FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1929, Page 9

FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA

BETTER WOOL CONDITIONS IMPORTANCE OF RAILWAYS LINKING OF EAST AND WEST By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Australian Press Association. Received July 24, 1 a.m. United Service. London, July 23. Mr. Andrew Williamson, addressing the Australian Estates Mortgage Company, said that despite climatic conditions sheep had increased by 20,000 last year. In that year drought expenditure was £141,000. There had been 174,045 lambs marked, an increase of 57,000.

Sufficient breeders had been preserved to build up the flocks when conditions were normal. This was made possible only by heavy protective drought expenditure, Livestock sales amounted to £94,000, an increase of £17,000. The wool stores handled 42,061 bales, the wool clip of 14,312 realising £346,729. Woolselling and general agency business had gratifyingly increased. Sugar operations were -satisfactory though over-production lowered the price 22s a ton. The future outlook was more satisfac-

tory in Victoria and Queensland than in New South Wales. It was hoped the Queensland Government would promptly disclose its intentions on the lines of the advisory board’s report regarding expiring pastoral leases, security of tenure being vital. The projected linking of the cast and west railways in Queensland and New South Wales concerned the prosperity of all Australians. Of this the pastoralists should not bear the cost. Both Queensland and New South Wales would gain by the linking. It was fallacious to think these crosscountry lines would be used only in drought time for a continuous stream of store cattle from the Northern Territory and northern Queensland and sheep from central and north Quensland would .use the line at all seasons. The railway would make the cattle and sheep industry in northern Australia profitable, probably adding £2 a head as well as 2s fid to 5s a head to sheep values. Stores would be saleable at the age of two years instead of only four or five years when they were fit for road, travel.