THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20734, 20 December 1932, Page 16

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN. POWERFUL INTERESTS MQVING. (PSOSt ODE OWN COSHESPOKDENT.) SYDNEY, December 8. Great interest has been aroused in the plan put forward by powerful interests for the development of the Northern Territory of Australia, that great tropical waste which for so many years has been a costly white elephant. The idea is to build a £15,000,000 J ailway from Bourke, connecting with the New South Wales system, to Darwin, provided the Federal Government guarantees a bond issue on terms to bo agreed upon, and grants a lease over a certain period of years of 40,000 square miles of land in tho territory. The company will also ask for freehold rights over an area of not more than 200,000 acres in the Northern Territory, and a 99 years' lease of either Melville Island or Bathurst Island, or both. It is also understood that relief from certain labour restrictions will also be sought. While no official indication of the attitude of Cabinet has been given, it is believed that influential members favour the opening of negotiations. It is known that members of Cabinet are impressed with the names of those who are behind the plan. These include u **" i?' *-^ amsie < knows more about the meat trade than anyone else in Australia, Mr Sydney Snow, a prominent Sydney business man, Sir Graham Waddell, a well-known New South Wales grazier, and others, who are believed to have the backing of a powerful British syndicate: Practical Plan. At first sight the plan seems to be the most practical yet placed before the Government for the development of that vast area which is practically unpopulated and returning nothing in the way of revenue. On the contrary, it is costing the Commonwealth » great deal of money annually, and the Commonwealth has been shown the dangers of political control in such a problem.

The job is undoubtedly one for pn«*J : enterprise, and it rwndd'.Teaa that Australia would indeed be fortunate » it could find a company prepared to take the risks that ate unrowed. ;»• country has been described mam' suitable for cattle raising, and then are certainly many industries w* could be run at a profit if sufiieiso encouragement were given. Of course, the oH cry that Norther* Australia is fit only for blacks » been renewed, but this fallacy «*» been scotched by scientific men ert* and over again. Research in this «** nexion was begun .in 1911 by W». Young, Dr. Breinl, Dr. Nicoll, *ad T& Priestly. It was taken over, by «* Commonwealth in 1931. and condod* recently when Dr. Ciiento .trawl!* the world to compare <^ lt *** i s tropical Australia with similar fao?*?* settlements elsewhere. The following arresting results TRj* established: Tropical Australia has «* lowest death rate in the o™"*°* wealth. The figures given are t»* of tropical Queensland (10.4), asoa* pared with those of the otherJ**** Tropical Queensland has the lowatw fantile mortality (plus the J»ff* birth rate) of any portion of the W» monwealth. The infantile mortality* also lower than that of any cwmOT in Europe and America. The psrcatr age of rejects for the ciriien w*** was less in the years 1914-18 m J*' cal than in non-tropical Q ueens *SS In 1918 it was less than in any B»? in the Commonwealth. No ffjrl logical difference of any signifi o could be found between tropical w traiians and those of the States. That investigation **»?"■ 20 years. It included an examination of children as well ■ adults, many of the children >#"&* the third generation in the trot®* area. Tropical Australia. The scientists say that there .is W* loss of working efticiency doriius *J hot season. In tropical Qwem»» companies employing a large n inßß s of men put down the efficiency per cent, less than in the cool sh*?I*' 1 *' The climate is not one 1 * monotonous hot season. •* ro ™f*L Skertchley, of Brisbane, who V***T ally investigated the climatic aw*£ tions of the Northern Territory, w? that "the North" to most P** te I 'ffit" fied the mangrove swamp coastal l**£ where equable and humid obtained. That humid area **".J"C more than 17 per cent, of Austrau* tropics. '.j| As for the country .behind it, *jj, it is now proposed to opea n P' llrt . said: "Viewed as a whole, the A»£ ; tralian tropic region enjoys ■» **[ more favourable climate than unica * the extra tropic land. It is °|P ;j moderately moist, possesses an *~l I quate rainfall, and for half the y*Jf /, the climate could almost be called W \ feet." The opening up of the Northe** Territory would mean the a new era for Australia. Australia" are sceptical, but hopeful.