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?

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. 3. Freight Rates. We base the average charge of goods by rail and river through Echuca from Melbourne to Balranald at (55. per ton; from Adelaide, 70s.; from Sydney, £7 15s. These are all on the stl-c,ngth of the rivers being open for navigation. We base our average freight on goods that come to Swan Hill from Melbourne, thence by rail to Balranald, at £6 15s. per ton. ,t. Qu,antity of Goods We jJxport. We, as agents for Captain Freeman's boats, hold that we bring up for ourselves one-third of his l~ads; so that he carries for Balranald 400 additional tons. We shipped last year 470 tOilS of wool, and this year a bout 550 will be sent, as each clip is heavier. No wheat was shipped last year; the a,-erage is about 70 tons. These figures arc for the boats' owned by Cn,plain };'reeman, and have no beal'ing on the total sent through Permewan, Wright, and Co. 5. Locking. I do not consider th"t the trade done on the river justifies it being locked, and do not see 0ny great aClvantage to the distric.t in .permanent navigation, for the reason tha t the river' is open for all the country at present. 11. Railways and Locking. The country would be far better served by the extension of the railways than by lecking of the rivers, as lightJines of railway would assist small settlers whose income is not omy derived from wooL' Even if the rivers were locked they would not be used, except by those ,really on the banks of the river; whereas the railway could be so laid so as not to tap the rivers at various points, but meet the .full requirements of the iularid settler, who could send his dairy produce as well as gen~ral farm products to markets. 7. Area. 1wderand s11,itable for Irrigation. A very small area is at prescnt under irrigation, but it is yearly coming to the fore. An .unlimited area is available, and at seyeral points near Balranald there are excellent for i1'l'igation on a largc scale. Watchimal, situatEd 17 miles from Balranald, forms an area of about 3,000 acres of deep sandy loam forming pine and bulllfall€e conntl)" and again at the Six-mile Point (6 miles from BaIranaJd), some 7.000 to 10,000 acres of similar ,cGuntry is available. '[he only stoppage t{) present settlement is the di~tance to the market .. 8. R(tilway Extension. The only place, in my opinion, l'rofitable for the extension of the railway to Balranald ,,'ould be from Swan Hill. Victoria is our natural market, and Swan Hill is {;he nearest point to gain ~hat market. I am of opinion that from the first 20 miles from ISwan Hill the smallest general return would be given; but from that point to Balranald it would pay exeellently from the time it was completed. The land lying between the rivers that flow between Balranald and Swan Hill is all first-class country, and highJy suitable' for both dairying and the growing of wheat, and other crops. Speaking for ourselves, if the railway were to open from Swan Hill to Balranald, all our goods would come by that means of tramit. 117

, 9 and 10. Oondition 0/ Trade in Balranald. 'I'he trade of Ba1ranald and district has not increased more than 20 per cent. in the 'last twenty years, and it never will until it is possible to gain a market. It would not pay to send eream, &e., to Swan Hill; and only wool is principally grown, as the river is open always to take away wool, but for wheat it is generally closed, wheat being only available fer shipment in January; and the liver usually closes in December. I do not consider that the trade possible to be done on the rivers justifies the expense of locking the rivers, but if the locking of the rivclS will assist in the 'storing and distribution of the waters of the rivers, then any expense in connexion with locking will he amply repaid. I ,ce no gnat advantage of the district in securing permanent n!1vigation, for the reason that when the river is navigable that is also the time when the wool is available; and, as without irrigation the country only practically produces weol, it would leave nothing for the steamers to haul from January to August-certainly not enough to keep one sicamer and barge out of twenty rayably filled. A.gain, however, l wish to reiterate that, if locking assists irrigation, it will be money well spent. Yours, T. H. BOYNTON.

The following circular . letter was forwarded to all the principal wool brokers llnd forwarding agents in ~Ielbourne and Adelaide :- MURRAY WATERS CO.MJ.\USSION. State Parliament House, Melbourne, 26th June, 1909. DEAR Sm, The above Oommission is particularly desirous of knowing the amount of weol transported over the Rivers Murray, }Iurrumbidgee, and Darling by steamer from the various strltions in New Scuth \Vales and elsewhere to the different railway # termini of the Victorian and South Australian railway systems, and I should be pleased if you would let me have at your earliest convenience answers to the following questions 1. Tons of wool, skins, &e., received by you from steamers at the following Sout.h Australian rorts, for as many years as possible :-Morgan, Murray-bridge, Goolwa, from stations on the Darling, JIIlurrum- bidgee, and Murray Rivers respectively. . 2. Tons of wool, sheep skins, &c., received by you from stMmers at Echuea ar.d Swan Hill frem the Darling, Murrumbidgee, and Murray ports respectively, for as ma~y years back as possible. 3. Usual freights charged by steamers on wool and other produce between Darling and Munumbitlgee Forts and the various railway termini in Victoria and South Australia. 4. General opinion as to the relative !1dvantages of Adelaide, lIfelbourne, and Sydney markets for wool, and the extra cost of carriage (if any) ,wool would stand to come to Sydney or lIfelboulllc in preference to Adelaide. 5. Relative advantage of rail and water carriage for station produce, and usual cost of insurance if the water carriage is used. 6. General tendency of trade if the alternatives of rail or water earriage be botb available. 7. ·Opinion as to whether there is or is likely to be a tendency of river steamer owners to increase freight xa tea (by understanding) up to a price just below what wool, &c., can. be earried by other means to the State railways. ' 8. Opinion as to the relative value of locked riYcrs or railways to devel9P the west and south-west portions of New South Wales. 9. Opinion as to the necessity of railways beiug constructed in these parts to allow of stock being taken away in times of drought. , 10. What, in your opinion, would be the effeet, as far as the Darling trade is concerned, if the railway be extended from Oobar or Oondobolin towards Broken Hill. I am sending a similar letter to the other principal wool brokers. and if you can at your earliest convenience give me answers to as many of these questions as possible, the Oommission\would be in possPssion of ycry valuable information as regards the trade on the Murray River and its tributaries. Tbanking you in anticiplltion, Yours faithfully, H. L. WILKINSON, Secretary to the Oommission.

The following is a typical reply received in answer to the foregoing:- .~ Australian .Mortgage, Land, and Finance Coy. Linlited, . .Melbourne, 7th July, 1909. H. L. WILKINSON, Esq., Secretary, Murray Waters Commission, State Parliament House, Melbourne. DEAR SIR, I beg to furnish the following replies to the inqu'rries submitted,in your letter of the 28th ultimo 1- Nos. 1 and 2_-The quantity of river-borne wool consigned.from places on the Darling, Murrumbidgee, and }Illrray to. the company and delivered at Morgan or Goolwa in South Australia and at Echuca for the past five years is as follows :_ Year endlng- River. lteceived at Morgan Received at Echuca. or Goolwa. -

. ~ons. TonR . . {Darling .• ...... 14G 77 Oth June, 1905 .. Murrumbidgee ...... I Murray •...... f . . 763 (Darling ...... 293 61 Oth June, 1906 .. • Murrumbidgee ...... l :Murray . : ...... } 527 1,354 {Darling •...... , .. 401 , 75 Oth June, 1907 .. Murrumbidgee ...... Murray •...... } 3G8 2,923 {Darling .• ...... 551 3Oth June, 1908 .. }Iurrum bidgee . , ...... Murray •• ...... } 396 2,04.0 JDarling ...... " .. 468 70 3Oth June, 1909 .~ I rMurrumbidgee ...... - Murray •• ...... } . . 2,182

