Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-25

beasts who can go so long without
drink and who make it possible for the
few white men who are still battling with
the great desert at it's oasis to exist.
From the end of the rails into the
sandy "out spaces" the camels plod along
with their loads Of water and food for
the missions and stations 1t is an in
terestiDg sight to see one of these camel
trains starting out with its silent com
pany of men, whose faces are wrinkled
and whose eyes squint from the con-
slant glare Of sun upon sand, relieved
only by mirages Of lakes and streams
which they know are not there l en-
joyed watching the faces OF some of our
party who never had been in desert
places as they discovered that the bodies
of water which they were so willing
to bet was just beyond faded into
stretches Of sand as we approached.
But gold is not the only egg In the min
ing basket of Westralia which Is the ac-
copied popular shortening Of the States
full name. In addition she produces cop
per and lead, silver, tin, zinc, asbestos.
iron, anthony, mica manganese, graph
ite ard other minerals. At YaInpi Sound
a deposit of more than a hundred million
tons of rich iron ore has been found and
not long ago new seams of coal were
found In the already extensive fields at
Collie.
While the mining industry has waxed
and waned the agricultural industry has
advanced rapidly and is expanding to-
day Until fifteen or sixteen years ago
the capabilities of the land of Western
Australia were for the most part ignored
and the State did not grow enough wheat
to supply the needs of it's own small pop
ulahon. High averages, however. result
ed in more and more encouragement
being offered the settler by the govern
ment and the land laws were made at
tractive
Early in her history Western Australia
was free from the rabbit pest just as
now she is free Of the English sparrows
which are so troublesome in the eastern
states. II was felt however, that 1t was
only question OF time before the rab-
bit would arrive and race developed
between man and pest with the govern
ment trying to block of the state with
rabbit-proof fencing before the rabbit
showed up About 1000 miles Of fencing
was built at a cost Of 81 100000, one
fence extending from a rocky point on
the south coast right across the CONT
nent to the north coast and later two sub
sidiary fences were built west TO the
Indian Ocean. But the rabbit must have
arrived by airplane, for today the bun
nies are to be found both inside and out
side the fences!
GETTING SETTLERS
A DIFFICULT TASK.
Getting settlers upon the land In
Western Australia has been difficult
task The so-called dry areas" presented
difficulties which seemed insurmountable
TO the man IN search Of raw land for him
self. The man who did take UP land.
however. found that II he worked. and
used his head he could make Il pay.
However, Western Australia stin is
country Of large holdings and official
figures reveal that one hundred persons
hold between them 10000 900 acres, most
OF which "a devoted 10 cattle raising.
One outstanding feature Of the land IL
the dry areas. the finest part Of the
" heat belt and the part of the state
where dairying Is advancing, Is its won
derful recuperative ability. While re-
carded as immune from drouths, the dis
astrous season Of 1914. which was felt
all over Australia. reduced the yield to
less than two bushels Of wheat to the
acre. yet the very next season record
harvest that averaged 1913 bushels to