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Tuesday, 19 December 1911

Mr POYNTON (Grey) .- As one who has taken considerable interest in bringing the Northern Territory under the control of the Commonwealth, I feel it my duty to say a few words. I recognise the difficulties of the Minister in view of the limited time he has been at the head of the Department.

Mr Joseph Cook - There ought to be a Departmental, policy !

Mr POYNTON - I recognise that it is time there was something like a definite policy. The references by the Minister last night are all right so far as they go, but they do not go nearly far enough ; and, in my opinion, we are beginning at the wrong end. It is quite true that there should be experimental farming, but not only in one place; and. I was sorry to hear the Minister last night merely mention Rum Jungle. On the Roper, Adelaide, and Daly Rivers there is practically unlimited room for farms of this kind, whereas at Rum Jungle, operations must be circumscribed. The honorable member for Illawarra knows that on the Daly River there are immense areas on which experimental farms could be established, with further lands for farming expansion. 1 Then, something should be done in the way of finding a market for those who settle iri the Northern Territory. There is a proposal to establish an Export Department, with freezing and chilling works. The Minister does not seem quite sure whether these works will be established at Port Darwin ; but, at any rate, we have a proposal of the kind before us. No doubt all these ideas will have to be adopted in any perfect scheme of development ; but, in addition, there must be ample railway facilities. I have no objection to extending the present line from Pine Creek across the Katherine, tapping some of the Barclay tableland; but we have to remember that the Katherine is a long way from that tableland. However, such a railway must be part of any successful scheme. What I take exception to is the statement of the Minister that he does not look forward to the development of the Territory by Australian labour. Time will prove, I think, that he is altogether wrong in his forecast. Australian labour will have to do the pioneering work, and practically prepare the Territory for other settlers. That being so, the first idea that occurs to any man who thinks seriously on the subject, is to provide facilities for people from the settled parts of Australia to reach the Territory. Intending settlers should never be asked to send their people and their stock by boat on a journey occupying, practically, as much time as a trip to London. I should begin the development of the Territory with people from the settled parts of Australia, and, to that end, there ought to be railway connexions with the States in the South.

Mr Joseph Cook - Railways to the east would be much nearer.

Mr POYNTON - My honest opinion is that there will ultimately be railways connecting with New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia.

Mr Groom - And, ultimately, Western Australia.

Mr POYNTON - There will, of course, ultimately be a railway to Western Aus tralia in the far north-west, where there is some very good timber and other -country. Another good reason for the establishment of such railway connexions is found in the forecasts of future seasons. In Parlia-ment and out of Parliament, by every business "man and expert, it is recognised that our 'good seasons of the past seven or eight years, will, in the ordinary course of events, be followed by dry seasons. Without wishing to appear as analarminst, I may point out that we have, in cycles, our lean and our fat years, though possibly the lean years of the. future may not be nearly so disastrous as those in the past; Improved conditions, better methods of tilling the soil, and the greater provision made against droughts in consequence of the lessons learnt from the past, will reduce the amount of loss in future bad seasons. If we/had had railway communication from the States to the Northern Territory we should have been able to save, if not the whole, very nearly the whole of the millions of stock that we lost in the most disastrous droughts of the past, because unless it be down in the south-east corner or the extreme south of the Territory, there is no such thing as a drought in that vast area. It has its wet season and its dry season. It has its periodical rains every year as regularly as the sun shines, and with a proper policy of railway development, we shall be able in any similar period of drought to depasture and save millions of our stock in the Northern Territory. Not only would that happen, but every one who went there, and the great bulk of the stock that was taken there, except the fats that would be sent away, would remain in the -Territory. This would be one of the finest things that could happen in the way of development, but it cannot happen with a railway scheme that starts from Pine Creek. Under present conditions all the stock has to be sent by water, which is an impossible proposition, and the same applies to your men. I take it that what the Government have put forward is only a very moderate portion of the scheme which they are going ultimately to introduce in the Territory. We have taken over the responsibility of that huge tract of country with our eyes open, and with a. full knowledge of the liabilities that we were immediately assuming. We are like a man who has a comparatively small holding and takes a large holding alongside. If he keeps it idle he must ulti- mately land himself in the Insolvency Court and lose both holdings.

Mr Riley - That is how the case applied to South Australia.

