DROUGHT SPECTRE

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 118, 18 May 1920, Page 5

DROUGHT SPECTRE

IN NEW SOUTH WALES. OMTNOT'S WINTER PROSPECT. COLD AXD STARVATION. I j The general break in t.he ''lug , drougnt"' came in May, 1903. Will history repeat itself this month? If it; docs riot, it is difficult to see any escape [ from a calamitous disaster overtaking the pastoral industry (says the Sydney "Daily Telegraph"). The drought over a large portion of I the Ktate is in its third ;»ear. By most, strenuous efforts mid at ruinous expen-e the majority of the stuck have been kept ! alive. But winter is nt hand, and poor- ! conditioned stock cannot survive IxiUi starvation and fold. With pasture*' bare, even the roughest of feed, such a.s ,' unpalatable, innulritious scrub, pretty | well exhausted, and fodder difficult tc ! get even at famine prices, if owners had | the money to pay for it, the passing of every rainless day increases the sorest apprehension for the early future. ' The whole of the western slopes ami plains from the Murray to the Queensland border are drought-gripped, held by a drought of long and increasing intensity. .In most districts it can hardly become worse. Ft only remains to be seen how much more toll it will claim in animal life, and how much can be ; saved before the break comes. THK BRIGHTER SPOTS. j On the tu-blelands the position is not so desperate. In the south, especially in Southern Monaro. it is even good. Cooma, for instance, reports that "feed and water are plentiful, and all local stock*are in splendid condition. A large number of fat stock of exceptionally good ci uul 11. v is f orwjirdcd twice n. week to market. ,. Throughout the coastal districts conditions are fair to good, and even the roughest country is being sought as a haven for starving stock from inland. A report from Casino reveals nature in such a luxuriant mood as to seem to mock the tribulations of those in drought land. ThuV "Everything* is looking exceedingly well. Stock are all > in good condition. Late crops are going well. Owing to the continuous rains of the last few weeks the roads are in a j very bad state. - ' ! Brief extracts from tlie latest official j reports of district stock inspectors, however, indicate without sensational colouring the parlous position in the main pas- i toral sections of the State. THE DARK FTDE. Tn the Xarrandera district the out-_ Took for the approaching winter is very serious indeed. l>arge unmbcrs of stock are returning from relief coTiirtry in the mountain districts, and have to be Hand-

fed, at very great expense and under extreme difficulties. Large numbers of stock are still leav-: ing the Waljrrtt district daily in search; of, grass, travelling mostly towards! Queensland. Those that remain arc in many cases too weak to travel. The outlook is very gloomy with winter J approaching. Stock that have heH upj all the summer =eem suro to perish if a cold, droughty winter sets in. Pastoral conditions throughout the Broken Hill district *re exceedingly! bad. The drought 13 playing- havoc with sheep. Both feed and water are 1 very scarce. On many holdings heavy j looses are occurring daily. The lambing; threatens to be a complete failure. The j lambs are being killed on most holdings | to save the ewes. he pastoral industry j In this district 4 never -had such ai trying time. If the droug-'nt continues I for another month dieaeter must follow.! There is practically no feed through-' out the northern portion of U>e district. Most stations are cutting scrub for stock. There is no escape from heavy losses of stock as cold weather cots '"• Nine of the twelve Government tanks in the district are dry, and two of the other three are low. , ■RWEETXA PEELS THE PDi'CH. Grazing prospects are very bad in the JeriWerJe district. Stock are being, artificially fed on the great majority of: holding*. Up to the present, ihoTcver, very few have died. In the Uraira district owners are handfeeding all the stock, including sheep returned from agistment country, where feed has given out. One station is handfeeding , 40,000 sheep. O.ittlo are poor, and many have died. Many horses are suffering from sand accumulation, through licking up feed from the dust. The runs in tine HHlsfcon district are devoid of feed, and. etook is still being sent away for grass. The drought has killed off young , timber in many places. DEVASTATED LiACH-LAX COUNTRY. The whole of the Oondobolin district is quite devoid of natural feed, but the water supply is fairly good. Stock, other than those lately returned from agistment country, are poor and dying. The outlook was never toefore co bad in the history of the district. Stock are being returned from agistment country to be hand-fed. There cannot possibly be any lambing, and losses in lambing ewes will be heavy. The whole of the Forbes district is very bare: nothing but red earth for miles. Water'ie fairly plentiful, but in most cases rs useless for stock, as there is no feed near it. AH stock are in a deplorable condition. Horses and cattle are nothing but walking skeletons. Scores of horses are dying everywhere from sheer starvation. Feed is too expensive for the poorer owners of horses to purchase, and they have no alternative but to turn them out to die. Foxes are plentiful, and doing well on the ca.rca?cs of dead stock.

Throughout the greater portion f the Molong district there is no grass, and stock are <-ituer being fed on scrub or hand-fed. All etocic are healthy, but many arc in law condition. There are deaths amongst cattle from continuous feeding on scrub. IN THE NORTH AXD WEST. The drought continues severe in the Coonamble district. There is no pastcre, and all stock are dependent upon tiie borne for w-atcr. Stock are in fair condition in places, and very poor ami dying in others. Only 125 points of rain fell in the fir?t four months vi the year. The drought continues throughout the Tnverell district, more particularly in the western poTtion. Smi'b-cutting is still general throughout the Cobar district. "Horses and old cattle and sheep are dying everywhere. Even the younger stock are i"n poor condition. Tho drought hits assumed a serious aspe-r.t in the Dubbo district. Horses, cattle, and *h«ep are dying of «tarvation. Numbers of -horses and some cattle arc being -rfrot after having been hand-fed for months. Lambing ewes in •fair condition are dying for want of proper nourishment. There must now be heavy mortality frwn starvation. The I lambing will be' one of the woret known.