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Mallee - Part 2
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Image 127
Mallee - Part 2
Image 127
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Acting under your instruction, I beg to forward the results of my examination of the country between Esperance and Norseman, having regard to its capability for water conservation for, and its suitability for, agricultural settlement, the field work occupying from the 25th January to 18th May last. 2. Apart from the matter of water conservation, my examination has convinced me that this country is not suitable for successful agricultural development without reasonable railway facilities. 3. In other parts of the wheat belt of this State, patches of good to rich agricultural land alternate with stretches of generally poor " sand plain," and a settler, at starting, may without the use of fertiliser, obtain a generous yield of wheat or hay from a patch of strong land, that will enable him to wait (though perhaps impatiently ) the advent of the railway. 4. The conditions within the area under examination are totally different, for, generally speaking, neither the areas of good strong agricultural land, nor the stretches of poor "sand plain," are met with, but land of fair average quality, strikingly consistent throughout the mallee belt. 5. While, therefore, I consider that one million acres (or more) of this mallee country is equal in value, for the growth of cereals, to the area anywhere else in the State, the necessity for the early application of high " first yields" generally obtained in the rich country of other parts of the State referred to above, will render the low freights that obtain for railway carriage, both of fertiliser and of the resultant crop, essential, at a very early stage, to the successful development of the country. 6. The consideration of any scheme for the conservation of water is therefore dependent on the value to the State of the land under examination, taking also into account the cost of the proposed railway, and of necessary shipping facilities at Esperance, the natural outlet. 7. The conclusions I have arrived at ( the particulars of which are given in the following pages and accompanying plans) are as follows: — Wheat lands within 15 miles of proposed railway, from the 80-mile post (the limit of safe rainfall as accepted at present) to about the 25-mile post, the southern edge of mallee, 922,00 acres at 10s., £461,000. " Sand plain," south of mallee country to the coast (includes patches of rich swamps), 412,000 acres at 4s. 6d., £92,700. Cost of proposed railway — Esperance to Norseman, £313,000. * Water supply for same, tank at 30-mile, £2,000. Provision for a quay 500 feet long ( capable of extension when warranted), dredging an entrance channel and swinging basin to 26 feet below low water mark ("A" scheme), £44,000. Extension of proposed railway as surveyed to proposed quay, with stone faced embankment, say, £3,000. agricultural water supply, 24 tanks at £1,000, £24,000. Total, £553,700. 8. Assuming that provision for water supply will be amongst the first public works supply will be amongst the first public works supply will be amongst the first public works carried out in the district, I anticipate such a rapid agricultural development will follow the construction of a railway as will enable it to pay working expenses and interest from the start. 9. In the above estimate, only the country immediately served by the proposed railway has been considered, but as a matter of fact there is a very large area of agricultural land within the mallee belt ( which runs east and west, and is about 50 miles wide north and south), exceeding a million acres which, although requiring its own spur line of railway for development, will then directly benefit the Esperance railway and its port. 10. For a distance of 46 miles east of Grass Patch this mallee country has been penetrated, as shown on plans; and a further exploration, probably north from Israelite Bay, will be the subject of a supplementary report. 11. When I add that, notwithstanding that there are some peculiar natural characteristics, the conservation of water presents no serious difficulties, I am confident that this mallee country, when developed, will be a splendid asset to the State, and will add largely to its exports. Water Conservation. 12. It is practically certain that there is no permanent surface water on the country examined; a limited quantity of a few hundred gallons of more or less foul water can be depended on at "The Cups" ( a flat granite rock on the Fanny Cove track to Norseman), through the summer, if not much drawn upon. Granite rocks are very scarce, and not generally suitable for water conservation. Permanent soak water, in shallow wells, exists at Fitzgerald Peaks and Mt. Ridley. 13. At the former mountain, the top of which I found to be 1,300 feet above the surrounding country, a good reservoir site was discovered, by which a concrete wall, four chains long and 30 feet high, would impound 8,000,000 gallons of water, with a rock catchment of 73 acres. The reservoir site being situated some distance up the mountain, about 200 feet above the level of surrounding country, adds enormously to its usefulness for reticulation purposes. Suitability of Country for Tank Excavations. 14. Owing to the country generally being covered with dense mallee and scrub, and the consequent difficulty in taking a boring plant and party through it, I adopted the plan of testing the ground for clay along the three tracks that now exist, viz., Norseman to Fanny's Cove. If clay could be found at reasonably intervals on these tracks, it is fair to assume that it would be found in the intervening and adjacent country. Clay was found along each track, within the mallee belt, at intervals where looked for, about seven miles apart. Though the bore holes, with one or two exceptions, did not disclose ground impervious to water from top to bottom, there was sufficient thickness of clay to allow for puddling the porous section of any tank. 15. It is peculiarity, characteristic of the whole country traversed, that the best clay was found in generally high ground, and not in the gullies or hollows. This high ground is generally somewhat flat, but still has sufficient slope to form catchment areas. The growth of scrub is too dense to form accurate estimate of the size of any catchment until lines are cleared for the use of instruments. From my knowledge of the country, I believe that sufficient slope for catchments for small tanks will be found on every selection. 16. But even if there were no catchments at all it would pay to construct artificial catchments at but slightly increased total cost rather than that the country should lie a waste for ever. With a 16-inch rainfall, an ordinary roof over 40 feet square provides 13,000 gallons; while one-eighth of an acre artificial catchment provides 45,000 gallons per annum.
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