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COOTAMUNDRA
ROTARIAN'S ADDRESS
DESCRIBES MOREE AS
RICH AGRICULTURAL
CENTRE,
Mr. -Iiloyd Conkey gave an ad
dress to Cootamundra Rotarians
on Monday about the township
of Morec. . .
He said that many of: , us ; in
the South looked upon'Moree as
beinc out ^ln the North-West, a
particularly hot and dry place,
with land not nearly as goodtns
can be found in the Rlveriria
and South-West. . :
Moree ' district consisted :? of
large pastoral ? holdings from
6,000 to 60,000 acres. It could be
10 or 15 degrees hotter in the
summer than Cootamundra, but
it was not subject to the dust
storms asy we have them here.
It was correspondingly warmer
in the winter, and, for the past
month, weather conditions miglit
be classed as ideal.
Tf Hriri flip '.-snme rninfflll as
Cootamundra, and the country
side consisted of black soil. It
only wanted ten to fifteen points
of rain to prevent people going
to town, or going home. The
soil stuck to the wheels, and it
was not long before sufficient
' mud collected on the wheels to
prevent them from going into
action.
The district can be said to be
exceedingly wealthy, due, of
course, to wool, nnd graziers go
in more for merino sheep than
crcssbreds. Wheat is becoming
well established, and one family
of farmers from Illabo who went
lip to ' Pallamallawa, 18 miles
from Moree, took off 20,000 bags
of wheat last year. Needless to
say, the Taxation Department
has collected some very big sums
from both wool and wheat men.
Shearing has already commenc
ed, and one shed has forty-five
stands, or, in other words, has
accommodation for 45 shearers!
it is an interesting lact that
farmers do not use superphos
phates, and there are farnis that
have been cultivated continuous
ly for wheat for 30 years, with
a break of possibly only one
year. The soil is very rich,, and
not given over so much to erosion,
and the best class of wheat in
Australia .is grown in the dis
trict. ...
The. municipality has a popu
lation of about 5000. There is
a very large number of colored
Australians in Moree, and the
town is a. very cosmopolitan
place. The town has wider
streets,, footpaths and back lanes
than has 'Cootamundra, 'and the
? main' streets' 'and: footpaths are
in . better order, but it is- to be
noted that Moree can get sub
stantial grants from the Govern
ment. -.'One , 'of . £800 was ' given
gorily -a',; few weeks ago; to 'top
dress streets
/.r/Moree? generates, its own. light;
but ' industry, would 'have to sup
ply most of . its 'own power. How
ever, there are no Industries - to
speak bl, and Moree has black
outs due to engine failure; There
lis, -no; sewerage, although,' it 'is
how . . contemplated, . but : there is I
'an- abundance of water, rsnnrt .
clean - water used for domestic
purpQses:is,!pumped:froml50.'teet
;to-!200:.feet underground; 'to;, ele
vated tanks and reticulated to
the town. -. s
'. /Moree's .great- asset is its hot
water baths, There is 'one -each
fp? ;meru and i wohien,' -measuring
about 50 feet by 30 feet, with
quite, a '.number 'of private bath
rooms. The 'water 'is definitely
? a few seconds of
enterihg tiie 'water one fgets quite
It. .There is a large num
, i throughout, the
!??Vtbs to take ' aiivan
tage of these^baths, - and - maiiy
If'ive.itl.ought .homes so as to be
obie^^to bathe 'CQhstantiy. it 'is
said 'fKpin wnfoVi
rheunKitics, and- tliere are people
uP';B?r'e, who testify to 'the
received;
but there ate possibly cases where
no^good has resulted The water
jst'purrfpedf'up from 3,000 feet,
^^^ic?rirtent^re'amisgolng
through \he baths'. '
'A few montlis ago, a tornado
struck' the place, and knocked
,y?e. end out., ofr a comparatively
new Church' of Ensian'ri ' nnrt fin.
tened the. Presbyterian Church ;
.while ;quite,/a-vnumber. of private
peaces suffered. -
.^i)f story' KoesV-whether it is
true, or not, that In 1026 a toupis
of people yere very solicitous re
Ea» {tag . the, insurances cav- the
town, -'and, in view of the hot
weather, urged that it was ad
visable that sufficient cover be
taken ovci both buildings and
stock However, on Deeembei 3 ,
1E2G, a fiie occiuicd that com
pletelj destioyed 45 building
^
?- V \ v.;-' ? /? 1 . .
premises, including three hotels.
bn :'Deceiriber 'l3, : io days later,
another 'fire started -on the ap
.posife' side.-of the street, and
accounted: fcr - another hotel and
2rbusiriess premises.' ?' '
: One riia'ri who was accused de
nied ^ responsibility, arid, after
leaving a letter asserting his in
nocence, ; committed suicide.. ,,As
a corisequence of this fire, a' new
business centre has been built,
and up-to-date .lhotels and. 'very
modern business premises xiow
adorn the main streets of Moree.
It isrsaid':tnat Moree 'is a very
Important banking centre. The
'Wales,' . Commercial of Sydney
and, the .. Cpniinonwealth , are
in.ore,;. 'Commodious . than , the
^?t,;CMt^inuritlraj ;arid,in
additipn,| ^they . have tli? Austra
lasia, liie feural, 'the 'Comniwciai
of Australia,, and the National of
Victor'iaV'''-V^,',:'''-f.-,^--\ .'
The bowl^s
jpltoble^^t-'otjijsll^fs;. .arid! are
very habiiv to' welcame-' visitors:
Twa |greens, ;.'&re7!b^op^t]f^r)i
undeK ^ontrcf. ^of ? liie v'ciub. ; (-3ne'
of tlie .'Kpfei.%n5,;mei. was ' born
in' Cootamundra,' an^' is a son of
^?.;,lsfFJ.rlce '.S.'-HugKes, 'at 'one
time- first ( assistant of ,, tlie
Cootamundra scliool. ' ' ' !
Mf,. Mayney'''d6qTpr, -vlio 'Had
sP?n.f ...Myeri^jrears .'at ' Mbree,
mmfeajifte vote' of thanks, lie
was piesent at the time of the
fiie, and gave a number of' m-i
tere^tlrig anecdotes of -his stay;
lii Morep ' L i
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