A TERRIBLE DROUGHT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3344, 24 November 1919, Page 7

A TERRIBLE DROUGHT.

A [TSTRALIA STRICKEN, STOCK DIE IN THOUSANDS. MANY FACED i‘»’l’.l‘H RDLN. SYDNEY, Nov. 14. ‘ Most of New South Wales and part of Victoria are now in the grip -of a drought that many old residentg hold to be without precedent. The position generally, whicli has been bad for the past six months, is becoming steadily worse. _

Some part or other of the great in terior is always suffering from extreme dryness, and the Wzxil of “.droug'ht” is seldom a‘b;~:ellt from Australian publie. affairs. We have been hear-ing"for ‘months past about a drought, but no one has taken much 11o"tice,' “The farmer is always Complaining” about expresses the attitude of the public. But now everyone is wiikirrg up to the fact that one of those periotic, disastrous droughts is fairly upon the country, and that the outlook is gloomy in the extreme. The reports Come from two-thirds of New South Walesr, half of Victoria, and considerame areas of Queenslaml and South Australia, and they are in the same monotonous terms. Rivers which never before have been known to run ldry are waterless tmday. and the vegetation, in their valleys is shrivelled, and "the fa.l'lns and stoclx are perishing.. ‘The rainfall over the great New England tableland, for instance, for the past 22 months is four inches below the average for one year. Showers fall now and again, but invarialbly the ensuing greenness is wiped away by a quickly succeeding period of blazing sun and hot‘ Winds. The lambing has been a failure, and the dairying industry is at a standstill.

FAILURE OF IRRIGATION. Over in the wide district of which Bathurst. is the centre conditions are alamming. Thorn is a. large area.‘ there under. irrigation, where heretofore the firospccts of drought had no /tel-rors, Bu_t the stream from which came the essential water has almost ceased to run. The il'l'igation.‘al'ca is now a drought area, while scores of small farms which had a. seemingly comfortablev location along the banks of the stream are now faced with black ruin.

Of course, stofik is Tiow pouring into ,the markets from all parts, and, conjsidering the outlook, it remains at wonderfully high prices. Farmers ‘everywhere are grimly -hanging on, hoping that tomorrow may bring the ‘prayed-for rains. Ofwcourse, all available pasturage is at a prcnrium, but it is strictly limited in extent, and in most cases the unfortuli_ate stock is slowly getting thinner and thinner. In one distant, outback" place during the past week horses and sheep were selling at 5/ per head. Even at that price they were _of little use, because they could only ‘be saved by prompt removal to pasture, but no transport was available. In many places weeping willows and a native tree called kurrajong are being freely used for fodder, and are accepted e2lgel'l_v’by the starving animals. A GLOOMY PICTURE. The Sydney Mall of this week, reviewing the drought situation, paints a gloomy and depressing picture. Over great zll'e*.ls ensilage is eaten out, and there is not an inch of edible scrub left. Water‘ everywliere is at £1 preimium. Creeks and water-lroles never dry before, are now mud swamps and (isolate, empty holes. For months past the carriage of water by road and rail has lieren a regular occupation in the west and north-west, and foddertrains have been running to an the drought-stricken areas. Yet, despite these temporzary measures of relief, stock of all kinds have been dying in their thous-ands. L

Owners of some of the large horse }al'l(’l cattle-runs are simply slaughter‘ing them in order to reduce numbers ‘and conserve fodder. Sheep are perlishing C'v'ol‘_'y"v'v‘ZlCl'C, and lanrbvs are to lbc seen only in favoured localities. The Government is helping the dis:tl'9SSed farmers with loans, fodder, Ewater, - transport, and protection ‘against unscrupulous mortgagees; but the position is steadily getting worse and threatening to get out of hand. A member of Parliament, just; back from the north-western districts. says: “I know of cases where the sllccll have been shorn and then ihe throats of each one cut. The sheep in many cases are too weak to travel to the sheds, and are being shorn in the paddocks. Cattle are dying in thousands. One place -alone has lost seven thou~ sand hea'd of cattle, and one station in iny electoi-ate has lost 10,000 llea.<l of sheep. £!fte.2' DII.ViIIE over £IO,OOO for fodder. I saw ten liorses given away by one man who lnul fed them as long 21,5. he could, and was at the end of his re‘soul-ces.” « Sul’t‘m*.:~:‘.~ 3.’:-(im I-I:2.;\' l'-"(=Ve;- viii’; «snjoy spcecly relief by I)l(‘..‘,li']ll!l_£;_‘ in f\’.\.— ZOL. 5. unique, i!('\'{'l‘-faiiliiig Tenn.-4l‘\'.< 60 doses 1/15. "Use the Nazol luhalers. ' 1