadows. On the Lower Macquarie, Omarra, and Castlereagh they are all right, plenty of grass and water; and on the Marthaguy Creek they have also feed for the winter. To give some idea of the terrible character of the times we are passing through, one or two facts will suffice. On the Bogan, out of 7000 lambing ewes, the increase saved was one lamb. On stations on the Macquarie, which are renowned for their fattening pastures, there is not a bit of meat to be obtained. Cattle for killing purposes have to be purchased either in Dubbo or from the drivers of travelling mobs. The farmer as well as the squatter is equally suffering. Nearly all those who combine grazing with tilling the soil are large losers. And to add to their trouble, many of them are, owing to the hardness and dryness of the ground, unable to plough. If there is not a change before long it will be impossible to sow any grain. Several have made attempts since the showers on the 27th April to plough, but few have been successful. There is, therefore on every side desolation staring ns in the face a bad winter and a drought such as no one in these parts has experienced. Since 1874 we have had only two average seasons. The remainder have been from fair to bad. The present is, however, the consummation, and what makes it so much felt is the knowledge that squatters will not this year be able to gain the crumb of comfort which is included in a wool clip, or the farmer have a crop. Last year we had a fair clip of wool, and some wheat and hay. If there be not a great change before long there is no chance for the latter, and no matter whether rain comes or not there will be very little of the former. Instead of 1,400,000 sheep being shorn in the sheep district of Dubbo, there will probably be 200,000. This means, of course, a large loss to individual owners, a falling off in the demand for labor, and loss to the State. The wool of 1,200,000 sheep is worth from £90,000 to £IOO,OOO, and that is something to lose.