DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13700, 2 June 1915, Page 3

DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA.

EFFECTS SEVERELY FELT.

A resident of Dunedin, who has iust returned from a visit to Australia, gives some idea of the disastrous effect of the drought which has prevailed m most of the states there for some months past. While he was m Adelaide rain fell over a greater part of the State, and, as telegraphed reportjs come to hand notifying the inches of rainfall, they were received by anxious crowds with the greatest satisfaction. Th© drought m South Australia is considered to have been the most severe ever experienced. At Adelaide horses were being killed at tho abattoirs at the rate of 60 to 80 per week, owing to scarcity of feed, the carcases being boiled down. The losses amongst sheep- farmers have been vevy neavy, some of the runholders m South Australia losing anything from 20,000 to 40,000 sheep over the past few months A Californian gentleman informed the Dunedin visitor that he nad placed sufficient orders for Californian fodder -with South Australian buyers to fill two ships, and that these would be leaving America almost immediately. Hay is quoted m Adelaide at £10 a ton. With the coming of the rain cold weather riet m, ana this is expected to further kill off stock, which are m a poor condition following on the shortage of ieecL Some months must yet elapso before the rainfall can make its full benefit felt.

In Victoria and New South Wales the drought has also been most pronounced, bot here rain has likewise begun '"■ to fall, and the prospects had consequently considerably improved. In Mel-" bourne a sack* of .prime chaff costs 11s 6d, while m Sydney last Thursday tbt> Dunedin visitor -.saw fat > .cattle being sold at £30 .Its each, a price which works out at 60s per 1001 b. Prices for c attle jumped £3 thai day. the primary cause of the advance being the operations of a Melbourne buyer.