Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, JULY 17th„ 1933. NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 July 1933, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, JULY 17th„ 1933. NORTHERN TERRITORY.

AUSTRALIA’S Northern Territory is again being brought into the limelight, by the Prime Minister’s announcement that a development scheme is being evolved in conjunction with the British Government, to encourage settlement in those vast empty spaces. Air. Lyons gave few details, except that huge concessions were proposed to chartered companies, with immense capital. Further particulars will be awaited with interest. To-day’s London cablegrams show no enthusiasm about the scheme, which will face tremendous difficulties. Chartered, companies have lost any former popularity they had, and it will be an innovation by democratic Australia to consent to such private control over national property. Unless the concessions arc considerable, it is difficult to believe that the capital will be forthcoming from British investors.

Vesty’s firm is mentioned as one of lhe two companies, but their experiences in the same area have not been pleasant, nor remunerative. Al enormous cost, the firm creeled meat works at Darwin, and everything was set to develop the Territory and to employ hundreds of men, but labour disputes .soon started, and as a consequence the works had to bo closed. Guarantees will he required against a repetition of such obstacles, and .Australian Labour will have something to say on that topic. Every effort to settle Northern Australia has hitherto failed. The climate is claimed to be healthy, but whereas thousands have gone North, only hundreds have remained. Apart from the heal, insect and other pests add to the seniors’ troubles, and the reward will have to be great 1o compensate for the discomforts. Empire migration has lost some of its one-time appeal. People in Britain are not now so easily misled by emigration handbooks claiming the

land boosted is flowing with milk and honeor words to that effect. The experiences o£ British group settlements in Victoria and Western Australia, too, of late years, have not been, such as to make likely a rush to the great Commonwealth; moreover, it is doubtful if Australians would welcome a large influx of migrants to their shores. The initial destination may be Darwin, but it is probable that before the years passed, Sydney or Melbourne would attract many.

Seeing that there is a glut, at present, of beef and other produce the Northern Territory can provide, the time does not appear to be opportune to launch fresh settlement schemes, but as it would take time before the Territory’s new 7 produce was marketable, it is, perhaps, expected that by then, the demand would have overtaken sup-

plies. The best plan for settlement of Australia’s Far North would seem to be on the lines of what has been done in Kenya, where many Britons with, capital, and of a social standiug higher than usual with migrants, have opened up the country, with considerable success. That typo of settler, should be ideal for the Northern Territory, and might be attracted in sufficient numbers, if worth-while inducements were offered. Non-intei-ference from the South would be

demanded, and here again, Sydney Labour stalwarts might object. Yet in no better way could the White Australia policy be preserved than in peopling the North with this best) type of British settler, their presence adding to the safety of those in the more civilised Southern Coasts. Aerial and wireloss developments have lessoned the isolation of the “never-never”, districts, but life there would be hard for years to most of the newcomers. Encouragement to them to tackle a task the Australian people themselves have evaded, will have to be ample and guaranteed, before the new schemes have much chance of success.