THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 118, 24 June 1914, Page 8

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

WHAT JOSEPH HAMLET THINKS ABOUT IT.

To the Editor of THE SUN.

Sir, —Having recently heard some of our reputed best citizens indulging in a little chin exercise re the settling of the Northern Territory by a white population—and then having read your leader in last evening's SUN on the same subject, permit me to say, to the average person who has never been there, that most accounts are very misleading because invariably this territory is painted as a land flowing with *hilk and honey. There is a very prevalent idea, both at Home and abroad, that for defence and Other purposes the Commonwealth ought to speedily settle at least the coastal portion of the Territory with whites. But it is not easy to induce people to remoye from the mild climate and comforts and social advantages of the south to work as pioneers almost in the tropical conditions of the north. The writer spent five months travelling through this territory and into Northern Queensland (not for health purposes, nor in search of hidden treasure, / no, not by a jugful, but for an American magazine with sufficient enterprise to pay for reliable information), and should like to be lenient, broad-minded, and charitable in his views. Ido not believe on general principles in making even the crudest and simplest minds too uncomfortable, -since some folks are happier for having a few illusions left; yet now-a-days we want the truth, and by the Eternity! we want it without: parley. & - | The plain naked truth is right here. The Northern Territory has an immense area, some 523,620 square miles (not acres) capable of supporting a vast population of a kind, but to the European who has never been used to the severe and trying conditions it. is practically impossible to t'hink of inducing the tide of emigration to flow in that direction.

It possesses large tracts of land within a radius of 150 miles of the coast line from Port Darwin, running due north to the Queensland border, quite capable of raising cattle and horses extensively. One station I know of nearing the Barclay Tablelands (and yet 200 miles from anywhere , everywhere, nowhere, or Delaware) being 800 square I miles leased from the ■* Government at a yearly rental of. 2M per square mile. Feeding sheep for the most part is entirely out of the question; the natural Flinders and Mitchell grasses being too strong and coarse growing, some 6ft high after rain. Itspopulation is approximately 3000 Asiatics and 1200 whites, while white women are conspicuous by their absence. The whole country is in its virgin state, as undeveloped now as it was in the time of Csesar. .Transportation is out of the question, save by' camels and bullocks. True there are same natural harbours along the coastline, with a few of its rivers navigable, but just as Nature left them. To my primitive mind it is the land of sin, sweat, sorrow, and sand flies—quite impossible as the home of the white man. The rainfall for the most part is as rare as birds' teeth, though in the artesian belt area water- could be procured by boring; even then there is a chemical action in the water which is not beneficial for man or beast. The Federal Government of Australia intend making a trans-continental railroad from Northern Queensland (Gulf ot Carpentaria) through the Northern Territory to link up with West Australia (the latter at present practically an isolated continent), but State jealousies and the individual selfishness of politicians have resulted in chaos, not railroads. Perhaps some day this railroad may eventuate through the Almighty in His over-ruling providence sending them an Angel. of Light, and when complete I would suggest some names for the stations, viz., "Want of Water,'' "Sandy Soil,'' " Endless Desert," "Couldn't Live," "Died-of-Thirst," "Human Bones," "Gone to Glory," "Eest-in-Peace," "Cheques passed In," "Nuffled," etc., etc. Its mineral wealth may or may not be worth writing home about, but it is quite unexploited. Anyway the prophets who tell you of the vast wealth in diamonds, precious stones, etc., therein, just waiting for you to go along lazily and pick up, remind me of those who have fortune telling skinned to a frazzle.

I trust that your readers will not think that I am -void of a keen sense of white man squareness in expressing my opinion thusly. Having summed up the situation fairly and without bias, I formed the opinion that it will, in the near future, become populated with Asiatics—they being only nine days' sail away, and "White Australia" will in the vanity of its greatness make a big fuss over same, yet have as much chance of keeping out the Brown Sons of Nippon from the Plains of Shensi or the descendants of the Mongolian sage Confucius from the Chaldean Empire as the celluloid dog has of chasing the asbestos cat where the king of sulphur reigns supreme. As things stand at present any nation wishing to invade and occupy the place merely wants a policeman's helmet, a baton in their hand, and a good bull dog!"— I unhesitatingly state I would rather own two hundred acres of Canterbury's best land than 800 square miles of the Northern Territory; since when the last man has had his say there is something more in life than owning an endless barren desert with an Asiatic neighbour likely to become dictatorial and overbearing. Can any of my New Zealand Socialistic working friends picture grooming horses for Mongolian sages and attending to Asiatic children in jinrickshaws for 8d a day!—l am, etc., JOSEPH HAMLET, St. Albans, June 23.