DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 27, 31 July 1940, Page 8

DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA

ALL STATES AFFECTED

POOR OUTLOOK FOR

GRAZIERS

(By Trans-Tasman Air Mail, from "The Post's" Representative.)

SYDNEY, July 24,

Every State in Australia is feeling the effect of the prolonged lack of rain, which is retarding growth everywhere. Agricultural as well as pastoral areas are suffering, and in many districts the conditions are becoming critical.

The Australian Woolgrowers' Council pointed out that more and more stock owners are being forced to resort to hand feeding, and rent-feeding country is almost unprocurable. Grazier authorities are of the opinion that the wool clip for New South Wales will be down in quantity at least 10 per cent, compared with last season.

Reports from various districts in New South Wales suggest that there was a good autumn lambing, but absence of green feed is having an adverse effect on the lambs, and authorities forecast that there" will be a shortage of prime young lamb for the meat trade this year. Pennings of lambs in the fat stock auction markets for several weeks have been much larger than usual, because they have been forced in by the dry season, and the quality generally has been moderate.

Stock agents report that there is no demand of any consequence for either store sheep or store cattle, owing partly to the war uncertainty, but mainly to the dry weather.

Serious conditions have developed as a result of the prolonged dry period in Victoria. All the agricultural areas require rain urgently, and conditions in the pastoral areas range from acutely precarious to lean. Owing to the favourable conditions before the present dry spell, it is not expected that the current season's wool clip will be affected materially, but other forms of animal production will suffer.

Good rains recently throughout the settled areas of South Australia relieved the position in the agricultural country, but soaking rain is badly needed in the pastoral country. In Western Australia drought conditions continue over a big portion of the pastoral and agricultural areas. The position in the western grazing areas of Queensland has deteriorated and relief is needed in the southern border districts. Tasmania's rainfall has been considerably below average and a lighter yield of wool can be expected.

. One of the most severely affected districts in New South Wales is the normally-rich South Coast, where dairy and other cattle are in serious plight. Deaths from starvation have occurred among them and only a relatively mild ■winter has prevented heavy mortality.