The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1893.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 40, 17 February 1893, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1893.

For th» oattse that lacis aisistanos, • For t the ■wrong that needs rtsletance, {■or'tlio'futuri tn the distincti, Aaii tlio soo4 that iro can do.

A spkcial correspondent of the " Melbourne Age," who recently visited the quarantine stations near Fort) Augusta, South Australia, where nowly-importod camels are detained three mouths in order to insure their being free from disease, ha 6 furnished Borne interesting particulars respecting the development of camel traffic in the northern and central districts of the Australian conbinont. The introduction of tho "ship of the desert " into that country dates from 1866, and was due to the enter.

prine of Sir Thomas Elder, who imported 109 animals from India, and established a breeding station at , Beltana in the midsfc df a largo pastoral district). Thero was at first considerable mortality from mange, bub the survivors speedily became acclimatised, and the young stock bred in Australia are said to be even more hardy and vigorous than their ancestors. The utility of these patient beasts of burden in a country whero bo large a portion of the interior is scantily supplied with feed and water, soon became apparent. , Even in ordinary seasons, the work ot transporting supplies to stations at a distance from the rivers is difficult, and conaiderable delay is often experienced in forwarding the season's wool-clip by bullock team to tho nearest shipping port. But it is during the froauent droughts to which Australia i*B subject that the adaptability of the camel to tho conditions of the country is specially arjparent. In many such instances camels have taken out supplies to settlors when owing to the vast waterless districts that had to be traversed horees and bullocks could nob possibly have been employed. The Government speedily recognised the utility of camels for a variety of purposes, and as early as 1872 one hundred of them were made use of in carrying poles, wire and insulators required for the construction of telegraph lines. Tho Telegraph, Police Survey, and Geological Departments are all being equipped with caravan?, and the development of the caraol transport has enablod pastoral districts in tbo inberior to bo opened up for settlement which otherwise would have been valueless. On dusty plains in Central Australia teams of camels draw heavily-laden waggons as horses and bullocks do in this colony. The value of camels for exploratory purposes ie due to their well-known capability for sustaining life and performing long journeys when very scantily supplied with food arid water. Mr David Lindsay, leader of the Elder Exploration Expedition of 1891-92, states that his riding camel carried him for 20 days on six gallons of water. Bub the othor camels employed on the expedition accomplished iheir work on still shorter commons. In their journey across a Bandy desert, much of it hilly, and almost destitute of feed, tho cumels, some of them carrying as much as seven cwt., continued to travel daring two entirely waterless periods of 18 and 23 days respectively and on another occasion they had only one scanty drink during 29 days. Mr Lindsay was of opinion that tho animals who were travelling under a broiling sun would if necessary have been able to hold out from 7 to 12 days longer. There are .at present about 4,000 camels in Australia. Of these 2,200 are employed in South Australia, 1,000 in the northern portions of New fcoutti Wales, and a large number in Western Australia are used for conveying provisions to the goldfields. In somo of the interior districts, where there is not a water supply for horses, camels are extensively employed for riding purposes. Some of their feats in this line are remarkable. It is said that) one did the journey from Beltana to lort Augusta, a distanco of 150 miles, wibhm 24 boars, and a constable who had ridden a camel 400 miles in pursuit of an offender, cohered a distance in returning of 200 miles in three days and a half without distressing the boast. The average cost of a camel in Australia ia£4o. The traffic has loner been viewed Witt jealous eyes by teamsters and bullcck

drivers, bub owing to the suitability of the camel for work in districts where other beasts of burden would be useless, we do nob wonder the import industry is in a flourishing condition. According to Abdul Wade, Australia is so suited to the constitution and habits of tho animal, and stock raised in that country are of such suporior qualiby, thab in a shorb time importation will entirely cease, and " Australia will become the greatest camel-breeding country in the universe."