HUGE AREA CLAIMED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1171, 5 July 1911, Page 7

HUGE AREA CLAIMED.

■« VICTORIA SUES N.S. WALES. By Telegraph-Press Aesociation-Oopyriirht Sydney, July 4. The Victorian Attorney-General, Mr. J. D. Brown, has notified the. New South Walts Premier of Victoria's intention to claim the Riverina, the large slice of the State lying between (he Murray and Murrumbidgeo Rivers. The claim reached Sydney on Saturday, on which expired the sixty years' term within which it is alleged that an appeal against the validity of the present boundary is permissible.

It is understood that the action of the Victorian Government, which is to be followed by proceedings in the High Court, is the outcomo of a discovery made by the Victorian law authorities during a search of records. The discovery consists of a letter written by Sir Thomas Mitchell, the then Surveyor-General, at the time of the separation of New South Wales from Victoria, containing a warning that if the Hume. River, the present boundary, vras fixed upon against the facts of the case and against the intention of the Imperial Parliament, trouble would be sure to ensue. Ho even predicted that the result would lie civil war.

It is claimed that this letter was completely ignored in fixing the boundaries between the two States.

BREACH OF CONFIDENCE SUGGESTED. (Eec. July 4, 9.40 'p.m.) Sydney, July i. In the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Wade, Leader of the Opposition, asked if it was true that the Victorian Government had lodged a claim for the , Riverina, also if the information leading to the claim had been found by a Victorian officer while ho was allowed to search Now South Wales records on another matter. Mr. Holman, the Acting-Premier, answered that he believed that that was so. Mr. Wade then asked if tho use of information gained under such circumstances was not a breach of confidence. Mr. Holman promised to lay the popesr on the table of tho House. This is the second inter-State boundary dispute to , bo brought forward in Australia this year. In the early part of the year. South Australia began proceedings against Victoria in tho High Court, alleging that 340,000 acres of land was improperly held by Victoria owing to a wrong delimitation of the boundary botweon the two States.

The case resulted in a victory for Victoria. It occupied the High Court for twenty-two days, and it was estimated that the cost of the. suit (in which five Judges, five K.C.'s, and four junior counsel were engaged) would amount to nearlv .£IO,OOO, the barristers' fees alone absorbing about £5000.