AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 26 January 1927, Page 7

AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE.

DRUI'GHiS NU EON G Ell A DANGER. GOTERNAIEN 1 METEOR OLGGJ.ST» 2»’l ATEIiYIJiiN l . The prosperity of Australia a whole is no Jouger affected by dioughts. This remarkable scientific discovery announced by Air. Hunt, Commonwealth Meteorologist, at Melbourne, tlie other day, when forecasting a ro-.se-hued future for the Commonwealth. There may still be isolated cases ol hardship and severe .loss caused by drought in particular districts, such as that being experienced in Western Queensland, he said, but the opening up of new country under closer settlement conditions, providing increased production, and • enabling one part of the continent to balance another, added to foreign demands lor our wool and other products, had a stabilising effect on the prosperity of the Cbrnmonwealth. Mr .Hunt was .asked some months ago to read in paper on the economic prospects of meteorology before the Bendigo Rota-nans', -and just about that time a statement by a public man that nothing but -a very severe drought would stabilise industrial conditions in Australia, claimed his attention. \\ itb typical thoroughness Air. Hunt investigated the subject of the effects of drought on the prosperity of the Commonwealth, as set out by the Commonwealth Statistician, over a number of years. As a result of his investigations he lias prepared a graph, in which the productivity curse of the country is super-imposed on that of the rainfajjl. The period under observation was from 1891 to 1925. The value of production during these years increased from £100.000,00(1 in 1891 to £500,000,<KK) in 1925. The reduction in productivity, in sympathy with .a nainfa.il below the average for drought year, was formerly marked, hut in. recent years the sympathetic decline lias been decreasing, -and it now reached where drought could produce no corresponding .reaction on Australia’s total production. FOR. INSTANCE. By way of illustrating oil a small scale the beneficial effects on prosperity of closer settlement. Air. limit instanced the opening up of new land in Victoria. When that .Stale was depending for its revenue'from the southern aiul no-rtli-eii-s to rI. areas only a serious drought in Gippsland meant a corresponding shortage in the Stale’srevenue. Now, however, with the -settlement of the malice, a low rainfall in Gippsland would ho offset by prosperous conditions in the miallce. The opening up of additional large aiea.s of •settlement in other States, and improved methods for the conservation of food and water, would in future years more than counterbalance -any local depression arising from a. .(re-riod of drought, enabling the. Commonwealth to emerge triumphant with its pros peri tv unaffected.