Show western australia now in spotlight breaks with commonwealth by two to one vote washington at the polls and at her gold mines western alias activities tivi ties have irown drawn the spotlight of news with the definiteness of a two to one referendum she has recently proclaimed her secession from the commonwealth suggesting the first break in the confederation of the sli six australian states that has existed for 32 years although authorities maintain that the action can have little effect because there Is no governmental machinery allowing any state to withdraw yet western alias protest has been made an AD outburst ot of gold fever too inspired by the present high prices of that metal has awakened new activity at her onetime one time boom mines western australia comprising approximately one third of the whole island continent has made rapid strides in its century of development says a bulletin from the national geographic society especially during the last half century it has seen significant ant progress yet vast areas in its square miles are desert and waste land had boom like california gold cold minin mining gave the land its first boom kalgoorlie coolgardie Cool gardie gardle kimber ley and other oilier gold fields poured mil lions into the worlds coffers in 1903 when it reached its highest point western australia produced worth of the precious metal in 37 years of its greatest activity its mines enriched the worlds gold supply by kalgoorlie with its famous golden mile and other nearby mines mushroomed almost over night into a roaring camp and became much like san francisco in 51 or dawson in 09 former president defit hoover as a young mining engineer once worked in this rich mining district and successfully cess fully put many sick mines into profitable table operation As gold production waned western australia once known as the 1 land and of 0 pin bin sun and sand became a new land of promise through its wheat heat fields forests and ca cattle atle and sheep grazing areas today however kal kai Is again taking on many of the aspects of a rip roaring mining camp and many of the or sundowners are again plodding the sun parched regions legons to set out new claims A chemical syndicate Is also reworking to a profit old tailings and poorer it la Is doubtful however that vi western estern australia will ever again produce the quantities of gold that it once did yet some of the old prospectors tire are always hoping that they will one day strike it rich important wheat region in less than a quarter century of agricultural development western australla australia increased her export of wheat from 35 33 to M 3 ft of the slight ly more than four and three quarter million acres of land now under cutti cultivation ti nearly four million ac acres are devoted to tile the rowing growing of wheat with a recent yield of more than bushels on more barren areas graze more than head of sheep and 00 cattle the wool clip tarnishes the largest export next to gold and wheat the cities along the west ivest coast are not large perth the capital has only a little more than population many of the others live only by virtue of their position as exporting centers for the cattle and sheep country broome along the northern part of the coast Is one of the most interesting because of the fact that it Is one of the few asiatic towns in the 93 98 per cent baltish born population of australia there live many japanese chinese malays balays filipinos Fill pinos and Koep angers from timor who are engaged in the pearl and pearl shell shelf industry western australia may well feel a certain independence from the rest of australia because she Is more or less isolated by a great desert region miles wide and 1000 miles long air services and the transcontinental train system with its branches how ever do link up many of the towns in western australia and bring them into close communication with canberra the new capital and cities on the eastern coast despite the fact that the western province does have much barren waste land and in some cases has had to pump water through mile lengths ot of pipe line it does docs hold promise for great development in the future for there are many areas still unexploited also with a climate ranging from tropical to temperate a fairly wide range of products can be grown successfully |