Appendices to Evidence
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115 APPENDICES TO EVIDENCE. APPENDIX A. The following circular letter was forwarded to all the principal storekeepers and traders on the navigable portions of the Murray, Murrumbidgee, and Darlillg Rivers MURRAY WATERS COMMISSION. State Parliament House, Melbourne, 11th August, 1909. DEAN Sm, The above Commission, being desirous of having the fullest information of the requirements of the pO})ltlatiollS situated on the River :Murray and tributaries hom the transportation point of view, would be very pleased if you cOllld supply it with answers to the following questions. It will be quite impossible for the Commission to, visit nil the towns along the rivers, and any remarks of a general character, in add~tion to the answers to the specific questions, will be greatly appreciated by the members. I am sending these circular letters to others concerned in business similar 'to yonrs, and your information will be consideJ:ed confidential, unless we get your express sanction to publish it. 1. Tons of merchandise you received by road, rail, and river, and what propo~tioll by each during the past few years. 2. The railway termini hom which you drew such merchandise, and the number of tons from' each. 3. The freight rates by rail, boat, and road, hom Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. 4. Any similar particul!l,rs as regards the merchandise and produce imported and exported from the town as a whole for the last few years. ' 5. Whether ,you consider the trade done on the river justifies it being locked, and what would be the advantage (if any) to the district to have navigation made permanent, and for what reason. 6. Whether railway' extension would not serve the country better than by locking the river. 7. Area under irrigation, and the possibilities of further irrigation hom the fonowing points of view: (a) Area aud chnracter of the land. (b) Market for produoe. 8. Desirability of railway extension hom ; the prospects of the line paying; class of coulltry it would open up, and with what result; whether all merohandise and product wonld go over it in preference to using the river. ' 9. Has the trade in your district increased or diminished during the last twenty years, and what, in your opinion, are the causes of this increase or decrease ? 10. Hae the river traffic increased or diminished during the years yon have known it, and what, in your opinion, , are the causes of this increase or decrease ? !f the Commission could have your reIlly during the next month or six weeks' it w~uld be much appreciatod. Yours faithfully. H. L. WILKINSON, Secre.tary ~ the Commission. rhe following letters, amongst others, ·were received in reply to the foregoing :- Ellston, New South Wales, 20th September, 1909. The Secretary, Murray Waters Commission, State Parliament House, :Melboume. DEAN Sm, ' Replying to yours of the 4th ult., I am only too })leased to assist you with any information at my dis}losal-ap11roximate estimates,only, as a ,fire this year destroyed all data I could refer to. Question I.-Tonnage received-for 1904, about 50 tons; 1905, 90 tOIls; 1906, 130 tons; 1907, 150 tons; 1908, 200 tons; 1909, will be abont 210 tOns. About 5 'per cent. by road, balance rail and thence river. , Question 2.-During 1904, 1905, and 1901i about 25 per cent. each via Echuca and Swan Hill; balancc via Mildma, except about 5 per ceilt. via 1!IorgaJl. During 1907, 1908, and 1909 about 80 per cent. via Mildura; 10 per ccnt. Swan Hill; and 10 per cent. llia, 1!forgan. Question 3.-Rail freights, via Echuc>1, class 3,738. 6d., rebated to 62s. 6d. " 2, 60s. 9d. 558. " . " I, 49s. ,,426. 6d. '"\ " C,375. 6d., no rebate .. plus steamer, 25s. per tOll. Sugar, rebated to 258. 6d. Kerosene" 255. 6d. .. ., Wire, " 258. 6d. '1 " Swan Hill, about lOs. per tOil less " lfildura, class 3, 78s.; 2, (l7s.; I, 57s. 6d.; C, 52s. 6d.; E, 438. 6d.; ~I\, 348. Gd. Sngar, at 378. per tOll. " Kerosene, at 438. 6<1. per ton. l'tIildura rates, plus 78. 6d. }Jer ton for steamer. " Morgan. The heights are about 15s. per ton less all round, but the time lost and higher 11rices in Adelaide more than counterbalance this. Question 4.-Callnot give YOll the tonnage for the t~Wll ; there is a large export of wool from GraluHll's' scour. I 116 QnestiO'l!8 5 a,nd B.