6994. 1 i regret t mi-ririot, without t1, good deai of trouble, diatinguish between the wooi brdtight to EchuM. {tom the MUftaY aq.d Murrumbidgee, but I may say that the bulk of it eame from the Murrumbidgee. The quantity of sKins is not importi1llt. N,? 3.-Tfn rate of freight is in Rocordanoe with the distance the cargo has to be carried. , , ", " No. 4.-The1'e is no difference between the Melbourne and Sydney markets for the sale of wool; .but both 118;"e an advantage over Adelaide, where the sales are not so continuous, and they are of lrluch shorter duration. Iii is impossible to give a general reply to the inquiry as to the extra freight that wool would stand to be diverted for sale from Adelaide to Sydney or 3'1:elbourne. Each grower has his own idea on that subject. ,,, . No. 5.-Water carriage will always prevail over road or rail carriage, because it is much cheaper. Expedition, however, might occasionally cause the grower to paJ' a higher rate by rail. The ratc of insurance is in accordance with the length of the river voyage.' . " .' . No. 6.-Ifriver and rail carriage come into competition, the tendency of trade will almost invariably be in the direction of the cheapest route, except, rierhaps, when expedition is important. No. 7.-There have been combinations of river steamer owners to increase their rates, but I am not aware of any existing at present. . No. 8.-In my opinion, if the Murray, Darling, and Murrumbidgee were locked, it would do more to develop, Western New South Wales than the extension of railways. In expressing this opinion I have fully recognised the atlvantage of railway carriage for the removal of stock in periods of drought. - . No. 9.-While undoubtedly it would be -a great boon to have railways through western New South Wales so that stock might be moved in periods of drought, 1 am afraid that the cost would be out of all proportion to any possible earnings. The light rainfall and periodical droughts make the country west of a line drawn from Bolranald to Barii.ngun, on the Queensland border, suitable ouly for very light stocking. '. _ No. 1O.-In periods of low.river a certain portion of the Darling trade would, no doubt, go to Sy;dney,or Broken Hill, but during periods of a navigable river the existing trade would not, in my opinion, be seriously afIecte~t ..• General.-I am of opinion that, if the rivers were locked, a very great development of the adjacent country.would take place. With the certainty of constant navigation the river steamers would increase, and they would be able to greatly reduce the rates of freight they now charge, as they would not have long periods of idleness. .A f\.ill river would also make mtvigation more safe, ana the rates of insurance, which are at present high, would be reduced. I may mention that some years ago, when the river Darling was navigable from Walgett downwards, we brought down by steamer two large clips grown between Brewarrina and Walgett. If cargo can be carried such a long distance by steamer, passing the railways at Brewarrina and Bourke, it is strong evidence that the railways cannot eompete with water earriage. I am, Yours faithfully; M. FALCONER, Manager for Australia..

APPENDIX B.

REPORT ON THE IMPROVE~mNT ,OF THE MURRAY RIvER AND TRIBUTAliIES FOR NAVIGATION.

By H. L.WILKINSON, M.O.E.

The methods for the improving of the River Murray and tributaries ,for navigation are 'by.:..::.. 1. Locks with fixed or movable weirs. 2. Improvements to river ' channel by removal of obstructiona and by coiifining tlie flow into a narrower channel at shallow places. 3. Storages to regulate the flow so that the excess water in flood time can be stored and used to increase the flow towards the beginning and end of the navigation season.

1. LocKS WITH FIXED OR MOVABLE WEIRS.

Summarized, the advantages of and objections to locking the Murray and tributaries are­

A.-ADVANTAGES:

(a) It gives .permanent communication to settlements. (b) It impounds a certain amouiJ.t of water which, in cases of necessity, may be .used for irriga- tion, but only at the expense of the navigability of the river. .' (0) Raising the level of the water, whereby a certain saving in the lift of pumping for irrigation may be made, or whereby water may be diverted for irrigation purposes where tlie banks are particularly ' low lying. Deaiing briefly vdth these various points, the advantage .of having permanent communication is undeniable, more particularly as most of the settlements in the Murray Ba~Hi (qn account, of tht:; ,rivers forming the water supply) are either on the river or in the yicinity of it. The l\:!mray, MiiifuiiiBiag~i, and the Darling have, and for a great. many years will have, some six months of natUrally navigable s~reanis in the year, during which period the year's production, with the exception. 0-£ the fruits' requiring transport 'between ial1tll1ij" a.nd Ma.y and lattl wheat, of the Riverina. dIstrict, is l'L'\ta.lIa'ble. The advahtages of having the river open all the year round are therefore (1) to supply merchandise during summer for settlem,ents on the river not near a railway; (2) to carry away late wheat, fruit, dairying, and other perennial produce from similarly situated areas and settlements. The South Australian Murray, the Murrumbidgee, and Darling are the only parts of the rivers where great inconvenience is or would be fe~t by want of permanent communication, as railways are within carting distance of the J.furray between Mildura and Echuca.

The JV ater impounded by the Lock JV eirs.

Number of - Distance. Locks. Total Rise. Quantity Impounded.

Miles. Feet. Cubic Feet. Blanchetowu to Boundary · . · . · . 231 6 69 5,544,000,000 Boundary to Echuca · . · . · . 679 20 215 16,278,000,000 Wentworth to Bourke · . · . · . 880 17 217 9,500,000,000 Murrumbidgee Junction to Hay · . · . 215 9 101 3,443,000,000

; !tis of course obvious that none of the water impounded is available for diversion purposes, as its diversion :V0uld only reduce the depth of water below navigation requirements. Raising the Water Level. Unfortunately, most of the land suitable for irrigation on the Murray below Murrumbidgee Junction is situated from 50 feet to 100 feet above the water level, and consequently the 10 feet saving in lift due to the backing up of the water in summer is not very considerable, as the firewood for the pumping plant is a comparatively small item in the total cost of supplying water. Pumping with a lift of 100 feet, the saving .would not be more than about 2 per cent., and that would only operate for a few months in the :lear. , In South, Australia the raising of the level of the water 'into a series of lock pools would be very desirable, as in times of very low flow the seepage of mineralized water from the banks into the stream would be prevented and the irrigation settlements in South Australia would be insured a ,perfectly satisfactory water. " .

B.-OBJECTIONS: (a) The great ahd unknown cost ahd the impossibility of raising sufficient money in'tolls to pay \vorking expenses and interest.' " _, ' , tb) bifficulties in obtaining suitable foUndations for weirs and locks: (c) LIability of one or more of the weirs being injured in flood time, 'or .of the river silting up about one or more locks, whereby the system as a whole would be rendered unnavigable, except when there is naturally a navigable flow .. (d) An area of river flats v,,-jll be subrilCrged, and there will be increased loss in summer owing to the increase in seepage and evaporation losses. ; In regard to the cost of locking the rivers, the following schedule will indicate the probable cost, present trade; number of people served, &c. :-2. ,-- ,-, ___ 120

Cost, Situation, and Plan of Locks.

The plans. and evidence of Mr. Wade before the Inter-State Commission of 1902 have been taken, as showing the number and possible heights- of Iifts of the locks. The estimatcs of. costs, however', have been recast, but are only provi~ional, on account of the nature of the foundations and the little that is known of them. The costs .of getting suitable foundations and of the delays due to floods are imkno,wn quantities until a detailed examination is made of the river bed at low water, and the figures must be taken really for what they are worth.

As examples of the cost of a lock and weir, it may be stated that the Bourke lock and weir cost about £22,600. The lift there, however, is only 6 feet, and the foundations were very satisfactory, the bed consisting of a stiff clay, .which did not require piling to support either the lock walls, chanoine shutters, or abutments. 'l'he lock, being built in a bend of the river, has given little trouble by the current scouring, behind the abutments, as the coneave bank of the river (where all the current is cOl1ceritrated) is a cemented sand formation overlying the stiff clay. Considering the nature of the foundation available for this lock, the. increased lift, viz., from 6 feet to 11 and 13 feet for the Murrumbidgee and Darling respectively, and the increase in price of labour and materials, it is necessary to increase the estiPlate for locks on tliese rivers. to £45,000. ]!'rom examination of the reports pf the natu:r;e of the bed of the, River Murray from Echuca to the Wakool Junction, the estimate of Mr. Garson, viz., £60,000 each, can be taken as a provisional esti­ mate; but for the locks and weirs from Darling Junction to Blanchetown, and particularly in that section' between the Darling Junction and the occurrence of the limestone cliffs in South Australia, no estimate can be formed, as little, if any, boring has been done to show 'whether suitable foundations can be found below the sand strata which appears to predominate in the bed of this section of the river. The estimate of Mr. Moncrief has been increased 16 per cent., but with the little data available, the known unsatisfactory nature of the foundations, and the short period,of the year that the river from the Darling JUllction down­ wards is low enough to allo,w of construction in its bed, it is quite possible, in fact probable, for the cost of a complete lock and weir to be 50 per cent. greater.

It may be mentioned that the cost of a lock 'and movable weir on the Ohio, below Charleston,U.S·.A., was £191,000. .The lift of the lock is only 11 feet, the width of the river about the same as the lower reaches of the Murray, viz., 600 feet, and as far as can be judged the foundations appeared to be more suitable. The lock, however, was larger than those proposed on the Murray; but this would only account for an increase of £10,000 to £15,000 in the cost. . .

The follqwing, taken from the Report of Mr. Lindley, M.I.C.;E. to Commission on Inland Water Ways, gives the cost of construction and maintenance of locks and movable weirs France and Germany. They show the average cost of lock and weir, with other improvements to the river, to hav!) been £83,400 in .France and £64,350 in Germany, with a cost of maintenance in the latter country of £1,370 per reach or lock per annum :-

FRANCE.

EXPENDITURE ON OONSTRUOTIoN AND MAINTENANOE ON SOME MORE IMPORTANT OANALIZED RIVERS AND OANALS.

OANALIZED RIVERS.

Maintenance and Heavier Repairs, Expenditure on Improvements and and Current Improvements, ex­ Workll. . cllli!ive .of Expenditure for Per­ Rematks. sonnel.

