Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), Monday 29 February 1904, page 9


THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

To the Editor

Sir— Ivol withstanding the commonsonsj displayed, not only by iriany AiistralLmg whose competency to (orm and express 'opinions upon the subject cannot be challcn '.

ed, but also home iitigljsli writers, eciuistently and persistently opposing the Alien Immigration Act; it was by a majority of the Legislature allowed to be placed ii] on the statute book; and 1 consider a tacit, injustice, as well in'a tactical error, ' vas committed. It is obviously an almost insurmountable ban-id- lo tho -development, of our Northern Territory, as well a.s to the fietllemeut in it by certain th fifty aii.l industrious coloured people, whose linowlcd?o and stall regarding the production ui ourtam plants and cereals indigenous to a. tropical climate are universally adm.tted, U hilst conceding that, respecting the construction of railways and tho fullov.-.U' of pastoral pursuits, coloured labour does 'tint equal the white, and m not absolute-)- no cur-sari-, T contend that in the cultivatiim of the soil, growing suaar caue rice, coif, e tapioca, ginger, pepper, cotton, &c tc, anil working in the mines' in a trouicil le gion, coloured labour excels tlie white; and Jt is scarcely a question if such imlustiit's can be profitably conducted unless tho coloutcd workman mainly is employed. Is it not reasonable to aflinu that, while this Act remains a blot on the statute book, no beneficial results can possibly vecuo either to tins state or the Commonwealth as regards this vast territory with -U untold wealth, which is tin- most valuable of South Australia's possessions; but it must and will it-main a ''white elephant' a 'bug. bear, ' and a 'burden.' Is it not, thereJore, quite time that such an absurd and inhuman Act precluding the iiitrodiu-tjcn of coloured labour into the Northern Ttinfnry was abolished? This view Ins b^ii repeatedly emphasized by many prominent writers, first among whom I 'wotiM men. titm the late lamented Hon. J. L. Parsons, who was recognised as an authority ii|K-n, aud a thoughtful exponent of, tlie great resources of this portion of our count rv, in winch he often earnestly advocated tho granting of facilities to tlie Japane-c liovernment for tlie purpose of inducing competent labourers from Japan to permanently settle. Among many of the forcible remarks about its development, Mr. Parsons lelt en record the following impressive st.nement respecting its pastoral capabilities, in which he instanced Melville Island, which t-e asserts to be a most fertile portion of tho ierntorj-:— ']t may be regarded as a naturally fenced cattle station, and the various inlets which occur on the coast should make the subdivision ca.sy and inexpensive. On each of my visits to the island I s,iw i number of buffalo, all of which antiwuv\l

to me to be rolling fat; and as experienco lias proved that cattle tlirive well on the Daly and Adelaide Rivers, they wouM uudoiibtedly do well on tlie island, which al-o has great capacity for cultivation much su. penor results from which can jirobably be obtained to those ou the mainland.' 'The Northern Territory contains an area cf about i534,000 square miles, equal lo France Germany, Holland, iielguim, Italy, aud Switzerland combined, and is wonderfully pro. ductive, and can be made even mueli iikdo so. It hxs a coastline indented with huprior bays and dotted with fertile islands, and has 2,000 miles of seabaird. along which there is a succession of secure natural harbours, affording safe nnchiraj-e for vessels of considerable tonnage, and its many advantages cannot be over-estimated. It is. therefore, high time they were twos. nised and appreciated at something approaching their true value, and the illusion that the Territory is a bar: en drscit dispelled. Moreover, it is phcnoiuetialKrieh in minerals, particularly gold wi tin; but such a vital fact appears to have tiecn overlooked by the majority. As a jiasr jral country it is unsurpassed in Australasia, and this has been confirmed by the su— cess with wliicii a few i-nterprjsiiu cattle breeder* have been favoured. As an instance of the facilities it. offers as a atx'obrceding country; I would acain refe'to the portion mentioned:— Melville Is.nvl consisting of 2,100 square miles and only 33 miles fiom Port Darwin It is ova vim with Jierds ot buffalo, estimated at not. less than 30,000 head, all in good condlif.;i. This estimate of the number of buff.i o k fully confirmed by Mr. Joseph ' BmilsiM-v. of Victoria River, who has penetnlcl it considerable distance into tlie inter jf of the island. He says:— 'If tho whole of the island is stocked with buffalo to tin- simu extent tint 1 saw. there must be ovr 30,000 head there. My many year's exponence on cattle stations enables me .to- de-duce from the appearance of the sward an approximate idea of the number of Imrncd cattle depasturing on each square m.Ie. This grass and herbage which naturally j-iv.ws to a height of 3 ft. in viifiin soil is .at tl.e end of the dry season cropped down to within a few inches. of the ground, and I have no hesitation in stating that the country is carrying from 13 to 16 head ,f «ili?e to the square mile. Further, I may sUtc