-Personally, r consider that if locked, ItIH,I the land on the river thrown open, that the trade would increase cllo'·ll1ously. Jrhe object,ion of all settlers on the Murray to remaining there is the long summer months, when they are practically cut off from civilization, except by coach; I have the same feeling. Also, if they are farmers the wheat has to remain on the banks 0[' stored for five or six months; the "ail way to certain points like Swan Hill, Euston (pro posed), and Mildura does not bring people (except in the vicinity) any nearer the city; furthermore, I have known wheat carried from Eust{)n to Murray Bridge at 9d. per bag (of 4 bushels), and this rate could never be competed with by railways. If the'open cut was made from Goolwato Port Victor, freights would be taken from anywhere on the :Murray to the'ship's' side for lOs. per ton or less; at present it costs 12s. 6d. to Echuca, and then 13s. odd to ~Ielbourne. Question 7.-Nothing under irrigation; about 4,000 a;)res under wheat. I do not think wheat-growing and irrigation will ever go hand· in-hand on the lower ~'Hurray; everyone of our 'farmers and settlers have their own well-equipped irrigation ])Iants, but they are only used as an insurance against dry years; when good seasons eventuate they remain idle; and this will, I think, be always the case. Irrigation does not pay except under intense culture, or where dairy-farming and lamb-raising is practised. jVJclbourue is our nearest market, but if the river was looked Adelaide would be the lowest for fryights. The land ronnd Euston is of splendid quality, both in Victoria andNew South Wales; but in the latter it is held under Westerll Land leases for 40 years. Not so in Victoria; opposite Euston there is plenty of first class land available' for selection. Qucs#on 8.-Naturally, if'the line is ex~cnded from ,Ultima and j;he river not loeked, 'goods will go that way; but water ca.rriage will always compete against the rail if differential rates are not encouraged, as those in force to l\'Iildura. Had the river been locked, we would not have needed either Swan Hill, Ultima, or Mildura extensions, as far as river settlers are concerned. Hega.rding the prospects ofChillingollah extension paying. this is a matter that has had a lot of my attention. One lessee, Mr. A. T. Creswick, holds au area of 400,000 acres, which this line will pass through. Last year I interviewed Premier Bent, this year the Minister for Lands and the SU1'\'eyor-General, to have this land throwp. open. It has a frontage to the 3fnrray of 130 miles, and wOllld support 400 families. All the satisfaction I got was that the land was being held for in.igation. ~he l\'Iinist€r must have desired me to think him either a fool or a knave, t{) give such an absurd reply as, even if he excised' 10,000 acres of the best of the country opposite Euston for irrigation, the balance could be thrown open. It is a farce to withhold this country and Burra (adjoining it on Piangil side) £Tom selection, while hundreds of the pick of Victorian farmers are going to Queensland £'01' land.. , About three-fourths of this cOUJ:!,try is very good for farming, a,nd there is a large area nearly opposite Euston 'which the Surveyor-General acknowledged as excellent country. As I explain~cl to thc Minister, why not give fifteen or twenty year leases of it? By thc expiration of that time farmers m!>y be'educntedu[l to the advantages of irrigation. At present, judging from the Department's experiences at "Wbit€ Cliffs," farmers are not anxious for irrigation blocks. I consider it great error was made in opening" White Cliffs" so near M::ildur!>; one settlement will !nerely drain the other of population, and that is already in cvidence by the majority of the blocks being granted to residents of Th'lildura, who can fulfil the residential clauses !>nd have blocks in both places by living at White Cliffs and still retaining their llildura holdings. Tbis settlement should have been at an area set apart for ·that_ purpose ill Victoria a few miles below Euston, where"the soil is of much better quality than White Cliffs. Question 9.-'1'he trade to Euston has increased during the last twenty ye!>rs, principally owing to more settlement in the district. Question·lO.-The river traffic to Euston has increased, but not the passing traffic. Much of the Darling ,rade which used to go to Echuca now goes to Adelaide and Mildura. , Any information given can be used as you may desire. Yours faithfully, R. S. McLEOD, per W?<t. STRUTHEN. Balranald, 30th August, 1909. H. L. WILKINSON, Murray Waters Commission. DEA.R SIR, In ftnswer to your questions, I submit, the following , 1 and 2. Qltantit.1J of Goods we Import to Balranald. Our a,verage from Echuca by boat in each year is about 200 tons, and from Swan Hill 50 tons by road.