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Show oo- AUSTRALIA TO EMULATE WEST Boise. Ida., July IS. Having taken an inspiration from the United States In tho construction of irrigation projects, pro-jects, Australia has decided to engage extensively In tho reclamation of arid land and, for the purpose of gathering Important data as well as to ascertain how the Americans perform the task, has delegated Its government experts, A. T. Laldlaw and F. W. Helpman, to visit the northwest. They are now in Boise looking over the Payette-Boise Payette-Boise project and will visit projects In eastern Oregon, western and southern south-ern Idaho, following which they go to Utah, Wyoming and Colorado on their mission. Tho Australian experts expressed profound astonishment at tho wonderful wonder-ful development shown by the entire northwest and the engineering feats accomplished in the reclamation of arid land. They declared that the people peo-ple in Australia had no idea of the wonderful strides being made In this country and tho difficulties thnt expert ex-pert engineers have overcome, stating that even the residents of the northwest north-west cannot fully appreciate them. They assort that they will have sufficient suffi-cient data when they return to Australia Aus-tralia to Interest that country for some years to come and that when they have made their report an era .n reclamation In the island continent will bo instituted on a gigantic scale. So far, say these exports, the pastoral pas-toral Industry has played the most Important part in tho resources and wealth of Australia, Sheepraising is tho mainstay, large exorts of mutton and wool bringing in heavy returns, and cattle, horses and swine are also big monev-mnkers for the country. Australia Is Awakening. But Australia Is awakening to the realization that It must provide homes for a great interior population, and in order to do thiB the arid lands, con stitutlng millions of acres, must bo transformed into irrigated areas wherever wher-ever possible. The government believes be-lieves that It can in this way increase the population from -1,000,000, exclusive exclu-sive of aborigines, to twenty times that number. Experts Laidlaw and Helpman toll many Interesting facts about the interior in-terior of Australia, the scene of future fu-ture activity along the Irrigation line, following their inspection of projects here. The central portion of Australia Aus-tralia is largely composed of rocky tracts and sandy plains, with little or no surface water, though thousands of artesian bores have revealed the presence of underground curronts, which when properly utilized ferti-lize ferti-lize the soil and transform tho desert Into productive areas. In fact, tho whole continent Is an Irregular plain, with high ridges in tho east and a marked depression In the center, In some places below sea level. The base of the table land 1b granite. Plan to Divert Rivers. Tho Australia "father of waters" is the Murray river and with Its chief tributary, the Darling, flows 2,400 miles before reaching the southern ocean on tho south Australian coast, and with its Queensland extensions has, in favornble seasons, a length of about 3,000 miles navigable by small steamers. One of the biggest rivers of the interior in-terior Is called Cooper's creek, or tho Barcoe, which runs into Lake Eyre, a salt lake, one of the group of lakes on tho south side of tho coutinent, having no outlet. The principal of these lakes are Eyre, Torrons and Galrdner, all of which vary In size and snltness, according to the season. "The Australian government figures on taking advantage of the fact that these rivers In tho Interior flow into these lakes," statod Expert Laldlay, "and where the configurations of the country used to be a curse, It may now prove a wonderful blessing. Rivers of Australia. Instead of letting the water run to waste by going into these lakes, the rivers will be diverted, great cannl systems will bo built, and the Interior of Australia will be changed from a desert Into a huge farming country that will feed tho world and support a great population. The adoption of tho methods. of western America In Irrigation Ir-rigation projects will make Australia the greatest and richest country on earth. "It Is probable that under agreement agree-ment between what are known as 'ri parian rights,' Including south Aus-' tralla, Victoria and Now South Wales, the river will be locked to improve navigation and also to provide water for Irriga'tion. In the northern territory ter-ritory of Bouth Australia some of tho rivers are of large volume. On the oast" are he Hunter, Clarence, Brisbane, Bris-bane, Fitzroy and Burdekin rivers; on the west coast the Swan, Murchlson, Gascoyne, Ashbiion and De Gray; on the north the wtzroy, Victoria, Flinders Flin-ders and Mitchell. |
