THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12282, 8 July 1914, Page 8

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

LATELY TRAVERSED BY A NEW ZEALANDER. A LIKELY COUNTRY. Mr T: D. Harty, son of Mr T. K. Ilariy, of Dunedin, has just come from the Northern Territory to see his relatives. Invited by a ."Star" reporter tu say something about tiia.L little-known country. Mr Hartv supplied a lew fails which should go far to dispel the idea that it is . a hungry and barren waste. Mr Hartv says that at present there is no- pretence of a boom in the Northern Territory, but one- can discern an upward heave, as it were the beginning of big movements. Mining is bound to be of great importance. No one can foretell the possibilities in that line. Enormous deposits of copper, silver mixed with lead, and both stream and lode tin have been located, and gold exists throughout a vast region. The best of the copper is too far back to pay at present. The tin workings, however, are becoming extensive, and the wolfram mining promises to be a very big thing. The gold is mostly found in "reefs.

The Commonwealth Government, who, since January of 1911' have separate jurisdiction over the:-Northern Territory, have also struck--indications of oil, and these indications a*e so likely as to justify systematic boring, the results of which should shortly be known. People who know, the-- Northern Territory are looking hopefully to the pushing on of the transcontinental,railway. So far. it runs from Port .Darwin to Pine Creek; a distance of 150 miles. A -further stretch of 66 miles is now started. The 145 miles is cm the 3ft 6in gauge, but over the new stretch sleepers and rails aro such as. will carry the 4ft 6iu gauge, though a spare, rail is to be put down at first so as to Jink up with-the Port Darwin line. This new length of railway rutis right through a most likely stretcli of mining country, and everybody thinks .that the development of the- mineral re sources will, immediately, follow. The present, white population of Darwin is about IOCO-and at Pine Creek there are perhaps 400. These are the two principal settlements. At each there is a large population oi Chinese, with some Japs and Malays. • • One of. Mr liarty's- experiences was to travel from Camooweal (inside the Queensland border), to Bitter Springs, a trip of about 800 miles, as second in charge of a flock of 2050 sheep. The route was through country much of \vliicll is commonly supposed to be sparsely grassed, but only 103 of, the • sheep were lost on the. long trek, 1947 being delivered in excellent ' condition to the Government representative. .--This fact shows that the sheep were not called on 1 to endure any extraordinary hardships.

On both sides of the route of the. telegraph line after getting 300 miles south of Darwin one rises to a fine tableland ■country, practically treeless, with long stretches of black -soil such as is found about Oamartf and on the Taieri Plain. East of tiie telegraph line the country is called the Barldy Tableland. This is pretty dry for about nine months'of the year, the .only water met with being in holes. To the west of the line the tableland is similar in character, but it is watered by branches of the Victoria and the Old, which are permanent rivers. The soil -and the country generally on these tablelands reminded Mr Harty very much of the land about the Avon Downs station, which gets top prices for its wool in the southern markets. The native herbage on these plains is the Mitchell and the Flinders grass. There are several big cattle stations in the Northern Territory, some covering as much as 13,500 square miles. The largest of - theTe stations cany anything frsom. 40,000 to 100,000 head of cattle and perhaps 30,000 horses. The market for the horses is the East, mostly India, and some go to the northern parts of West Australia, where they cannot breed horses to advantage.

"In my opinion," says Mr Harty, "the Northern Territory is going to be the greatest cattle country in the world. The people there are beginning to.see the enormous possibilities,- and they are. putting down bores for water—not to. the artesian level, which would mean huge expenditure, butc- to anything from 200l't to 600 ft', at which" depths good supplies can be got by pumping. The markets for cattle are Manila, Hongkong, a-nd South . Australia. Present values on the spot are from £3 10s to £4 for three and four-year-old bullocks. Attention is now being paid to breeding, in the way of bringing in good bulls." ... The climate of the Northern Territory is. not nearly so trying as people in the South try to make out. No doubt it is hot about Drwin and Pine Creek in the summer,, but it is a dry heat, and the residents seem to stand it well. Nobody need be frightened of the climate. Mr Harty added that the land laws of the Northern Territory are exceptionally liberal. A selfler can get up to 500' square miles at an . annual rental -of" one shilling per square mile. At present this tenure is only from year to year, but the Government are not likely to alter things for years to come, there being so much land to be taken up. There are, of course, residence conditions, and the tenant has to put so much .stock on the land, but these requirements are not oppressive, and there is provision for valuation. Well up north there is another tenure, a man being able to get up to 3000 acres for nothing. - , It is a country for men- who will work.