Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Wednesday 13 July 1927, page 5


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EuGla Pastoral Leases PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT New Melbourne Company *i

'The Madura Pastoral and Settlement Co. — a proprietary company recently formed in Melbourner-Jias ac^ auired 5,000,000 acres around Madura Station, in the Eucla district of West

ern ' Australia, and intends to develop' : it for settlement purposes.'* . ' This was.,''.ie statement .made to' the ?Jeibournc 'iHevald''' last Tuesday by Jil.r. David Melvin, of Melbourne, '^e-'said that other members of the company 'were Messrs: W. B. O 'Donovan, J. Q'B«enl (Vh timo), W. O'Brien (Swan Hill), C.I E. Boweii (pastOralist -i§ Melbourne); rJ.' Webster (favmer of Benalla), and W.' 0. Ingpeu (legil adviser, «f Melbourne).. Thei company's nominal capital was giyeu-at £5oTooo. ? .;..'. ? Describing1 the Eucla country, Mr. H, .^*, Billis. a Melbourne stock and statioa ag€snt, who has travelled extensively in that aj?ea, said that if the Commonwealth Government were to spend about £100,000 op dogproof fences and water boring, 15,000,000 acres of land. in the south-east corner of \Veste.rn Australia, which are yet o?\ly partially developed for sheep raising; 'would-be capable of ? ' . - ; ' Carrying 1,000,000 Sheep. A iniliion sheep there would add 30,000 bales to Australia's wool product-ion, and go far towards making the Transcontinental railway pay handsomely,' lie said. Tho area conce.r'n.ed was enclosed by tiie South ?.Australian border, from the. sou to tlie Trans, railway, thence west along' the railway for 200 miles, and then south to the coast. Six - hundred miles -of ltieli netting wire fencing-, coating , '.about- £70,000, v.'ould make the whole 15,000.000 acres safe from the fierce wild dogs which now i#cyent extensive use of tlie land for sheep, except with heavy capital outlay. ? Government aid, would also be necessarv to ? ??' ? .'.,.. '. Bore For Water,

which epujd be reached from 10 to 60 feet below the surface. The rainfall was low and uncertain, from 6 to 9 inches a year. But the country was excellent for sheep, beine. saltbush and lunestoii'e country, It would carry a sheep on from io to 30. acres. About half of that whole area had 'been taken up unrler leaseholds froin the Western A.ustralian Government, The reiij: was 'Ha a year for each 1,000 acres. So that half a mil! knv acres could be taken up for £75 per, year. Lea.ses would be 're? viewed and venewod in 1HS. * . Bpi'ing for half a million acres wonld cost about £3.000, and dog-prtfbf fencing o.i t he .rate of £120 a. mile. About a quarter ?of a million acres would make a'. 'fail1' sized block for o?ie mail. Ministerial Denial/ - As there appeared to be something not quite as it should be in this article, sjdccial inquiries were made from the Ministor' for Lands (Mr. M. F. Troy) and the Under-Secretary for Lands (Mr. Morris) to-day by a representative of 'The Daily News,' and tho following interesting. fact's were un'earthed. ?The- Lands Denartmont has no knowledge of the- Madura Pastoral and Settlement Company holding 5,000.000 acres, .or having acquired same. Only 50,1,454 acre? arc' registered in that naine. Tho total area of. the belt of country descril)ed,,extei}(Ji'}-g some 200 miles west' of Eueja, is approxu niately 10,500,000 acres, the bulk of which { is vacant. No person or company can legally hoirl more than 1,000.000 acres tinder pastoral lea^e in tin? State. Similar proposals to that referred to in the arlicje. name!/-, dividing the land for settlement, have Not Been Favorably Considered

by the Western Australian Government; and ppceia.l legislation would be necessary, also, to )-ei'mit it. A timjl.il? propo-al for the formation of a company, to divide the territory for settlement, etc was submitted to the Government some years ago, but was not favorably received and the idea lapsed. Tn the' ease of transfers being submitted from individual holders to aijy proposed company, fhe Western Australian Government would require to be satisfied that ??ondilions as to rent and stocking .had been complied Avith. ami that the' company would legally hold the area. Leases can only continue so Ion? as, 'onrljtions aie beinsr earned out. They expire in IMS, as Mr. WAU stated, bill at that btoge no lejral provifrion for a rcnevral of anv of tli*»m has been made: This will depend on tho necessary legislation pan^e.d by Parliament prior to the date of Expiry of the Leases. H would appear, therefore, that if such :) company has been formed there is a good deal vet to be done and investicitfcV before they can commence operation,- in the di&tiicts named. The fact that no person or company can hold more than 3.000,000 acres seem$ to be an obstacle to the present company, although1 they state that they have secured up less than 5,000,000 acres! They certainly have not secured them from the Western Australian Government', neither have they applied for any transfers amounting to that colossal acreage ' ''? .