:Leugth Number iu of Sums. Maintenance. i' I No. Waterway. Miles. Reaches. I Repaira . --_ ....; l-a~1 and , Total " Repairs and .Currell. Period. Per ""; Current! per : Improvements Aver- Per Per Annum, ~:::: Improv:-: Annum' age of five yeat~. Total. Mile. I Reach. '18:6. (~I me~:. 11 12 2 3 4 {} 7 " I--'----'-~-'-- £ £ £ £ £ £ £ 1 SaOne, from Corre to LyollJ! 232 30 1823--1891 1.753,OOOt 7,550, 58,400 10,500 45 1,600 12,100 t Includes coet of vari· Z Seine, from Montereau to 61 . 12 1837-1900 991,000 16,300: 82,000 4,350 71 6,520 10.870 ous qliays and Paris , wharfs.- . 2a,Selne, from Pari. to Rouen 145 \I 1837-1900 S,SOO,ooot 24,200 389,000: 10,010 69 8,440 : 18,450 t Total expenditure for \ 'Seine, including new work3 the perIOd given, in­ : a"ud reconstruction on cluding various 1m­ above section to obtain a 'provements and' reo depth of 10' 5 feet up to construction of Paris, costing. . . . (140) (9) 1878-1903 (2,535,000) (18,100) (282,000) previous works. 3 Yoane, from Auxerre to 67 26 1838-1900 1,118,000 16,700 43,000 4,200 63 2,530 6,730 Mont~reau 4 Marne, from Epernay to 113'5 19 1822'-1900 1',047,000 9,250 65,000 4,560.40 3,420 7,980 Charenton 5 Aima, from Celles to the 35 •5 7 1837-1899 194,000 5,470 27,700 2,080 59 50 2,130:§ Including £30,000 for '.. Oisc land. (1005) III Excluding the Seine; 6 River Scarpe, Diversion at 5 2 1891-1900 lu5,OOO§ 31,000 77,500 I 1,000 200 • . : l,OOO! £10,200 per mile, Doua; £55,000 per T'eu.ch. Total and Aver",ge .. 659 105 8,758,000 13,29.0111 83,4001i l 36,700 56 22,560 I 50,2oo,!! If £90 per mile. ~------~----~------~--~------~--- 121

GERMANY. STATE EXPENDITURE ON CONSTRUCTION .AND MAINTENANCE OF WATERWAYS IN PRUSSIA..

B.-ARTIFIC!AL WATERWAYS-C,uiALIZ};D RIvERS AND CASALS.

' Expenditure Oil Works. LcngtlL I Number ill ! Df Itemar!';s. No. I Waterw&l'. Miles. )' Reaches. , , ' Per Per ' Period. SUlUS. I Mile. ReMh. I, ," I 2 • 3 I 4 1 5 , 6 7 11 -II--i--~-I--'--"--;~~'--"-I---I--'---'-

1 ;Saar (canalized) .. 119 '5' 6 1831-1906 35twO ExcluiUng length in 18~170 59~60 Alsace Lorraine. 2 iMain (canalized): Rhine tn: 23 '5t 1876-1906 448,200 19,070 89,640 ~~!~~~n~n th~mJjT{:~;~= 3 in!r~:,:!~rtE~' Cana': Ex- 155'0 20 To 31. 3. 1906 3,562,400 22,980 169,640 fort Reach to the eluding Emden Harbor and lilt frontier of the Grand 4 Fulda (canalized) 17 '0 7 157,000 9,240 22,430 4,385 625 Duchy of Hesse. 5 Saalo (callAlized) .. 89 '51 15 383,400 4,280 25,560 9,080 605 1: Excluding length in 6' Unstrnt (canalized) .. . . 40'5 12 105,600 ,2,600 8,800 2:840 : 235 the Duchy of Anhalt. 8 Mark Waterways.§ consisting § Excluding the Teltow of: MUm,. CanaL Main Waterways 296 35 More Important Branches " .• 148 21 Canals in Berlin 14 5 458'0 Less important 61 Lines •. 257'0 17l5?O1 I 4,810,600 I 6,730 78,860 95,600 135 1,570 91u pper Oder (canalized) •. ~i 12 I ,Diversion Canal at Breslim . '1~4:':_, __':'_~ 1,211,800 22780, ' 86,560 43,420 I 815 3,100 10 Lower Netze (regulated) "Il~~-I--+-I 384,800 3,550 96,200 9,485 85 2,370 11 Bronlberg Canal and Canalizerl 25' 5 12 I 30~,700 11,950 I 25,390 I 12,260 I 480 1,020 Lower Netze -12 Braha (canalized) .. "1 7'5 2 I 140;160 18.750 70,300 2,980 I 395 1,490 13 Upper Netze (canalized) .. 65'0 8 1 198,400 3;050 24,800 4,240 ' 65 530 ,}4 Pregel-lIlemel (waterway) , , . 42'0 1 181,900 4,330 181,900 4,560 110 4,560 15 Various smaller and secondary l ' J 5 \ Canals and Waterways (8 in) I 214'0 '" planes!i 'I} 1,076,800 5,030 27,610 24,190 620 iI ]'ive iuclined planes on IiU)' 'l 34 the OberUl.ndisehc I----
-·---i----'---·~~!--~:---I Canal. 1 1,370 Total and Average ., 11576 '0 { 6 201lifts. '1.I r 64,350 1283,760 I

. Whilst information is not available as to the foundations on the above-mentioned rivers, it must be remembered that their gradients are as many feet per mile as the Murray's is inchcs. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume that the beds and banks of the rivers are of much harder material than is the case with the Murray. In the provisional estimate of cost, interest, sinking, and renewals fund have been taken at 7 per cent. For this class of work, subjected as it is to severe floods bringing down drift timber, and with the constant liability of having the work silted over or scoured out at the back of the abutments, 7 per cent. is the smallest allo\yance that can be made . . The working cost per lock, including minor repairs, has been taken at £200 a ycar for the smaller locks on the Darling and Murrumbidgee, £300 for those on the Murray as far as the South Australian boundary, and £500 a year in South Australia. The present steamer freights on the river vary from £1 per ton between Echuca and Murrumbidgee ports and Murray Bridge and Wentworth, to £2 per ton to Darling ports, with variations depending on the height of the river. The freights on the South Australian section of the Murray average only lOs. per ton, and are probably only one-half of what the railway freights would be over the same distance. The imposition of lB. per ton per 100 miles would, therefore, increase the freights about 25 per cent. The river insurance on wool varies from 9s. per eent. for Murray traffic to £1 per cent. for Darling traffic. Looking the Darl'ing. The alternative design of Mr. Wade's locks for the Darling provide for a lift of 13 feet. It is quite possible that a higher lift than this could be adopted with the shutter weir, as in Europe and America a 17 feet lock has been useq.. This would lead to a corresponding reduction in the cost of locking the Darling. It is possible, therefore, that as this river has well-defined banks and satisfactory foundations, with long periods of dry bed, Wentworth and Wilcannia (500 miles apart) could be connected by using 15-feet lifts for the locks, nine in number, for about £450,000, or £560 per mile of river. This would be equivalent to about £1,000 per mile of railway route between the two places, and if the value of railways in removing stock JTl drought time be not considered, it 'would be very much more useful. It appears, in view of railways tapping'the Murray every 20 or 30 miles in Vietorai, and the probability of an extension of the S'outh Aus­ tralian railways along the river, that the Darling is in most need of permanent means of communication. This communication, however, established by locks, cannot be considered absolutely reliable, as there are periodS when there is not sufficient natural flow in the river to make up the losses by evaporation and seepage; and in a year like. 1902, the locks would have been unworkable for practically the whole year. The water stored in the lock pools would, however, have been very usdul as a source of domestic, stock, and irrigation supply to settlements, and it is for this purpose that the Bourkelock and weir is now used, and has been found of great assistance. With a diversion weir and regulator for Lake Menindie, however, permanent communication between this lake and the Murray in South Australia or the ViGWri\l,u I1iilwaya would be assured in practically all years and t4roughQ~~ the yel1r br a system of IqQk;'!, , ' . 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RIVER 9HANNEL· B;Y REMOVAL' OF OBSTRUCTIONS.

There'has probably be'en from £30.0.,000. to £40.0.,0.00 spent in snagging the Rive'rs~iuriay, Murrum­ bidgee, and Darling, and there .is at present probably abQut £6,0.0.0. a year being spent by Victoria and South Australia on removing obstructions from the river .. New South Wales, however, is spending little or nothing­ now on the Darling a~d l\'{l}.:r;rllmbidgee, and frOnl reports of the steamer hands it is in these rivers that great ro~~ for ~mprovement lies in the. way of removing snags.

