AUST. FLOOD WORSENS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30109, 18 April 1963, Page 9

AUST. FLOOD WORSENS

Dead Animals In River

(N.Z Press Assn.—Copyright) DARWIN, April 17

Hundreds of square miles of the Northern Territory are under water today, after torrential rain with some falls up to 32in. Cattle stations, missions, and Government settlements are isolated along the 200 miles of the Roper river valley. Heavy stock losses are expected at Moroak. Eteey, Rope>r valley and Urapunga stations, which are on the Roper. Dead animals are floating down the river in a number of places. At Roper river mission, aborigina’ sitockmen are using dugout canoes on overland trips through the flooded country in an attempt to find cattle and horses. The Health Department has chartered a helicopter to pick up the manager of Beswick cattle station, Mr George Bates, who was injured when a tractor rolled on him yesterday. The station is surrounded by water and the only dry land where the helicopter can land is the front lawn at the homestead.

A party of 15 holidaymakers marooned by floods near the Katherine gorge are not expected to get back for a week.

Fewer Jobless In Australia

(N.Z Press Asm.—Copyright) CANBERRA, April 17. Australia’s registered unemployed fell by 11,130 in March to 84.912. The steady fall in unemployment is known to have continued into April. The number of unemployed now is believed to be much less than 80,000. March unemployment was the lowest since November, when 80534 people were registered for jobs.