Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-24
DROU1Hs IN AUSTRALIA.



tFrom John plummer's Australian
Corrcsp1nderccl
Considerable Misrepresentation APP
pears 20 exist with regard to Aus
traiion drouths. many writer's aiiudius
10 them as II they were phenomena pee
culiar Co New South wales and the
other colonies, overlooking the fact
that all countries nru more or less exc
posed 60 drhuths or temporary drtcc-
tive raiuf'uj some. indeed. which have
never been credited with drouth being
by no means free from the UNIV .come
visitation. For Instance. the United
Kingdom hls frequently been subject
~ drduths nIt simply for q month Or
two. but Tor several years in success
sion ana moro than once TO- an tNtont
unknown in Australia. There were
four cJnsccut,g years durug which
the British rainfall 10 no year exceed
"a 81 Ucr cent 90. the average. No such
drouth has ever yet b.uu recorded In
Australia IN sydney, with 90 years
experience, the lowest rainfall of any
single ear-th1t NJ iNip-was a per
cent nf the average, WdIle the smallest
rainfall Tor any two consecutive years
gave a per cont of the average for
each year Where. thcn IN the differ
Cnec. Tor 10 Or readily admitted that the
cnCcts u drouth lr greater IN Sow
South Wnl0H ana the other colonies
than In thH United Kingdom
Tho explanation is simple enough
In tho first place. the high state of cul-
tivatinn IN Che mother country truls
90 preserve The moisture IN the coil; In
The next place. the heating cnpct "
tho 9un De- NOT by any means Hl Er'lt
in Britain aH 10 o. 100 Australia. and.
thirdly, The abundance of supplies
from other countries naturally tend 90
mitIEHtH the effects uf d drluth ln the
United Kingdom. iiut boo Australia
cultivation has not yet advanced sur
nciHuuy i1 mitigate tH any consider
able extent the effects 10 dfuuth. ana n
beautifully bright Hky gives The sun
almost absolute power over the water.
especially M those districts whore little
Ur ul attempt nc conservation has been
made Moreover. ln the early days VI
The colony. when tho most terrible ana
gloomy accounts ~ drIutha boz Ngw
South Wales were written. thOas which
have Afforded such abundance " sen.
satlUnal material 30 latur writer's hay.
iuH 90 personal knowledge ~ the AuH-
trlllan colonies, tho nearest place from
which supplies could hU obtained WIS
the cape " GOOD Hope. Those wore
the days " slow sailing vessels. and
'hc delay and diHculty experienced ln
obtaining the necessary supplies
NNANINlIN MNHlNNfA w iNNNNllNNN NN'
tgrrars 10 drouth. hut those times
have passed away. luturc1l1niai rill-
ways aud ocean steam navigation have
completely rcynlutloulznd tho af,t.
iiuu. Moreover. only rumpartu y
small portion VI the island continent
was settled
with The progress ~ settlement came
change. flr q dfuuth does not hy any
means nfiogt hu the Austrian colonies
90 once. and thu hrUd ~ one becomes
met hy Tho ahuhtA N another. sn
TINT dr1uihs have become Hhnru ~ ihUIr
oidcn tUfror. and % De- only ln tho pos.
turAl districts. the Australian dry
country" thN they become formidable.
/ iiut oven there the utilization of vast
suhiprrauoau supplies 81 water. by
mHIuH ut hrtoHlHn wells. II Erecting ,
bright and welcome change. Then
again. dtnuthH. ns u rule, cover hut q
| comparatively little arrn, seldom or
ever Involving Tho whole Of o. colony.
uyuu uf NyW South wales. ut once. and
II iH common thing when a district Ia
visited by druuth tn move tho live
stock 90 another Ia which water and
feed aro plentiful u may also be
mentioned M connection with the losses
NJ live stock that the frequent super.
abundance " grass nnd water couiinu-
ally trmpia the pnstornllsts t1 nyarstUck
J their runs ~ that the feed falls much