As the rivers have been high since t'ite Commission WfiS appointed no examination could be made with a view of determining what 3,-rethe natural obstructions to navigation, but from information received· from those continua]y using the riv.:;r, more particularly through the courtesy of Captains Westergaard and Roberts, of Permewan, Wright, and Co., the following obstructions appear to be·the greatest hindrance - to navigatic;n between Eehuea and the Darling Junction:- .'

Obstructions in the B,iver M'I,may between Echuca ani/, Darling Junction.

Milea.ge from Albury. 30'1! Echuca. 30.6 Boys Reef. Roeks. 312! Murrumbidgee Reef. Show 1 foot to 2 feet above water at summer level. 358! to 40.7 Clay bar (for full width of river). No difficulty to na-vigate in this section, thl' gradient being only 4 inches per mile compared with 6 inches immediately above and below. , 40.7 to 512 Hard clay bars right across the river, average gradient being 4} inches per mile. Fairly deep.' 546 Tooleybuc. 556! Bitch and Pups. This consists of a large bar, and is considered to be the worst obstruc­ tion between Echuca.and ~he Murrumbidgee Junction. From Tooleybuc to the Wakool J unction the gradient is 7 inches per mile. 570. Wakool Junction. ' 596 Murrumbidgee Junction. 60'1! Large reef of rocks, with a fair chal1nel through centre. 629 t9 631! Reefs difficult ,to navigate owing to the channels being very narrow. " ' 637! to 638 Saml collects after floods about some snags which lie in the bed of the river; there are also some dangerous rocks, in this part. The 'removal of the snags would give an extra foot of water. 721 to 740. Kie Reefs, with bad snags. 754 McGrath's Island. For 2 or 3 miles there are several rocks and a number of snags. 790. McFarlane's Reef is the most danger\Jus in the river. It stretches right across the rive!" and the narrow and winding channel through it at low water is difficult: "" 813 A low but dangerous reef of rocks across which' '~here is no well-defined channel. 841 Cowana Reef; thOugh covering a large length of river and having a narrow and crooked channel, has riot a strong current. . 850! Darling Junction. Thc gradient between here and the ~iurrumbidgee JUnction is 2'3' inches per mile. . ,

These are the principal obstructions to river nav"igation just at the begimring and end of the navigable, pcriod. Apart from these, however, there are snags that are always accumulating, and which, whilst not. absolutely obstructing traffic, tend to form sand banks which do; they are, however, a: constant'dangcr to shipping, which would be greatly facilitated at low periods of the river by their re~oval.

Obstructions in the River M.ul'ray between Darling Junctio'Yl' ani/, Bla.nchetown.

This seytion of ~he river is on an average 60.0. feet wide between the banks prop~r:, though" 9.£ course, in low flow it is a much narrower stream, winding from bank to bank between sand banks. The gra,di(mt: of, the river bed bctween these two points (345 miles apart) is 3 inches per mile.

In its natural condi~ion the river is usually navigable for si:8; months for steam~.rs like t:Qe Gem, drawing 5 feet of water, and for two, three,and sometime3 six months more for shallower draught:steamers,whicl')) whilst rio:t being e.conomical for transport purposes, will carry sufficient cargo to' supply the absolut~ly essential goods. to South Australian river settlements as far as RenIlliJ.rk. It is during the months when no boat can get up the river that inconvenience is felt, more particularly in getting fruit away; therefore it is d~ring these few months that a system of locks would be of use.

Between Renmark and Wentworth the ~ettl~m~nt is so sparse that, whilst los~ 0,£ riv~r comnlUnicati~~: is of great inconveni(lnce, tIle total annual loss .through not having this means 9f transport is very ~mall. It is frolIl Renmark down stream to Morgan that there ~s a considerably increasingm,l.mber of p.eople growing fruit and wheat, and for which a permanent means of transport other than 100 to 150. miles of I:!~ndy roads is most d~sirable .. Th~ cheapest and best means of providing this communic,ation is, h,?WeVel;, a m~t1;el; for much fuller investigation. There is no doubt that great improvement has been m~de in 1;he v.avigability of this s~cti9:n, of the stream by continuous snagging operations and by the conr;;truction o~ seve:t;al groiv.!? part of ,the wa,y ?-cross the r:iver. These latter structures are inexpensive, an~ by sy:ste1f1at~c ~egu,l~tion bjr ~heir ~rectio1f in m~ny more places impr?vement of t~e low fl~w. ~vig3;b.ili~y w'?t¥d; be; l!l:~~e, I!-.ll.?r t~i:l,. improvement would D?:0r~ th,'!-Jt keep pace Wlth the eJtept 9f 9:lverl!H,mS ill tlJ,e Vpp'~~ I2V!=1t~~. 123

The iQ11Qwing table(S give- (1) The opening and closing of the river at Echuca for navigation by 4-ft. draught boats. Dates of Opening and Closing of the iltwrray at Echuca for a Draught of 4 feet.

I Flow. . Qpenei!. Gauge. CubicFlow. Feet per I Closed. Gauge. Cubic Feet per Minute. Minute. --~-~

ft. in. ft. In. 1894 1st April · . · . ·. 6th March, 1895 · . · . · . 1895 1st May · . · . · . 2nd January, 1896 · . · . · . 1896 2Qth April · . · . · . 23rd December ·. · . · . 1897 1st July · . 4 6 201,000 jlOth Dece~ ber 4 191,000 18~8 lQth June · . 4 9 206,000 31st December · . 4 °7 203,000 189\) 15tp. April · . 4 6 201,000 12th December .. 4 191,000 1900 1st April · . 3 9 179,000 25th December · . 310° 183,000 1901 10th June .. · . 4 6 201,000 31st December · . 3. 3 156,000 1902 ri3Id June · . 2 10 · . . . ·. ·. 3 9 179,000 lIst Ju y " · . 8 6 · . 1st August · . · . · . ·. 1902 2t\:tp. September · . 4 1 · . 1st November · . 4 3 · . 190~ 1st June · . 4 9 206,000 . 10th February · . 4 191,000 1904 5th June. · . 4 2 194,000 10th January · . 3 °4 160,000 1905 7th June · . 4 191,000 20th January · . 3 8 176,000 1906 i6th March .. · . 3 10° 183,000 20th February · . 4 0 191,000 1907 1st May · . 4 191,000 15th January / · . 4 3 196,000 1908 25th June · . 9 ° 8 373,000 18th December · . 4 191,000 1909 l?th May · . 7 4 278,000 .. · . · . · .° .' .

(2) The navigable periods as determined by the gaugings at Morgan. It is assumed that 3 ft;let on the gauge at Morgan will allow a light draught steamer up the river, and that 4 ft. 6 in. is requir:ed for deep draught boats.

Navigat£

1886 l\'t~rch .. · . July · . · . January · . August · . 317,094 1887 Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 747,709 1888 Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 491,843 1889 April · . · . June · . · . March .. · . June · . · . 697,717 1890 Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 1,067,007 1891 Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 883,709 1892 Opt;m throughout the year April · . · . June · . · . 513,O24 1893 Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 773,034 1894 . Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 955,087 1895 , Open throughout the year Open throughout the year 509,951 1896 Open throughout the year February · . April · . · . 297,939 1897 April · . · . July · . · . March .. · . August · . . .277,548 1898 I\Iay · . · . July · . · . January · . February · . . . May July ~81,787 · . , · . · . · . 1~99 Fllb:ruary . April · . · . January July · . · . ~74,619 19QO J;a~\l.l!-ry · . May · . .. December, 1899 .. June · . · . 424,271 1901 februl!>ry ·. July · . · . January · . July .. · . , 242,3~1 190~ Fehru!l-ry · . August · . Jannary · . July, 1903 · . 93,274 October · . June, 1903 · . 1903 ·. · . May · . · . · . · . July · . .. 311,666 1904 Open throughout the year March .. · . June · . · . 406,187 1905 February · . :May · . · . January · . June · . · . 363,727 1906 March .. · . April · . · . February · . April · . · . 623,900 1907 Open throughout the year April ·. · . June ·. · . 364,142 1908 February · . April · . " · . January · . May · . · . 260,178 1909 January · . June · . · . January · . June

--_._--,--- ~ ..------

Obstrud~n8 in the Murrumbidgee River. Thi~ :pver., although snagged by the New South Wales Goverument, is gradually becoming difficult t9 Ilavig:;tte at the beginning and end of the navigable period, owing to the accumulation of isolated snags, which arp. more in the nature of dangers than obstructions. From Murrumbidgee Junction to Tupr~ 124

Landing-l75 miles-the river is fairly deep, but from there to Hay, a distance of 120 miles, it'is very shallow, there being numerous saud bars and snags. Immediately below Hay there are some small clay reefs, but these lUe navigable if the other obstructions carr be got over. For a number of ycars no snagging operations have been carried on in this river., The following table gives- (1) The'period when the Murrumbidgee is navigable for steamers drawing 4 feet from Echuca (as supplied by Permewan, Wright, and Co.). , • (2) The date of the first steamer up and the last steamer down from Hay (as supplied by M. O. Jones, of Hay).

