NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2113, 2 April 1914, Page 8

NORTHERN TERRITORY.

EXTREME ISOLATION,

DIFFICULTIES OF TitAVEL.

T!w isri!ii!.f(l jintiition wWnli.tltc. Nor; tiiorii 'iVirritfli'j' <irenpit'B jii rosiJficl <rf Um (illicr jMirtioßH o( tl«i C'oi.nHi&iivvfiillh i:i m..ril!)ii.j.',)y (JemiMntMitot in l-iu* jmrl. wliirl) thi! Mhiisti'r i>f Kxtmjial Att'iiii'!! lisra MM:njv(!il from Xk«KW. .1)'. (StiH'liii find U. liiwtay, uiombers »f tl'io j Hiiy.il OiuimixiiKiii, wiiiiik Mieculty Inviroil Ito< TiMillfjf.v. VVili,i tt vimv i<;. il- , itlKt-l'lliillH l.tiii »|m(.'WII(UI«BS of tljft I'<!l'i lif-'irj'i lit" <:(M(imiHhiuiii<i'it ]>oiivl. <wit thsit [it niiMjSi Lhr'K nil upon <)f i)iK),(') 4 i(( K<lH|ll'O Wiili'ii, «1' nciti'ly ?(DJS, itorus. ;i i'f'jH'iWiilt.f'. si (jiuf.iincis <jf iiliwnt- 800 mites lioril) lo MiNl.lt, nin:l i'JOO n»i|«« < ! iwl. to tt'Wii, If- is i.i>: i.jiix'H Ujti »ii!() of Vie-. l.()i'iii, 11/ if! t'H.'iu'l.v l.wifn thij Hi'/.i': of N«w Kofitif Vi'it)''!!. ' H i» iKiii-i'ly W I,'irgo lIEI Ql|f!l'lie'lil.l)'.i. fei-ltlsn'r, ol Ulllivysi, (Jin l)!lJI( of lilt! )Mi|«ib'itieiii, wliii'i iiihl <:<(i.(iiirj:?i.l, \t-. ee-H' trwl ul. J)iinv>H ami i, v ii4o Creek. Thcr-o »[■(' n I'civ (Jliiiiftyi! ill, «tt(i>r ceutrc-H and mmiUmwl tl)i(j»j/,h<iiri, tiiii Territory, hill tjiiiic riiiiiilji'.'i'H ,'in; Out-, tmlfi Darwin iih-iJ I'iiw (jwmk Uift totid iti-Wil.ii'r of wJitt-iis jM'olwMy wsiiiid not <'S<'i!i-rl fidU, <n' oiHi i« J OOO srjv.i:tifj miles. Diinrin. is, mifos by «i>a i'rem MclIviivinm, %W mik:i t'iOi.ii Sytlney, and 5210(1 liiiiHii from (Jrisbane. it takes hnsanx In jom'iwy in ihvKm hy son, from iliij it«nn»it of the State (ia-pitals tbaii it ikifti in ff) from Darwin ip Mfiifg-KonK or SingaiKmj. The travel' tei' wisMnir to go klaml cau get a biwcrftly truiii to Pine Crook, 146 miles, and ;t itiiiifraaii's cuach on to tire Kathfriuc, it I'urUwr CO-Jjhlbb. Tiiiit is tho iJMirt of travel l).y ptjliiie coii-vovanco; At that jraiut., liewo'vcr, l).o is 40 mites distalii> from tim Maranboy tin , field, SO m'tkn from Witter 'Springs, {swj 80 wiles .froßi tnn nearest (•aU.le- statinn. SliaaW lio wish to foacll tho IJarkJy table lands from D-a-nvin, lie will liavo iippr«ix4tiiatcJy 800 males of water journey awl 180 miles by land to arrive at the jiorUifern eclg&ef'tbe tahto land. 'J. ; o reach tho same district from the cast er south, without going through Dntvrin, lie , eouM lake steamer to Tmvnuvillc, 1800 miios from sMetbpiirtio, rail to t-(mifii-U'r,y s 4iJ6 miles, aiid-ljy coach 200 miles to Camoowcal, wliit-h is on the castotn edge of tko tableland, i'o roaeli Macclonnoll Manges fi'oin Adelaide woakl necessitate a tail joiirhey of 688 miles to Oodaaifetta, when a further stretch of 300 miles wotoSd have to bo travelled by liorso or ciuliel to Alice Springs, The isolation of the, Territory is reilcetcd in tiio exceedingly high rates of inland carriage. Iktes m. tho railway i : rom Dar.yia to Pino Creek range hem £3 upwards per toil,- -As the reals are qlesccl for ■ s-cvei'al months each year during this wot season,' teamsters are wmpolled to fix rates at a figure ivlueh will corwpeftsate them for tile- loa-g period of enfo-rced idleness. In tho ami-jig , districts of tho north eailags averages 2s. to 3s. per ton per mile, fin sa'nio : j disability exists m vegaril to the derelopawHt of the itidu-stry. Car-'] riago- fi'oin Suritctotvn hi the -Gulf of Carpentaria to statiojis on tho eastern tedwc <£ tl\ss t-esiitatj costs £10 to £1:2 per ton. To Brmwtto Downs, 4'SO Mies from Buftetew'ji, hjj to £20 has to hepaid. liVflm Bori - ofl)o<?}ii to ttio sajije contra en tho tablelands the mie h £12 per ton, The seiiticwi and centra} pcrtioiis of iho owniry serf eft- ujjMfty from Soiit!i AastraJia, are subjoct to J rail from Adelaide to Qodiiacfat-ta is £7 pffr itm. Ffofti podiiadatta to Alice ■isprfiigs-ihe-. r-ii;tß'.:is illQi anil tD'Hpteoa'stlo Waters t≤3, This grorago cost of earring© t'rora, Oooduadatta to Arlttijiga gold field is £14 to £17 per ton for provisions, and fes , mining tnacMncry £33 to £40 \w ton. It is clear that ivi'tti siicli a Mgl» rate of traiisjioyt charge's deVclopni-enfc suffers ostrenje haiulioap. ■ "In other parts of , Australia," 'conuniseionars"<ttW, "railways Jiavo usually folloivctl settlement. In tho Kortb» ern foi'ritdry.tlrero fs a tinJqwo oppottimitj' fo-r tli'o l'wlway pql-by t.<> load settleiiifflit. ' But -.vldle tfe _ißip.&pulattel and undev-ffencfl condition of tlic mm* try gives absolute -froodoni in tjio selection of routes, there is -obviau-slj the drawback that it is 'kipijissiMo at this stage to venture Upon ever appr&xitii-ijte istimatos of tho financial rp-sults of any failways that may he McenHnetifled,"