THE DROUGHT IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 64, 17 March 1902, Page 3

THE DROUGHT IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

NO PROSPECT OF EAIN.

WHEN THE MONSOONS TAIL.

Most Australians know (says the "Sydney Herald" of March 10) that the most Valued rains of the whole year are those that fall in January and February, and sometimes very early in March —the monsoonal rains. They mean to the farmer a good rear, to the artisan regular work, to

the business man an even flow of trade, to the \vhole people an abundance of the produce of the soil. And now Sydney has learnt that they also mean to the metropolitan population a continuous water supply. The pastoral and agricultural areas have often languished for want of rain, but the truly dreadful conditions there involved are not often brought home with their full force to the city dweller. But this year the townsman is having hir sympathies very rigorously appealed to. If he lived in the northern suburbs a few weeks ago he was chagrined and astonished to find an unresponsive water tap; to-day wherever in the metropolis he lives he has a livelj' apprehension of what a change a comparatively few weeks may work in the comfort of Ms household. Therefore he is now quite appreciative of the fact that this State is passing through a great period of drought. The Government Astronomer has not at hand a comparative table showing the severity of past dry seasons, but that it is one of the worst droughts in our history the extraordinary conditions now prevailing seem to place beyond doubt.

As a matter of established record the State has had no rain of a beneficial nature since August last —a long six months. And, what is worse, there are no present indications, nor does past experience warrant an assumption that good g-eneral rains will fall till the winter instalments come along- in force in August. Thus there may be a dry period measuring full twelve months. There is no sign of rain, Mr. Russell says, either in this or the other States.

The monsoonal rains may begin in December: they are copious in January, and particularly in Februar3 r, but their appearance in March is very unusual. It is the February fall that means so much to the continent. Wli3ii they miss us in that month— well the tale is told in parched lands, scorched crops, famished cattle and sheep, and in a comprehensive loss. Por + Darwin has in the past been the avant courier for u,s with regard to the monsoonal rains. They sweep ciown over the Indian Archipelago with a south-easterly tendency, piling up big measurements at first, then 'thinning out, but always drenching the land with the money-making and happiness-giving moisture. Recently new recording stations were placed along the north coast of Western An.tralia, and a few weeks ago the plad tidings came that the monsoon had struck the coast. It was a feast of Tantalus to us in the eastern half, for it was a meteorological false alarm;: the rains were light, and expended themselves just inwards from the coast, and from that time to the present the tropics have been inacitive so far as we are concerned. Therefore, to quote Mr. Russell again, no general rain is to be anticipated till we begin to get the south- and westerly winds, which usher in those winter rains that reach their height in August. In August, 1901, the time of the last good fall, there were fine rains all ■over the State. Roughly calculating, ■the western third got from 1£ inches to 3 inches, the centre from 3 inches to 4} inches in the north to as high as 5 inches and 6 inches in the south, and the eastern portion got from 3 inches in the north to as high as front 6 inches to 12 inches in the south. As to the February rains, some figures have already been published, and it was shown fhat the station which got mest closely to the average was Urana, but that approximation was 53 per cent. Below the average. Sydney got 93 per cent, ■below the average. The position may he better shown by givin~ a few figures of the fall m February, 1901, and February. 1902: Broken Hill, 268 points in February. 1901. as as-ainst nil in February. 1902: Wilcannia. 96 points and 5 points; Bowke, 1 point and nil; Wagga, 21 points and 9 points: Alburv. 12 -points and 8 points; Green Cape, 167 points and 64 points; Grafton. 218 points and 95 points; Moss Vale, 68 points and 19 points. City people heard the rain pelting down on Thursday night, and believed the drought -was broken. Unfortunately it was not. for though in some patches the fall was really Tery heavy the official record for Sydney was 11 points, and a glance at the chart told that it was not even a general coastal fall. No. only that, Ttrat where the clouds did visit they parted with but a scanty share of their contents.

There Hvas no rain h any part of New South Wales yesterday. There were several summer temperatures "reported. At WHeannia 100 dec", in the shade was registered, at Went"tt'orth 102 deg., Deniliquin 101.5 ,deg., o-Tirl 101 deg. at 80-irke. In contrast with these readings was that at Kinndra where the temperature fell to within two degrees of freezing.