(1)' (2)

Approxi­ Approxi- , I No. of First Stea.mer up mate Flow Last steamer down' mate Plow " ste!'n:1ers Year. Opened. Closed. from Hay. in from Hay. . in arrlVIng Cubic 'Feet Cubic Feet Hay. per Minute. per Minnte.

Obstructions in the Wakool and Edwards Rivers. The Wakool River (the original bed o~ the Murray) is, ,up to its ,junction with the Edwards, a deep ,broad river, much larger'than the Murray above the junction. From here on, however" the rivers are very obstructed ",rith snags, which constitute dangers when the water is high, but absolute obstruction before the water has fallen to what wouJd other",risc be a navrigable depth. The tonnage of cargo inwar(ls and outwards between Echuca and the Wakool-Edwards Rivers is usually 500 and 2,000 tol,ls respectively. From information given by those engaged in 'this trade, great impmvement could be made to these rivers by sJ,lagging. As evidence of the risk there is to shipping on account of snags, the insurance rates are high, and are as follow :- 'fo Behae.. or ;I!unay Bridge. Liewa lOs. per cent. Edwards Junction, 24 miles up 12s. 6d. per cent. Murgah, 64 miles up 178. 6d. per cent.

Obstructions in the Darling River. It'is

Shipping on the Darling River. The two. distributing, centres are Wentworth and Bourke. There are only occasional cargoes between . W cntworth and above Wilcannia. Bourke, as a railway terminus, supplies both up and down river settlements, even as far as Wilcannia, and oftentimes there will be sufficient water in a small flood to carry a cargo from Bourke to Wilcannia, whilst it would be impossible to get a steamer up from Wentworth, as. the fresh would have subsided at Wileanniabefore, it would have reached Wentworth. Considerable quantities of wool are landed at Bourke from up and down river for transport to Sydney. 'fhe lock at Bourke is not used except when the water below the lock is very low. On these .occasions the steamer goes through the lock, and. the weir is allowed to drop so as to carry the craft on dow" the river by the small fresh crea,ted by emvtrin~ the lQek pool. . , 125

Three very small ste~meis carryon this trade from Bourke as a centre, and the shipping' at this port during the past two year has been, as follows :- Darling River was open fot' traffic from .Bourke as a centre during the following periods 1908. 1st to 20th Januarv 3 weeks. 28th February to 19th May .. 11 23rd Augtfst to 19th October 8 " 18th to 31st December 2 " 1909. " 1st January to 14th February 7 9th to 30th March 3 " 16th July to It requires a flow of from 50,000 to 100,000 cubic feet per minute to allow of navigation on the Darling by light-draught steamers. The following return has, by request, been compiled by Mr. Bartlett; of Went~ worth, and shows the periods when the River Darling has been navigable from Wentworth :-

A B c. D. Year. Not Navigable boyond Navigable to Menindle, Navigable to Wilrannia. Navigable to Bourke. WentwortH.

1893 January to December :Februarv to December .. l\'farch to August 1894 January to December Januarv' to December April to July 1895 JalllHLry to December January to April aud De- Febrnary cember 1896 January to December b-Iay to November lIIarch, Ailril, and Septem- ber I 1897 ,January to April and February and August to September " .. }Iay to July August to December December 1898 January to December March, April, and October Jalluary• and February 1899 March to November March and August to 15th Not navigable .. January, February, a,nd November December 1900 April to December April and October August and September January to March

1901 12th August to November I: August to October August and September January to 12th August 1902 Not navigable .. Not navigable .. Not navigable ., Not navigable . 1903 June to D~celll:ber June to August and Octo- June, July, and November January to May ber to December and December 1904 January and February, January, February; April, August March April to December aud May 1905 May to September May to Septembcr May January to April, NOYClll­ hI' and Decemb~r 1906 January,- February, April, April to December * March to December 1907 February.to October February, March, May, .. January, November, and June, August, and Sep­ December I tember 1908 January. April, to No- 1 January and ~Iay, Septcl1l' .. Febru~ry, March, and vember ber and Octo bel' December 1909 January and April January, .August, and" February, March, May to September July

. • The Customs Station at Bourke was closed in 1905, consequently no vessels were cleared from here to that place, though the river may lmve been navigable at certain periods since, but I lmve no evidence of this. Stoppage of Flow of the Darling River. The following are the periods during which the Darling River was practically dry,' or had nearly stopped running. These records were supplied by Messrs. Cudmore Bros., as a result of their systematic gauging at Avoca Station, some 40 miles up the D~r1ing ,from Wentworth. The river practically stops running when it falls b3low 9 inches ab:>ve summer level on their gauge. Year. Stopped Running Period. 1881 23th April to 2nd ~Iay, 20th to 26th June, 31st August to 3rd September, 3rd to 6th December. 1882 14th January to 23th February, 6th June to 27th July. 1883 17th to 20th June. 1884 15th January to 29th March, 31st August to 18th December. 1885 5th February to 21st ?flay, 8th September to 5th December. 1886 1st January to 2nd July. 1888 26th June to 2nd July, 23rd November to 31st December. 1889 1st January to 22nd May. 1896 • .. 8th to 25th December. ,1897 21st May to 22nd August.

1898 o 10th January to 13th August. 1899 6th May to 4th July, 3rd to 31st December. 1900 1st January'to 31st December. 1901 1st January to 16th August. 1902 1st January to 31st December. 1903 1st January to 8th February, 25th February to 10th May. 1905 5th January to 1st May. 1906 9th January to 23th February. 1907 22nd June to 31st .July, 1Gth November to 31st December. 1903 1st to 20th January, 24th January t~ 1st March. 1909 22nd to 28th :Vlarch, 19th to 28th May. · 0qn~td!3.mtil:m i:lf thj~.re~llfn l>P?w;:; the desimNiity of mfLking ~~nHe .J,rwyisiQll ~I! the \vay.of ~torage on the DarlIng at ~ake .Menmdle, for It must bz remembereq thfLt yeyy Ettle ;tdditiqnal PllPWiqgby fiqttle-., men~ on ~he p,a,Thng will gJ'~I}t!y. e"f"t~n:1 ~!l~se ~fY period~, +11 ~ll¥ p4~e, it app.:)1l:TS th~t tlw,il9.W of the Darlmg will not allow of any consld~rable ImgatlOn !l~tepslOn, as the evaporation on Lake Menindie and the loss .alo.ng the r}yer il? ~o very considera,ble duriqg the summer IlJ-<,>hths ovl'r th~ )qJ1g Qi~tp;:p.ce between Memndie and W~ntwortb.. ' .

11:!eans of ImprovinJ the Natural Naviga1;ility by .Groins and Snagging. _ Judging by what is done in European rivers, there is no doubt tltat improvements can be made at the various b~1rs by re!noving rocks and straightening and narrowing the channel, not, however,' to such an extent as vrilllower the water in the reach above and thercbv C'l.USe even worse obstructions to the river. Where there are s~allowc~ay beds rignt across the river, th~ copstructioh of groins so ~s 'toconfine the water into. fl:. Farrowehan~el would gre!J,.tly improve the navigable way, There can be n() doubt t~at economy can be .effected by having the snagging oparations on all the rivers under one contrql, ~o that men on one river can be shifted to another when the former gets too high for snagging operations. A proper system of reporting and recording of obstructions on all rivers,including'the Wakool andEd1"ar~s, will be of great assistance. At present, the Victorian snagging boats can only work for a few mOl~tft~ in summer, the Q:d!j.nce of the year they ~ave to lie idll'. If, on the other hand, they be under Inter-State c(mtrol, the crews and gear could be utilized on the Darling, which. is often low during the winter months. There is also little doubt that a thqrough examination of th~ clay bars and sand banks in tp.e riv~!'. will show that by constructing groins il~ wide shallow places where the purrent is slow, and to widen and straighten the channel where the current is swift, will greatly impr9ve the navigability across the b.a:r~ and increase the navigable period a few weeks at the beginning and end of the flood Season. The con­ tinuation of the snagging operation..'l alone on tllC Darling, Murrumbidgee, Edwards, and Wakool will greatly facilitate shipping .and lead to a great decrease in the insurance rates. Owing to the snags, shippil1g can only travel in daylight on the Darling, an!;l the removal of these obstructions will, therefore, allow of r~duced costs of transport, which lvill be proba'bly more' appreciated than having the rivers. open for it few months longer. . With a larger expenditure on the removal of obstructions, snags, &e., and careful reporting, a much' lighter class 9f steamer can be used on the river than is now employed. A,n approach to'the IS-in: and 2-~t,., draught steamers used on the European and American rivers and the Nile will become possible, and thei can be us.ed for the light traffic during the 10'\v' months. By these means settlements will be able to have a considerably extended period in which to transport their light produce and necessary sQ.ppHes. It must be remembered th~t the price of one of the Lower Murray locks and weirs woVld probably pitY fo~ the greater part of 'the suggested improvements on all the rivers. .,

