DESERT TO WHEATFIELD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 568, 22 January 1929, Page 9

DESERT TO WHEATFIELD

ROMANCE OF WEST AUSTRALIA WHAT CHEAP LAND HAS DONE The development of Weitern Australia is one of the greatest ro* mances of this century. Once scorned as a useless desert, n is now producing millions of tons ot Wheal each year, and large and increasing quantities of wool, mutton, dairy produce and fruit. Railways are spreading the lenct i and breadth of the as new latv: is opened up. water, for the most pat is obtained at a depth of 32 toJM feet and vast schemes are in hand to dpvelop millions more acres of land. The secret of Western Australia's amazing success has been cheap land. The lion. M. F. Troy. Minister of Lands, Immigration and Group Settlement in the Government of West Australia. who arrived by the Ulimaroa this morning, gave some interesting information regarding the recent wonderful development of the State. Only a few years ago the West was importing flour, he said this morning. Last year the State produced morewlieat Ilian any other in the Commonwealth and he is of opinion that eventually the West will be the largest wheat-producing area in Australia. Her wheat areas are increasing at the rate of 250.000 acres a year. At present the Government has? under consideration a scheme for developing 8,000.000 acres of country for the production of wheat and sheep. Several New Zealand surveyors are at work on this enormous area. All wheat areas which are taken up are financed by the Agricultural Bank, which advances money for the purchase of stock, the erection of houses, supplies of water, and for fencing and clearing the land. Whoever takes up land in Western Australia gets it free for the first five years. Many of tho successful farmers there started without a shilling and are now wealthy men. “Of course we prefer them with some capital,” remarked Mr. T roy. The Minister gave an instance of c ne man who has made good. He had come out from Scotland with £SO in his pocket, a wife and 10 children. They took up land 50 miles from a railway and in 10 years that man was worth anything from £ 30,000 to £40,000.

To-day Australians from other states are selling and going to the West, where golden opportunities await those who are willing to work on the land. “If they are,” said Mr. Troy, “there is a wonderful future before them.” The Minister explained that each settler who wishes to take up land gets from 80 to 200 acres on an average under group settlement. The State’s greatest progress, however, has been made with wheat and sheep, and it is this class of farming which has absorbed most of the immigrants. One of the principal schemes for the absorption of immigrants is known as the £34.000,000 agreement. From this money certain projects are assisted by the Commonwealth and British Governments by way of interest concessions. The Commonwealth and British Governments agreed to pay the whole of the interest rate on the money borrowed, except 1 per cent., for approved development schemes over a period of five years and a. lesser rate for an additional period of five years. Mr. Troy said that the money borrowed would cost the West Australian Government 2 per cent, for 3 0 years—the British and Commonwealth Governments paying the remainder.