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THE EMPTY NORTH.
The annual report on the adminis
tration of North Australia shows
that some little progress is being
made. This vast and fertile ter
ritory, however, suffers from lack of
population and means of communi
-cation, and there appears to be little
hope of rapid development unless
a scheme of settlement can be de
vised or population is attracted by
mineral discoveries. Gold may
yet be instrumental in opening up
and populating the- empty north,
as it has been in other parts of Aus
tralia. Unfortunately; the produc
tion of gold and other metals for the
year ended June 30, 1929, was al
most the lowest on record, but since
then there has been an important
move at Tanamni, where' a property
is now under option to London, and
there are indications that a good
deal of attention will be given to
that -field this year. If Tanami
comes up to expectations, the quest
for gold will not end there, and as
gold mining prospers and attracts
population the potentialities of the
territory in other directions will be
exploited.
The Government Resident in his
annual report gives the following
information :-The population of
North Australia, excluding abori
ginals, taken by a police census in
April, 1929, and estimated to 30th
June, 1929, 3532, consisting of
2694 persons of European origin and
838 coloured persons. The total
aboriginal population, including
half-castes, is 15,971, made up of
8917 males and 7054 females. With
the exception of a serious outbreak
of malaria in the Nutwood and
Tanumbirini districts, and measles
introduced by children arriving
from Western Australia, the health
of the population was good. There
are now 38 settlers engaged in the
peanut-growing industry, which is
meeting with success. The value of
cattle and hides exported overseas
and to the States of the Common
wealth during the year amounted to
£158,171, representing an increase of
£20,000 over the figures for the pre
vious year. The gold and mineral
production for the year was valued
at £7795. The pearling industry
still' flourishes, the take for the year
being over 204 tons of shell valued
at approximately £37,238. This re
presents an increase of 85 tons and
£17,430 respectively over the pre
vious year's figures.
The Inspector of Agriculture re
ports a record year for the pro
gress of industry on the land. At
present peanuts are the chief crop,
and the inspector says they are
equal to, if not better than any pea
nuts grown elsewhere in Australia.
Last year a small number of settlers
grew about 140 tons, for the best
of which they obtained 71d. per lb.
Peanuts are proving so remunera
tive that the settlers will not plant
cotton, and a marked expansion in
the crop is anticipated this year.
The inspector states that tobacco
grows very well in the territory,
and he thinks tobacco-growing
would be very successful if there
were a few experts to guide the sett
lers, particularly in the work of
curing. He also refers to the sup
ply of pineapples and mangoes,
much of which goes to waste, and
suggests that a company could do
well by canning pineapples and
making mango chutney. It is
thought that capable settlers would
do well around Darwin if they
went in for. a variety of crops and
were provided with marketing
facilities.
Except for outbreaks of malaria
.and measles the health of the popu
lation was good. The long pre
vailing opinion that the climate o~f
the territory was fatal to white
people is not shared by the Chief
Medical Officer, who writes:-"The
general white death rate in North
Australia at 13.5 per 1000 living ap
pears to compare unfavourably .with
that of the southern States, New
South Wales for example having a
death rate of 9.59 per 1000 living.
This figure, however, is subject to
a correction for age distribution of
the population, for in North Aus
tralia the bulk of the white popu
lation consists of adult males, repre
entCing a class with a normally
higher death rate than the general
average. Correction for age dis
tribubion gives the average ann;ual
death rate per 1000 adult males liv
ing as 18.9 compared to, 33.6 in New
South Wales. The white infantile
death rate in North Australia is
low: for the past~five years 2.0 per
o00 live births compared to 5.7 per
100 in New SBouth ,Wales aud 5.6
per 100 in Australia generally; It
may be concluded wlat Lta Le auia
L.n?IU'ULt;e i LL li a4 S tc ca "18 U ai lind
apu. atV y quLa a LL.. . qent.. .ere
'.UatU, Vsk)AJULaulL1.
