The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-07-17
RESOURCES q
OF AUSTR ALI a
BY REV. FRANCIS Il. CLARK, DID
FEW years ago. on a. previous
visit to this vast Island cons;
tinent OF the South Seas, az n
fnr ,.isIfiit1, fhn Nh inR HafafrAn

Il HR010HY Ter, VlSILl11S CeulEeNY
AsG&GJ of population frort3 delaide 4
Ito brisbane, SGT sal from the. latter
i port for China by way Of tho land locked
4 passage behind. tho Great Barrier Rect Z
and between the Islands OF the South
| Seas. I5 3j 5l VI e .tyiai r w d s8S
Day after day we sailed Will, the shores
i of Australia constantly In view. For ten B
( days We never lost sight OF this er,or-s
/ nous island. and at last came IA o. anchor
at the northern tip Within tic harlo Sof n
/ Port Darwin. and yet even then we had
circumiiavigated far less than half OF this
\ vast cp1s & line. qg 5 isi. TN
This voyage wa \ enough To- give one
the realizing senso of 5 the splendid doc 4
i rnifior1t which 8he1onGs to the four MIL
i lidns of Australians. Australia contains \
almost exactly as many sunnre miles as II
the United States Of "A AMERICA excl i've of
4 Ala ska n. M VIZ "
4 Its climates, for IT, has many. range
4 from, the cool temperate OF Southern Nc-Ss
Itorla the Intensely tropical of North
ern Queensland and South Australia It
i can raise anything that grows out of he Z
earth 1t has mines whose surfaces as J
4 Yet In many cases have boen n only (
4 scratched. although some Of then, go
a Lnearly n mile into the 4 bowels OF he /
Il eartf,E yielding treasures such as have 3
d been found Fin few other Ian ds. III M
4 Although stock raising, II ke every other
industdy is as yet III It's fancy Austria
lla contains one-fourth of all the sheep in 4
4 the world. or rather It did before. the res 4
q cent disastrous drought, which has great
q lily reduced her focks and herds but IL
I lis only u temporary setback. and before 8
! long the f1ocks VIII be Sre-esta blished
& again In even larger mum bers than before
A {the seven years DIR ought.
q SSs.i" Compared with the 4popua ton says
4 a careful writer s.''tfle primary oduction
y OF Australia is not exceeded or even closes
4 5lyg approached by any other country.
though OF course, III tile total value II !
\ lis surpassed by the great countrie OF
Europe as we'll as by the United States
u ~ The revenue OF the SIX States u is not I
for from $3.50 100000, which Is more than
4 one-fourtll OF that Of Great Britain and
4 Ireland, although the population OF the
States is only about one tent must
4 be remembered that A,lstra la owns all
4 her always. and this accounts for tnors$
Il Ethan one third 8g OF n the public revenue
Il EThere are more miles OF rai lway In pros
4 ltportion to the popnla lion than even in \
the United States itself, Will 8 of course
a liar and away 81 leads Il the world M the
I lsactual mileage OF Il is rail ways.
II {f The four Millions Of ss peope send lin Y
Il round figures about eight mill Hons OF tele-S
4 l5graphic messages every year a. consid- w
lEerilblY larger oport ion than ~ sent by
I 1.-The citizens Of the United States since 4
lsour$ heavy telegraph tolls X epG the Epeo-
pie from chi oyins the full beneh tgf cir
Il photographic syst en- whereas. even In. this
! sparsely settled country, with the tele--S
i graphic lines owned by the St te. the 4
1 rate for transmitting Of mesa es lis not
a half of that charge by our manor pol to-
II companies g
a @ ST. as are our resonrc es the pos
4 disabilities OF n the future OF Australia are
n FAR more trenendous;a they quite rs tia So
i ger the inaginati ion as one thinks Of the
n buried treasures set to be unear thed hef8
Smultltudinous Snocls and herds upon D OIL
jl1c+ f11as mr.
h Vast tropical sections of the country
u l&whicl, car. grow; every tropic fri and
4 l3prodlce rice, sugar, col tom coffe and
/ lsrlbberSwhenth the laW8allo ws he introduce
Y ltonsof labor$in suffi cent quaint ty and Of
\ tile light sort o develop these va sts re-
Il sources MT
II Much of Australia has not yet EbeenSeX-E
q l8rlored through vast areas u the II foot ot
8|8White6lnan6 has never rod zen ormous sec;
d ttons arc stll veis 70 lie #a origi-7
y nal blacks where sfoea "
a and throw her5 boom raiiG:; IS In 7 ne 81
d selays long before CAPTAIN 'ook. In the
Il sI5ndeayor. sa fled around these shores.
d THE SrecuperatiYe powers of 4Austral
n SlaYe new r tier been seen han during
1.-the last year. 'even lean yea RS lla yeg
4 dreadful drough and d istressE the agri-$a
a gclltural III and pas tnr'al } regi ons. ca RS
n when not a8drop of water motstened the 4.
u sparchetls ground hi atg gs
II lie grass Witllered and was burnt "
4 apparently root and blade alike. and some
4 orchards still look as thong h IA awful
]forest fire had RAJ ed through them. but
3l4itNwastf fire Of tile sun which wi thered VI
Land burnt them and no terrestrial fiame.8sS
II Sheep perlshed by he mill lions; more
one half OF all the animals ~ HI
4 States have Lied for lack OF pa and
water Even the abbts kan zoos aud 81
Il lizards and every beast Of the flel as
i well as crawling reptiles o { ever sort,
died by tho myriad In these aWfu VI. cloud
I8less $rainleSs y ell rs
ii} Year followed year, but no relief came. s
1.-the heav above were like brass md stheS
Australia even the Eucalyptus trees. the ss
;hardiest OF all forest growth. vi, ose seeds ss
! will not terminate unless roast ted in al
forest fire before they are planted, s died NJ
|}away root and branch all s .59 Sss
3sa But a few months 80 the blessed rain
began to fall once lore, III came IN gem
tie showers and In tremend ous storms; 81 he SSS
isheavens themselves seemed to be open ed k
|ffor Austria liza, and the elem ents seemed 88s
bent on making up the detic iency OF he .s
{pust With tile change In q Few weeks NJ
| the. fertile SOIL was reclothed with era s..
the trees that were not entirely dead put
forth their flowers and fruit even Weeds ii
l$and patches OF thistles that were tn ouEht AZ
ITO be utterly exterminated bounded INTO
NEW life. growing to be twelve feet 5high IL
lin q single season. it
The roots OF the grass which It was SUBS
5poscd were entirely burned to g cindsr,ss
proved to have retained their Vltalit and p ri
|sin q few days after the rain began to fallss
|stha earth was carpeted with yerdans "a y
green. Il IN.
This transf ormation scene Of Fretuyena =. n
ton. the like Of which has never peiore M
been, SEEM is typical of Aus ira zig. ICE Ess
resources are constantly q prey to fire ana ~
flood. financial depression, lnbo 3agitat ton.
political experiments which may $posslbi y. IS
delay and retard the progress OF this
vast island. but cannot ult lnlatel ny destroy, 81
her resources or cripple her n Just a
SA Austria la las q great part to play In the 9s
family Of nations, because she occupies =
strategic position in the South Seas = ne f
yellow nations OF Asia re her. mel gtbors ~
On one side, and the SPANS a. a4Ii III
her nelgrbors on the other ne'g ~
bors, to be sure. hut snsyerth eless people