ImprolJem:ont to Rivers in EU1'OP9 and Ame'l'ica. The means other than by locks and weirs that have been employed in Europe and America fOi the improvement of 11ve:::s for llaviga ion, have been by the construction of groins and 10ngit,lldinal dykes anc1 by storages. Owing to their small cost, groins and longitndinal dykes in particularly bad places have be'en extensively us"d with most beneficial effects. Generally speaking" this. kind of improvement of the channel has followed the removal of obstructions, and is only superseded by locking when extension of trade justifies it. It has been this rather than the failure of these means of river improVemetlt tha,t ha~ led to their being superseded again by a succession of 'locks. Vernon Harcourt says in cOlmexion witll construction of groins ~nd dykes, "the large rivers of'North' America have been r0gulated in many places where deficient ip !iepth, with su~cessful re!?ults, and some of the l~rge rivers in QNmanY'and also the Danube have beeli improved by systemat~c regu~!l;t~Otl works." In cO,nnexion with the Rhine a,nd Elbe he say,;, "the navigable condition of the Rhine has pe~Q gradually improved by extensive regulation works helow Stmsbourg by redncing its low wat~T chann.el in width, so that it has a minimum depth of 3 feet below Strashourg, increasing to 6! feet above Mannheim." TheElb~ been tr~ined by lJ, combined system of longitudinal'banks and ·dipping cross jetties with sub­ merged dykes at the end of some of the cross jetties to protect them. These works have provided a depth. of from 5 feet. to 6t feet fOJ: 316. mile~ fro~ t'\le frontier. The Neime~ has also been deepene,d to 5! feGt durinrr the low-flow period." Messrs. Thomas and Watt, in their work o~ river n:;tvigation, ~y that 3 feet is co;sidered to be s~fficient to pennit of traffic in. Europe, and tq.e Gl!-~om).e, Rhone, Rhine, Volga, alfd Elbe have been greatly improved by the construction of groins. In reg?;rd to these wor~s,it is stated • . , the incontestable fact is that by adopting a process of exploitation appropriate to navigation, the Germans have succeeded in serving ~n enormous traffic with J el;;ttively small draughts, and, on the other hand, it is certain that the works of regulation have been erected at rehitively small expense."

Storaqr',s to Regula.te· the Flow 0/ the Murray River. • Between Echuca and the 'Mm uJl.lbidgee J unctiDll 180,000 to 210,000' cubIC feet pef lu'inute are required to make the river navigable. The fillin~ of a st,orage at Cumberoona. of~p,367,~00!?00 cubic feet will, in high years (two out of three, say), have httle or no effect on the navigatIOn penod III the way of curtailing it, and in low years the flood flows of the river entering below Jingellic arc always suffic:ent for navigation for five to seven months in the year. The natural low flow of the Murray below Ovens Junction is us~ally about 70,000 cubic f~!?-t per minute (it is often considerably more, but S31dom less) during the five non-navigation months, and if the whole of the water stored in Cumberoonabe let out during these five months, there would be a,pproximately 190,000 cubic feet per minute available for down river navigation. A river permanently open tornavigation between Echuca and the Murrumbidgee Junction would, tJJ.U$ besecure,d eye:r;:L in a low: ~ear. 127

Taking the cost of the Cumberoona Reserv:qir at £~,QOq,ooo, it wiiI be seen that the cost of making the river navigable between Echuca and the Murrumbidgee Junction and probably down to the Darling JUIlction also, is not as much as the cost of locks and weirs in this section. The advantages of an open river for navigation are. oby,joJl8, a,l!i tl\e 1tpkeep and ,~ofk~n~ 9f th!' ref2ery,Cllr is nothing c~mpared with that of the locks. To make the Murray navigable by means of. huge storage or storages 1Il the Upper Murray is by far the best method, as it insures a plentiful supply of water to the irrigation settlements, and can be subsr;quently used solely for this purpose. Its limitations for navigation purposes are, however, measured by the requirements of irrigation. As the~~ a,re usually months in the five low ones with a natural flow far greater than 70,000 cubic feet per l,11inqte, the ojltput of tp.e ~tored ~~tef C?illd then be restricted with a view to its being increased to make up for the diversion or an exci;lptionally low week or 1I1Onth of I1atural floW.' " . . .' In rega,rd to the River 'Murray between the Murrumbidgee Junction and the Darling, there ii;! and wo~ld be little or no shipping even if the river were open during the summer months. No data is. av;allable as to the quantity of water required ,to make this section of the J;iyer navigable. Undoubtedly, however, there would have to be considerable additions to the flow from the Murrumbidgee by the use of the surplus water from the Barren Jack Reservoir. The flow from the Upper Murray storage would alwaYI!l be sufficient for the irrigatio:q. requirem,enw of Mildura, Renm\trk, &c., and shou)d insure a perfectly sweet river to its i;lntra:q.ce to the fakes. The extent to which this ad,ditional flow' would be of use.in keeping the river open ~{l .south Australia during the at present non-navigable p~ripd; liepend's greatly on the :tlow of theDarling. It is probable that 250,000 to ~OO,OOO cubk feet pi;lr mi'n,ute is the least that this secti~n of the river requ,ires to give any sort of navigation. The addition to the flow from 'Lake Victoria by use of the regulator 'would assist the supplemeilted natural flow to the extent of some 35,000 cubi(l feet ner minp.te for three low months. The construction of two large reservoirs at Cumberoona and Barren Jack would·reduce the height of the floods at ~he Rufli> River inlet, a,nd consequently the amo]lnt of water received into the lak~ would be diminished in low flooq years. Even in these circumstances it wO]lld, however, ~eeIT,l preferable to ,spend twice the money Ol1ltl1 additionalllp, river storage than spend it on di,version weirs on thtl l\~~rr~y it this,lake. ' .

The lVlurrurnbidgee River.

The Barren Jack'storage, having-a capacity of 31,000,000,000 cubic feet, will be far in excess o~ t41l reqllil.'ements of irrigation ip New South Wales for many years to come. The chann~ls at present contem­ plated are only to' convey 60,000 cubic feet per minute, whilst the storage capacity is designed for an output of 120,000 Narrandera, 125 miles, will be rendereq navigable during the irrigation months-September to April-by the flow down the river from the storage to the. offtake.

Improvements to Rivers in Europe and America by Storages. , The constr)lction of large storages to supplCl;nent the low flows by releasing the 'stored flood waters h!!,s been undertaken on the Volga, Ursula, and Mississippi. The Volga and Ursula; flowing into the Ca,spian and Baltic Seas respectively, rise i.n the same swamps at an elevation of 665 feet above sPd1-1evel. The Volga is 2,325 miles long, and is navigable for nearly the whole of its length. Its gradient is about 3 inches p~r mile, and in this respect together with its vcry variable flow, greatly resembles the Murray. The nav:i­ g!l-tion is similarly intermittent. By the transformation of thei?e swamps into storage reservoirs of some 35,000,000,000 cubic feet by the construction of dams 17t feet high, nearly 20,000,000,000 cubic feet a,r(l retained and let down each river, whose navigable period has been extended three months. The effect has been that on the Volga the low flow is now 2'8 feet higher at 96 miles down strea,m, 1'4 a,t 2l2' lll,ilel;!, and greatly assists navigation for 450 miles. Floods are also prevented. ' . , On tlieMississippi, storages have been constructed; and their discharges have raised the low river gauging 1 foot to 2 feet for 450 miles. '

Summary. FI'omthe feregoing, it will be apparent that considerable iJIlprovement can be 'made in the navigability of, he riv@r by means other than by locks-means which alone can give a continuom navigable river' and 'attlie same time make a maximuIii o£ water available for irrigation. The construction and use of storages and complete snagging will greatly extend the navigable period, and will, in a number of years, make some sections of the river permanently navigable for light-draught steamers. These storages will also insure abundance of water for any irrigation settlements, and ,vill allow of their being considerably extended with a certainty of supply. One thing is certain, however,that if there is not to be any great increase in diversions, large up-river storages will greatly improve navigation. If, on the other hand, there is' to be a large increase in diversions, then the storages would have to be built to provide for additions .to the low natural flow. H. L. WILKINBON. ; 1st MarcD.,. 1910. ' '128 APPENDIX C.

REPORT ON THE LAKE VICTORIA STORAGE.