Lt'r J.iJXa J- 's t.LLnai ..tVer
ILUac?e a.nC a.. ar. . 4one po1l4aicaL
..a rlo enzotarn regime and to rI-iti dU
uait? va. t .a+...ma u+a ++ ernational
obliga .ions arising out of the wa ,i
LA-4 rhinULL it. rJA Uaicca~ay Do t6 nt'
Stnds acai the ojser are althe om munos as
...iderab.tUelLLe -.a as n aollowng, and
rUI m d jIuerate paries in abetw per
as. represent the great benulk tof Gre
dtov any etent with eithovernuu o hets
slween them cwan b e one poritical
publi opinion regime any isto rfar
uuafrom being e ither Communistic ornal
Soaligastions arising ut of the war,
anBud at the modtner are the Commun
divists ach of these command a eon
Isiderabe following, and none of the
ionre moderate parties in between,
vno represent the great , ulk of Ger
anan public opinions, is able t work
to any extvident with either of them,
els no basis for a compromise be
tween them can be found. Majority
possiblice to reinion in theany is far
from being either Communistic or
loyalist, so both those parties are
no a large extent disfratnchised.
Bandt the moderates are also greatly
divided among themselvbs, the re
sut being that wheneGover their dif
ferences become so acute as to
precipitate a no-confidence division,
one of the extreme parties, by
throwing its weight against the reGo
ere oment of the moment, is often
able to encompass its defeat. Such
defeats in Parliament have occurred
on several occasions, but last week
Herr Muller's Coalition Gothe atvern
rent, sennsidepotly seeing the wroniliating
affairson the wall, did not wait for de
Butvelo iments on the floor of the Reich
menstag. The Chancellor found it im
possible to reconcile the divergentap
parentyws within the approverment
parties on financial questions,
notably on unemployment insurance,
and submitted his resignaion to
President Hindenburg . The outeome
was the prompt formation of an
other Coalition Governpposient-thion cos
tistse headed by Dr.ts suppoeinrich Bruen-fore,
ing, leader of the Centre Psrtey, a
vcoparatively young man politiho saw
distinguied th ar service. Therena
were only four ationew names in his
tcouea, and Dr. Curtiueivably, who under
err Muller carried oin the late Dfr.
th preseintn's policy of conciliation
and co-operationa in international
affairs, again accep againstd the portfolio
of Foreign Affairs.
But interest in tfore new Gthe covern
ident is lcent siged not scance amuch on its
personnel as on ethes facrst that, ap
marently with the aprovrgan of Prthe
sident Hindeaburg, that thseems Governme
pmay bed and deteo ruined to stay in
power. A couting of pliicallament
heads shows that on a diviscialon it
can. command only 207 votes, com
Pared with the total of 218 votes
reedited to the Opposition com
posed of Socialists, Communists,
aernd Fascists. Unless the Nationa-i
lists thme neo its support, therefore,
its defeat in Paliaty ent seems in
evitable. But German politics are
so n, oixed that there is no altenda
tive combination in sight of ofwhicial
duties, was scrappedosition forand a
comestatingl led to vote againyself to devotere
is warrant, thpoweref to the welfar the of then
Giderma n people, Caonstitutio and o
tient opiniously, and expressconduc first by "Gebusir
Centre Partially, hat ith justice nto
mavery peforced to rule thewas construed
sof what is in thet in default of the o
el~n t.?n First, at the swearing-in'
i arxiiamnetary majority, the Gov
unment would not hesitate to re
s.rrt to dictatorial methods, but the
p?lat was subsequently. made quite
" ear in a speech made Dy the Minis
r,.. for Occupied Territories (Herr
reei.ranus), who declared that "the
,Auvernment 'is ready to collaborate
% ith the Reichstag, but it' cannot
adllw votes of no confidence, and
i n' not atlow parliamentary de-.
seats to interfere with the fulfilment,
,f its duty." He also referred to
s?ie readiness of Cabinet to resort to
Article 48 of the Constitution,
which permits the President to
grant a member of the Cabinet die
Latorial powers.
Several newspapers agree that the
i..isting political chaos is such that
the country may shortly be faced
with the choice between anarchy or
a dictatorship. The new Govern
wnent, however, evidently intends to
Sake the choice out of the people's
,iands; and in a nation such as Ger
;aany, the people of which have
such.a strong instinct for order,
Jhere is' little doubt that the de
cision will meet with wide support.
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