AERIAL SURVEY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 29, 3 August 1933, Page 9

AERIAL SURVEY

AUSTRALIAN INTERIOR

CATTLE-RAISING POSSIBILITIES

The Mackay aerial expedition returned to Sydney in its two aeroplanes on July 16 from its survey of Central and, North-western Australia. A member of the expedition stated that, of 200,600 square miles covered, about onccighth could bo described as desert, but tbo remainder would carry stock ■with a practicable scheme of water conservation. This is the fifth expedition which All1. Maclcay has personally financed. These surveys, involving considerable organisation, have cost him many thousands of pounds. The expedition had three bases. The main base- was in tho Petcrmann Ranges, about 520 miles west of Alice (Springs, with subsidiary bases at tho I'itzroy Crossing, and at Hoy Hills station, approximately 000 miles to the south. Mr. Mackay said that, generally, he ■was satisfied with tho results of tho expedition, and was convinced that his outlay was justified in the cause of exploration and in order-to mako a vast territory more widely known. The only hope of tho country traversed was in tho direction of stock-raising and mining. He was firmly convinced that gold was there, and he would not be discouraged from that view. In country where one would not imagino a human being could live, one would find natives —an indication that there must be water there. Tho country would carry stocki in a fairly big way some day, although there are extensive stretches that would not carry a rabbit, and could be described as absolutely poor. ENORMOUS CONTINENT. "One has to go into tho'heart of Australia to appreciate the enormous size of- this continent," said Mr. Maeknv. "If a 1 mini was looking for gold, for example, out there he would feel {nit-like in; his smallness. Central Australia will never carry a big population. What is 'aboriginal rcsorvo of Ihe country that we surveyed ought, to lie left as such, since it is essential, I ■think, to isolate tho blacks from the whites, if '.the former are not to disappear as a'face. ■•■ ' , "I propose to mako a report to the Federal Government, Jbut it will be discouraging in tho extreme if the observations of the expedition are accorded tho same treatment as was meted out to tho report on the 1930 expedition. I «avo Mr; Parkhill: a full report on the ID3O expedition, but I don't know whether he dropped it into ? waste•paper "basket or what he did with it, so what is the use of- writing these re■ports.? If they are ' simply - to. be ignored,'1 or thrown into the waste-paper basket, then the.task of collecting data and of presenting it to the authorities appears ffutile.'.' •Vnothct member of the expedition said that among thc;party 's discoveries was a chain of dry salt lakes about. 70 miles long; in the desert country, surveyed. ' . ■ . . ..... - viACK.OF FEDERAL AID. Members1" of the expedition were; officially welcomed by, among others, "Mr Ryan, Assistant Minister, on behalf- of the State Government, tho Lord Mayor (Alderman Hagou), and Air W'M. Hughes, M.P. There was no official, representative of . the Federal 6ovcrnni<>nt. .' . ..; Mr. Maekay said that the map which Commander "Bennett would preparo as the result of his survey would be ex-Wbitcd-iri Sydney, and then given to f-he Mitchell /Library. A .copy-would bo sent to^lie Federal: Government which, ha .liojied, would show more ar.pre6iatioii'than it did:on his previous expedition,? M- spite of the apathy of the Federal" Government, ho was not discouraged; ho-was satisfied that what ho had done had: been in tho interests of Australia. Mr. Hughes said that the world knew pmeticalJy nothing of the huge tracts of land surveyed, other than what, tho Mackay expedition had to tell it. Monitors' of the expedition had examined secrets which "this oldest of lands and newest of countries" had kept from the knowledge of mankind. They had blazed si: trick which others who, like themselves, had confidence in Australia, would follow.' (Applause.) ■ ■ 3tr. .Eyan said that members of tho oxreditiori deserved the thanks of tho f. c »pl6 of i Australia, and recognition fwm the Governments. Tho Government qi New South Wales fully appreciated.. That had been done.