By H. L. WILKINSON,.,lvLC.E.

GAUGINGS AT THE Tum OF INSPEC'rION, 4'rH NOVEMBER, 1909. The inspection, which only could last for a matter of three days, was made when the gauge reading at Wentworth was 19 feet on a rapidly falling river which had been up to 23 feet. At the time of 'the inspection the gauge reading at the Lak,e Victoria Station was 15 ft. 8 in., the river having fallen here from 16 ft. 11 in. during the previous three weeks~ The zeros, or summer levels, of those gauges are practically identical; at Wentworth gauge, however, the water appears.to rise about 1 ft. 3 in. for every 1 foot on the Lake Victoria Station gauge. It may be said that the Murray at the Rufus River follows the Lake Victoria Station gauging. CONDITION OF THE LAKE AT TIME OF I~SPECTION. . ' , The lake had fallen 15·inches from the maximum height this year. Being unable to find any bench, marks it was impossible to decide' at what reduced level the water had actually stood, hut it ,was probably at about R.L. 87. At this level the lake would contain 13,250,000,000 cubic feet above. the offtake at RL. 73, and as it had fallen i5 inches 1,250,000,000 cubic feet Ead already run out, although the Murray. had belm falling for only three weeks. FLOW OF 'rHE CREEKS AT THE TnIE m' INSPECTION. At the Frenchman's Creek, 1 mile from the intake, there was approximately 150,000 cubic feet ,per " minute entering from the Murray; at 14 miles down, however; the greater part of this water flowed out into the 3iurray again by the Rigamy Creek; and ~t 15 miles there were only 40,000 cubic feet per minute' passing. At 19~ miles, the Boundary Creek, 2 miles,long, enters the Frenchman's Creek from the ;V~urray, and through it about 90,000 cubic feet per minute wa, flowing, bringing the total flowing towards the lake up to 130,000 cubic feet, an amount gauged at the bridge at 29! miles. , At 31 miles, ,a small creek emptied off the Frenchman's into the lake; and from 37 to 39 miles there were numerous spill-overs into the laky. The outflow at the Rufus River bridge, where the water was just awash with the top of the decking, was approximately 100,000 cubic fee£ per minute, leaving a net inflow into the lake of 30,000 cubic feet., According to information' gained, the Rufus River had, however, been outflowing previously at a con- siderably higher velocity, and this would account for the lowering of the lake. ' FILLING OF THE LAKE, It is generally held, and my observations confirm this view, that three-quarters or more of the water, in the lake comes1through the Rufus River, a wide, deep, and short water-course. With a riseo£'3 fe,et in, the 1\olulTay-above summer level, water begins to flow,into the lake by way of the Rufus River. When the river rises to 5' feet, it is said a flow begins into the Frenchman's Creek through the Boundary Creek, and actually backs up the Frenchman's Creek for some miles towards its inlet before it begins to flow from the Murray, which must then' be about 7 feet above summer leyel. It will thus be seen that little water gets into the lake through Frenchman's Creek, and that the Rufus River and Boundary Creek are practically the inlets to the lake.

PRESENT VALUE OF THE LAKE AS A STORAGE. The lake at present is of very little use to South Australia as a storage. The Rufus River is of such size that the water in the lake simply rises and falls witli the river, there being probably not much more than I foot difference in level at any time. Under these circumstances'it is evident that in ordinary,years the water is lowered to the level of the bar at the Rufus River mouth RL.73 by the end of January; occasionally the ~Iurray is sufficiently h~gh to allow of the water being kept up till February, but never later, .whilst sometimes by December there is little water left to come away. It is quite probable that the 12,000,000,000 cubic feet at present stored in the lake will havc run away at the rate of 100,000 eubic.£eet per minute by the elld of January, without being of the least use to South Australia, as the river will all that time be well above summer level. This flow of water sent down the river during the months' of February, 1\olarch, and April would insure abundance of water for South Australian irrigation settlements and help to maintain nav~gation for light-draught steamers. As far as can be ascertained, with the exception of 1902, there has been 9 feet of water or more in the Murray River, at the Rufus River inlet for two months or more nearly every year. On this assumption at least 7,000,000,000 cubic feet flow into the lake annually, and this water if " retained until February, 3iarch, a,nd April; after deducting 2,500;000,000' cubic .feet for evaporation, would allow of a flow into South Australia during these dry' months of 35,000 Qubic feet per ,mil1ute, in:' addition to the natural flow of the river, which at times gets as low as 24,000 cubic feet perininute:' It may be mentioned that the total diversions in Victoria du'ring these months average ZO,OOO cubic feet per ininute.

\VORKS NECESSARY TO RETAIN THE 'VATER ~ATURALLY STORED. The works necessary to allow Lake Victoria to be utilized as a storage to the above extent are- 1. Removing snags and trees in and improving the channels and inlets of the Rufus River, Boundary Creek, and Frenchman's Creek between the Boundary Creek and. Lake Victoria. 2. Erection of regulator on the Rufus River at the site of the bridge, and the erecti9n of dOQrs on the Frenchman's Creek to prevent the water fl\rwing back through Boundary Creek. 129

The total cost 01 this work will probably be found to be less than £15,000. A survey will in all likelihood prove that no very considerable embankments will be necessary to retain the water at RL. 90, which is the highest possible level to which the lake can rise without a weir. in the Murray. The Rufus River regulator and the Frenchman's Creek gates should be constructed with a view to repaining th~ water at RL. 95, so tl;tat they may be utilized should the larger scheme with a weir across the ~:Iurray be ultImately gone on with. Whilst outlining these works and giving their probable effect, it must be understood that they are the result of a flying inspection, the figures adopted :1re tentative and subject to correction on a complete survey being made and as a result of gaugings now being taken on the Rufus River. Seeing the low cost and great benefit~ to be derived from these works by their holding the water back until it is required, a complete survey is recommended to be at once undertaken, as I have little doubt that some 7,000,000,000 cubic feet can be got into the lake by the natural rise of the river, and this can be retained until required by South Australia. . .

WORKS PROPOSED AT LAKE VICTORIA UNDER THE AGREE?tfENT OF 1908. The works at Lake Victoria proposed by the IntercState Commission of 1902, on page 42 of their Report, were to build a diversion weir and lock in the Murray at :Frenchman's Creek inlet, construct em­ bankments on the river side of Frenchman's Oreek to prevent the water returuing into the Murray, and erect Ii. regulator 0l.l the Rufus River at a total cost of £84,800. The agreement entered into provides for an additional lock above the Rufus River, presumably at a similar cost, £80,000, bringing the total up to £164,800. These works were to pTovide £OT the filling of Lake Victoria to RL. 95, when its capacity would be 22,398,900,000 cubic ft:;et. There is little doubt that closer inspectioll and survey will prove this amount to be inadequate. At the :Frenchman's Creek inlet, as no borings have been taken across the river, no idea can be formed as to cost of the foundations. When it is considered that the Bourke lock and weir, which is only 100 feet wide, ,,'ith a lift of.6 feet, cost 80me £22,600, notwithstanding there. was a very suitable foundation right across the river, with long periods pf low water, to set apalt only £80,000 is absurd. A movable weir 600 feet wide with the embankm::m:ts necessary to back up the water to a height 'of 17 feet above summer level would cost at least £120,000. For the purpose of diverting 22,000,000,000 cubic feet through the small Frenchman's Creek it is very doubtful if a movable weir will serve the purpose, and it might on fuller inquiry be found that a fixed weir ol! pile foundations may be necessary, at a probable cost of £160,000 or more. If a movable weir -be built its action in flood time with large floods bringing quantities of timber down is very doubtful. On the other hand, if the weir is. removed before the flood, its waters ,,'ill be lost for filling the lake, and even with a complete system of locks it is only the flood waters that.can be used for this purpose. To endeavour to hold up anything like an ordinary high flood with a movable weir is almost certain to be met with disaster. The great and uncertain cost of a fixed concrete weir with lock, its probable effect from the point of view of the siltation of the river, the difficulties in obtaining suitable foundations, and the doubtful efficiency of a movable weir, make the question of diverting water into the Frenchman's Creek one of far greater difficulty and expense than anticipated when it was estimated to cost only £80,000.

A much more complete survey, with borings of the weir site, must be made before a committal to this scheme is made by anyone State, as its cost is so great and its efficiency so doubtful. H. L. WILKINSON.

APPENDIX D.

MURRAY RlVERAND TRIBUTARIES. TOTAL D1VERSIONS IN YEAR 1908-9 (MONT'fILY) m MILLION CUlllO ?SE1'. -. 1008. 1009.

