LIFE IN THE FAR BACK

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 15 August 1921, Page 4

LIFE IN THE FAR BACK

TINNED FOOD AND FLY PESTS

SYDNEY, Au 2 . l. TJie unenviable lot of the telegraph linesmen who look after the overland wire between South Australia and the Northern Territory wa s described' the othe,r day in a statement before the Federal Committee which is inquiring into the linesmen's claim for better pay. A statement was put in by one man, who said that for four years he had been engaged with a party which was operating between Oodnadatta, 688 miles from Adelaide, and Powell Greek, 1488 miles from Adelaide. The temperature ranged from 117 degrees in summer to 94 in winter

The plague, of flies and mosquitoes in summer made life almost unendurable. They were so bad that, when not moving about, the men had to keep under netting. All thei> meals were eaten under nets. They seldom tasted fresh food. The Department forwarded supplies to them—all tinned. They lived on tinned meats, milk, cabbage, turnips and fish. The Department also supplied tobacco, matches, and soap. lUe tobacco was so coarse and strong that they could not smoke it. When they were pestered by natives they gave it to the biggest bucks—and it'never failed to "la v them out" for a few days Yet the linesmen were forced to nay for all the supplies forwarded. They had fresh meat about once in V£^a month?-. .The- water, which was found m rookholes and soaks, was very brackish Often it was necessary to remove the dead bodies if dogs from it before it was boiled and consumed. It would not drink it. The gangs at times were hundreds of miles f r o m a doctor. One man, as the result of an accident, broke a bone in his knee, and the nearest docto x was S«r ™? • a + Wa3L The- linesmen. however, got into communication with him by telegraph and the injured linesman str,,£-t mVl\H' according to the ihi omfeocfcr 11 Came °Ver the wire