mat uie island is tree from tick.' The buffalo on tlie island arc owned by Uie lef. sec, who is consequently the lnrgcsi mvuca of buffalo in the world.' He has wisely allowed those on the island to incrons-j, whilst, for several years lie was cngige 1 in shootina th'o.se. on the mainland, whic'i are now nearly exterminated.' And he still remains the owner of this enormous herd of live stock, which cannot be estimated at a less value than the comnarativ'ly low average of 50/ per head. Something like 40,000 to 50,000 hides have been expj.voil lo London with most satisfactory results; but on account of not having the fac'lities, the carcases, bones, offai, &c, were not utilized. If one email portinn of iho Northern Territory is so remarkabb'y productive, what may not bo reasonably expected of the whole, which undoubtci'l'v s so abundantly endowed by Nature, and nrt one acre of which can be said to be iisi-less. Yet it is allowed to remain a sort of natural unearned increment,' chiefly in conEpqiieiK-e of the Alien Immigration Act and ptejudice. To allow such a irromisiiiir land to lie waste and remain an encumbrance appears unfa-eoiintable, and Iho pacing cf the Act rcfeiTcd to seems a most distressing enigma. Though the climate of the Northern Territory may not be all that can be dc-ircd for the residence of Europeans, many well-known personages, including Mr. J. A. G.- ? Little, Inspector Foelsche, and others have resided there for over 30 years. Mr. Gilbert. R. Me Minn was connected with tlie place in tlie

capacity ot senior surveyor to rue s.A, Government for over 20 years, besidesi holding many other prominent positions, including that of Government Resident, and lm informs me that with regard to agriculture the Territory has large areas capable of producing any cf the many tropical fruit* and plants of commerce, notably tho cocoanut, immense quantities of which could be p-own along tne semi-saline coast. Flax and copra are always in increasing: demand, and tlicpc alone xvould prove a large industry. Cotton, coffee, indiarubber, cinchona, and tobacco can be produced, and indigo and rice are indigenous to the roil. Most useful timbers are also to be found 'in considerable quantities, inclnding the . Cypress pine, which is particularly valuable, as it is quite immune from tho attacks of white ants. Mr. McMinn states that he used large quantities in the public ivories erected at Tort Darwin. Then there is the lignum vitne, which h largely distributed, is very dense and' heavy, and a splendid timber for foundations. There an: ilso several kinds of cedars, Borne of which, have been worked into handsome furniture, and many varieties of the eucalyptus:

and the Victorian wattle also flourishes ia many parts of the country. Mr. Holtze, the curator of our. beautiful Botanic Gardens, states that tlie country is capaWe' of growing aU kinds of tropical irroduce in great abundance, and that he has grown there with great success , the same lii'mli' of products that are grown in Java, Do not such facts as I have, submitted Minw that this splendid ' country would rapidlyi advance as the outcome of fertilization by thrifty and enercetie coloured people?,,. In conclusion I beg to quote from an excellent pamphlet by Mr. E. W. Cole, wW has lately returned from Japan, entitled 'A White Australia Impossible.' lie states that the population of the Northijrn Territory during 3S years has increased to under 1,200 Europeans -and about 3,000 other raws, principally Chinese, while Jr.va, which is only-three or four days'straming distance from it, has increased during that period^ more than 12,000,000, and is now increasing at the rale of ncarl-r 1,000 a day; so that Java is increasing: in population every two days more than wo have increased in our Northern Territoryi (an arni of 10 times its size) in 38 years: and this country is lying wa^e for want of suitable inhabitants to utilize it. Why should not. happy colonies of out coloured brethren, influenced by our advanced civilization, language, and religion, increase nnd exfend in the extensive eunny lands of Australia, where now reign only profitless solitudes? Surely this would be one of the most humane and best developments for progressive advancement. I am, Sir. &c. AUTHUR BATE BEAN. Glcnelg, February 20.

The New York representative of . the Lancet discloses the rough outlines of a grave plot against the peace of mind of eligible bachelors. An American society far tbe suppression of degenwacy has prepared aBill prohibiting marriage unless a prospective bridegroom is prepared, among other things, , to pass an examination as to hia mental capacity. AQ^rf*''