Mr POYNTON - It is only a matter of time for the same thing to happen to the Common wealth, unless it undertakes the development of its new holding. Certain work must be done there to get a return, but at present we have to face a loss which will continue unless we have the courage to go in for the necessary development. This will convert a losing proposition into a paying one in at least a reasonable time. I am as confident of that as that I am standing on the floor of the House, but it will not be done with a timid proposition .to extend the railway 60 miles across the Katherine River, nor will it be done by merely catering for the few cattle- owners in the Northern Territory to-day. It can be done only by a vigorous railway policy, which will be followed by people and followed by stock. First must come the pastoral development, then will follow the agricultural development, and after that, there will be the tropical' or closer settlement, all of which are possible in. the Territory. There are three distinct climatic conditions there. There is a stretch of country running 80 miles inland from the 1,200 miles of coastline, with tropical conditions and a 60-inch rainfall. Inside that there is a stretch of country on the eastern side of the Katherine extending into the Barclay tablelands, with semi-tropical' conditions. Inside that again is the MacDonnell Range country running practically through the middle of the Territory, with temperate climatic- conditions. We have a very fine class of country, but none of it can be occupied successfully by sheep to-day, because of ,the want of facilities. Much less can it be occupied for agriculture without railway facilities. With railway facilities, I have no doubt about the future of the Territory. It is an asset which this House need not hesitate to develop. I go further and say that the House, having accepted the responsibility, must, as business men, spend the necessary money on the development of the Territory to make good what has been expended. This will not be done by a mere 60 miles of railway crossing to the Katherine- The question of land tenure is a secondary consideration. It is not the liberality or want of liberality of tenure that constitutes the drawback to that country. The- drawback is want of railway facilities.. Look at it how you will, you must come back to the proposition that everything else is subsidiary to a proper railway development scheme. I take no exception to the proposal for a leasehold system, but I want to impress upon honorable members that we could -absolutely give the land away to-day," as South- Australia could have done, but even then, without proper railway facilities to get people and stock there, and encourage natural development, all your propositions of tenure would be rather a snare and a danger than an advantage. You might find when your railway development had taken place that your country would stand much higher rentals than, it will stand if you throw, it open first, and put your railways in afterwards. The whole scheme for the development of the Territory -and the whole question of rentals ought to be associated with a railway scheme. Give me a railway, and I know what rent to charge for my country. Iknow what is a fair thing to get back from the people who have been given, the advantage of a railway scheme. That is a very .different proposition from introducing a system of tenure first, and effecting a development policy afterwards. It is time the Government had a fully developed policy for the administration of the Territory. I had anticipated that some properly thought-out scheme would be put before us before this session closed. I understand that there is a proposal that a Mr. Francis should recommend the necessary railway construction. He may be a very eminent fellow. I do not know what ex"perience he has had, but they say he came from Victoria. He is associated now with the railway from Palmerston to Pine Creek. He may be the best man in the world.

Mr Joseph Cook - If he were, he would not be there.

Mr POYNTON - There is something in that. I wish for a more comprehensive railway scheme than he is likely to propose. He will never get any reasonable distance beyond the Katherine. I trust that party considerations will not affect our dealingswith the Northern Territory. When honorable members and senators visit the Territory during the recess, they should travel through it from South Australia, from New South Wales, and from Queensland, so "that they may be acquainted with itsconditions from north to south and from east to- west. Then, when they- come back, they will have something to tell about it.

When the last visit, was made, the honorable member for Illawarra and myself, and two gentlemen whose absence from the House we all regret, the late Mr. Batchelor and the late Mr. Hutchison, made a long ride across country, and saw a great deal more of it than any other members ot the party . But, after all, we saw but very little, as is plain by following our track on the map, so enormous is the Territory. There will not be any great advantage gained if the party which visits the Territory during the next recess does not do more than the former party did. It should go through the temperate region, travel across the MacDonnell Range country and over the tableland, and pass through the tropical region. During the last visit only the tropical and subtropical parts of the country were visited. At the time I appealed to the Minister then in power to arrange for half u dozen of us to go right across the country, but the excursion was not made, I think because of the cost. I hope that the present Minister will do more than provide facilities for getting to Port Darwin. That is not the Northern Territory, which stretches south from it for 900 miles, and has a breadth of 600 miles. Before th* session ends, I trust that the Minister will make a statement outlining a much more vigorous policy than has yet been proposed. If we do not deal with the Territory more vigorously, we shall only do what South Australia did - pile up deficits - and what we spend will be like throwing money into the sea. To make a success of ,the Territory there must be a large expenditure, and if that expenditure is made in dribs and drabs during a period of ten or twenty years, it will result in failure. One great need is railways. The country needs a number of railways, and, given means of communication, is capable of carrying a large population.

Mr. JOSEPHCOOK (Parramatta) {11. 16].- I congratulate the honorable member for Grey - on his sound, sane, vigorous speech. It is evident that he knew what he was talking about, and I hope that his- remarks will be heeded by Ministers. I was profoundly disappointed with the Minister's speech last night. We do not expect him at .his own initiative, and from his own resources, to propound a policy for the, Northern Territory, but we expected to hear of a bold, departmental scheme for the development of the Territory. The honorable member for .Grey rightly says that- the policy . stated last night, will do nothing to lift off the present incubus from the Territory. The Minister told us nothing that we have not always known. We are aware that horses, cattle, and sheep can be bred there, and that mineral resources exist which need development. 'We know, too, that there is agricultural land, and we are acquainted with the advantages of freezing works. What we need is a policy of development which will make use of all these possibilities. We are told that there is a Railway Commissioner there ; I suppose he has been there for some years.

Mr Thomas - For about six months.

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