WHOLESALE RANCHING

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 78, 2 April 1914, Page 2

WHOLESALE RANCHING

A BIG LAND-LEASING COMPANY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, 28th March. Negotiations are proceeding between, the Federal Government and a mammoth bngliph land-leasing company, called / Copley and Co., which has made appli- , cation t,o the Commonwealth authorities Xm 1 twenty thousand square miles of ■ Northern Territory land for cattle'raja-. l *^' ing purposes. Report Bays that u hib ' concern has already got a number ot big landed concessions in Western Australia, and presumably -the land which it wants in the Northern Territory is contiguous to that which it has leased ** in the Western State. It looks as i£ the company has in contemplation boi .c thing like the vast ranches which used to extend over waste lands in South America. It is quite possible that the stretch of country in the Northern 'Territory, for which the company asks, can be put to no better uses at present, but writers in the press are cautioning the ■ Government to bear in mind possible developments m the future, particularly competition at an early date for cattle lands in accordance with the prediction that Australia will be able to play a, most important part as a' supplier ot' meat for the world's ueeds. ' Anyhow, if it comes to room for cattle raising Australia has plenty of it. It has enormous areas which can hardly ever serve for much eke than grazing purposes. In this connection it may be mentioned that the gentleman who at presents ranks as Australia's "cattle iking," Mr. Kidman, has holdings equal 111 area to nearly the whole of the North Island of New Zealand. They x are mostly leasehold aria* are' located chiefly in Queensland, South Australia, the Northern. Territory, and Western Australia.