The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-26
Australia
BY PETER S
EditOr. Nea Service

AoAA l AUDI ala 10 oAAAJ WA
lion, as compared with the 100
million in the U.
On the east coast of Australia
the cities corresponding to Boston,
New York and Philadelphia: Bris-
bane, 1926, 600; Sidney, 1900, 600;
and Melbourne, 1850, 900. On the
west coast spot Perth, 225, 900 CLOS
Angeles). On the south, Adelaide,
323, 900 (New Orleans). These five
cities, plus the industrial town OF
Newcastle, 145, 900 and Canberra
the capital, 10000, comprise half
of Australia's population.
So, take an area equal to all OF
the United States, seattle" a mere
three and a half million people
(the population of Chicago) over
the vast interior, end you have a
faint idea of what australia is like.
The comparison, howe er, isn't
as simple as that. The big differ
ence isn't a mere lack of popula-
ton in Australia, but a lack OF
water. One fourth of Australia has
less than 10 inches of rcinfall. One
fourth has from 10 to 20 inches.
One fourth has from 20 to 40.
One fourth has over 40 inches,
which is enough.
IMMIGRANTS FAIL
AT FARMING
Lack of water is the one thing
which has held back Australia, and
it explains why he government
of the commonwealth has deliber-
ately restricted immi""ation.
While the land has room enough
for a population 20 tine. its pres
ent size, it takes a homesteader
who knows the country and its
limitations to make a successful
settler.
After the first World War, Aus
tralia took in a wave of immi-
grants, trying to start. them on the
land. But they couldn't make it
go, flocked into the cities and thus
added to the woes of the depres-
sion. Australia still has eight per
cent of its people unemployed, for
all its emptiness.
Inside the fertile coastal fringe,
therefore, you find ais tremendous
bush country, the back blocks and
the desert. Flying over it you see
thousands of miles of country like
the panhandle of Texas, the bad
lands of the Dakotas, unirrigated
Arizona, New Mexico sheep coun-
try, COW country, dry farming
wheat lands, and a thousand mile
of desert that is belo"- sea level
and like nothing more than Death
Valley at it sworst.
All this bush is the story couns
try of Australia. " ."
In Northern Territory there are
still several cattle leases bigger
than Belgium. Mobs Of cattle from
these stations, 1000 head to the
mob, are driven 1000 miles over
land to the auction markets at
Melbourne. Four stockmen, a cook
and a horsetailer for the 40 saddle
and pack horses handle a drive,
which takes over a year. Water
holes are often so miles apart,
and the stock has to be rested and
fattened twice on the long drive.
The chief police officer at OAR
win, capital of the Northern Ter
ritory, covers a beat of Is. 900
square miles with a force of 40
men. They don't have much
trouble with cattle thieves, be-
cause there isn't any place to take
a stolen herd.
U. S. BUYS MOST
AUSTRALIAN GOLD
At Darwin in 1914, an enterpris-
ing British meat packing company
built a S., 1000, 900 plant to process
the beef products closer to the cat
tie stations. It operated three
years, making canned meats for
war supplies.
Then labor trouble beset the
company and the plant stands
here today, deserted, biggest thing
on the Port Darwin landscape, a
monument to folly.
There is gold in A~ustralia's in
terror, the first strike coming in
1851, two years after CALIFORNIA;
gold rush. The 'aines in western
Australia produce nearly SIS, 000,-
900 of gold a year now, $40, 900, 900
of it going to the United States.
NATIVES DANCE,
TOSS BOOMERANGS
Fences across this land are few
and far between, and so r rail-
roads. There are more miles of
airlines than railroads. and tn e
railroad system is of three diff
ferent gauges. If you 60 back"
the easiest thing to do is fly, then
take a horse.
In the more remote sections are
some so, 1000 of the aboriginal
blacks, many of them nomads. A
few are in compounds near from
tier cities, and have been gradu-
ally civilized to jobs as ~houseboys
and such.
When tourists come, the blacks
will throw a corroboree, putting
on their war paint, casting a spear,
throwing a boomerang, beating a
drum and doing a dance, pound
ing the hard ground with their bare
feet in a wicked rhythm that
sounds above the drums and the
'didgerydoo" music.
CHEAP LABOR
VETOED
The aborignines are a vanishing
race and the Australian policy is