~ --- Juue July. August • • Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. March. April. May. (esti· mated). ------;------1------Mildura· •• .. 2 233 93 55 233 166 268 46 120 6 4 5 Swan Hill •• .. .. 100 173 138 101 64 87 77 86 81 26 .. Cohuna. and . Koon. drook .. 173 346 346 346 381 432 559 379 228 238 225 173 Kow Swa.mp .. 524. 1,088 918 1,492 968 60 ...... 696 63 Goulburn Weir . , .. 2 347 351 535 711 974 699 675 442 612 908 Privaoo divel.1lion~ (estimaood) ., .. .- 78 713 180 180 180 180 78 78 .. .. :------:------1-- Tota.ls ,. 699 1,769 1,955 2,460 2,398 1,613 2,068. :t;381 1,187 845 1,563 --1,141)

$ Mfidura. returns for January to June, 1009, not bemg o.vailn.ble, the corresponding perIOd of 1008 13 !Deluded herem. :. . GEO. LAING, Executive Officer in Charge of Diversions. 15th June. 1909. 130 ApPENDIX E.

.'·.r

RIVER MURRAY STEAMERS. ,~; :';';'

Name of Steamer. Age (Years). Gross Tonnage. Registered I ·Horse Power. . ... ,' ~ ,.,------I ------M~Jtiidie 24 92Th 30 aer!. 33 228 40 RUby 1 2Q5,'Y1r 20 Ellen 32 324 80 M urru'l'l'lhidgee .. 44 76 21 Waradgery 44 78 40 Ventura 42 46 35 Federal 7 32 (7) 12 Tyro 37 92 25 Decoy 31 111'43 40 Tolarno 29 85 16 Victoria 44 114 40 Barwon 23 36 (?) 10 j[o,rion 9 150 2('0'+ Diwpateh 6 30 (?) 1%:1 .~: .; .~. 11[ilang 31 43 'Il ..-~, . , Pyap 11 52 16 Tarella 12 153t 30 '.i:.:' Royal 4 24 6 '.~ Lancashire Lass 31 70 16 Arciuii£i 6 33 17 Alma . 31 ·14 (1) 5 :, .~ William R. Randell 39 64 16 fiingapore 34 6 :;q Rob /loy 33 81l 25. Emma 24 50 12 Princ:eiJiJ Royal 29 61 2Q . -., ' , Qity of Oxford 19 30 (1) 5 " Mp~ili~ . 20 1,0 (1) 3 'Sapphire 6 21t 6 -tllpha 10 L 43 7 Queen 44 i27 30 J.upiter 33 ',.119. 30 Murray .. 32 88, 50 'I Undaunted .. 34 , '28' , 3(\ Mundoo 34, . ['29 8 Merle S ; "8"/ 10 Nellie 27 ;} !.':, ,j37 10 Gorowa 21 .. "J~~. 50 Miz1mum 21 10 Jolly Miller 33 ""93" .: 30 Sunbeam 14 35 (?) 5 Iru1U8try . 31 90. 20 frhere are large a iiu~ber of" barg~s and. a number of ...... ,'" .:1p~{t4ii{i!.d V. al1'-§:--;:-:~o state this from memory would be too crude and unreliable, but I would estimate vessels like RU9!/ to cost from £4,000 to £5,000, a.nd some of the very small boats worth £100. Draught,-Carmot give details. The larger vessels draw 4 feet to 5 feet of water. J.D., Secreta.ry, Marine Board. 30th August, 1909.

LIST OF VESSELS TRADING TO ECHUCA, SUPPLIED BY MESSRS. PERlIIEW AN, WRIGHT, • 4. '~,.1 " AND CO. LTD.

I Empty. I Hall Load. 'Fun Load. Name Remarks, 1 Draught. Dra.ught. Tonnage. Draught. Tonnage. --- Ft. iii. Ft. in. TOM. Ft. in. Tons.

.. t STEAMERS.

" Alert 3 3 Does not {larrY,Cal'go GolOnel l.. 2 4 3 2 18 4 0 35 Goldsborough 3 0 Does not ca.rry ca.rgo; Hero .. 3 0 4 0 18: 5; 0 3f! Resolute 3 6 Does not carry cargo Ri:J~1Wurll " 3 1 3'6 12 4 ;0 , 25 Tra/algl£! "I 3 3 '4 8 55: 6 '6 :110 W illia'in Davies .• 2 6 3 3 22 4 1 4S. Oscar .. 2 4 3 3 55 4 2 110 2 6 3 0 12 3 6 25 ~~1e 'O/tJie 2 5 2 9 10 3 1 20 Gato 2 0 2 8 18 3 4. 35 l:H

lisT OF VESSELS TRA:t:HNG TO ECHUCA, SUppmD BY MESSRS. PERM:EWAN, WRIGi:I1'; AND CO. LTD.-cominued. ,.,

Empty. HaULoad. Full Load. Name. Remarks. Draught. Draught. Tonnage. Draught. Tonnage. ----!-.. -.-----~------Ft. in. Ft. in. Tons. Ft., in. TollS.

BARGES. Ada 1 8 4 0 125 6 5 250 Albemarle 1 3, 2 7 65 4 0 130 Confidence 2 9 5 3 140 7 3 280 Echuca 2 6 4 3 160 6 1 320 Horace' 2 4' 4 2 70 5 8 140 Gunbower 2 6 5 2 150 7 6 300 Jessie .. 2 0 4 3 100 6 6 215 J. L. Roberts 1 9 4 2 130 6 4 260 Lancashire Witch 2 2 4 0 60 5 8 135 ...... il1 aori .. 1 4' 2 9 60 4 2 135 Namoi 2 3 4 6 120 6 9 300 - - Nelson 2 2 4 2 70 6 5 170 Ormond 1 2 2 6 40 3 9 84 T.P. .. "I 1 2 2 8 70 4 1 170

LIST OF STEAMERS '<;THICH HAVE BEEN' GRANTED CERTIFICATES BY THE MARINE BOARD OF 'vICTORIA DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED 31ST AUGUST, 1909.

I Name.of Steamer. Age. I Horse Power.

Years. A ~t8tralien / 13 7 Adelaide _ 43 13 Alert 30 10 Alfred 44 5 r Brewarrina .. 32 2'4 '" Barwon .. 23 4 Clyde 25 4 Colonel .. 14 7 Elizabeth 37 10 Edwards •• 34 6 Excelsior 36 24 Glimpse •• 32 4 Goldsbrough 31 6 In'bincible 19 25 Nile 24 6 Oscar W. 1 7 Pilot 26 4- Resolute •• 32 9 Rothbury 28 10 Ruby 15' I! Singapore 34 1 Success .. 32 7 Prafa/gar 32 13 William Davies 17 5 Wilcannia 34 25

NOTE.-There ma,y be other steam-ships which, being registered in Vietoria and trading on the Murray or its tributaries, have obtained certificates from South Australia or New South Wales. Marine Board of Victoria, J. GEO. MoKIE, Molbourne, 9th September, 1909. Secretary.

By Authority: J. KEMP, Government Printer, Melbourne. N s L · A

MURRAY RIV ER BASIN

---SHOWING~~- mw RIVERS AuioEXISTINQANo PROPOSED WORKS.

JO

10 2 0 304050~70 eo ' 100

s 0 u T

LACHLAN

------1--- Kow PI "'"'S .

REFERENCE.

Boundat--y of' JY)u~"ray 6G~.sl~ .sh.owt'\ th.us --· ~-

Ex•shr\q lrr•Cjahon Ckannels " -1-1 Proposed S1ks for Locks o Rc;ulwaxs .. • ---- SIA~~esred lrrlgc:'.lhor. Ch.al'\nels " ---

. ln~ersl-ore CommiSSID~ or 1902 ~~

I IV I I l:ll!>. lr>~. 141). 141. 142. 145. 147. 9. · lSI. L .. .. -·

' ...... : :- ' ~ : ... •. ~ - - - ~ -. .. ·. <' ~- 1": ·Y. ' ' ...... ; ~ , •. . ·- ~ v . ~ - """:"' ..,_: ~ ·.·: ... ' ... • -·' . ~ ~·: . •• ·' .•. :?-:-- ~-- : .. .. ·. ·:., r. .. ~ - - -~- .. ~ .,.- ~ .._ .... . ,jj.,....';\:·.:...... ~; .:: . , _.. :,. ·......

1/1

~

.

..,

.,

.

~

;

At

At

01. far t.

the

the

the the

.

faU

42

and

.

~ yoar

.

44

24.66.

.

on

aU

82

in

the

the

extreme

logts

·er

througb-

...

in

Northern

o

highlands

Gulf

o

in

was

slopes better

1908,

ye&r

1008,

~

\;.,)

~ ~

the

drier

jr(;b;,;..

the

yee.r

a

.61.

the

teor

~

dlstrlcta

fell

6

tn e

06;

wetter

1909

1

. At

on

of

lll

~·as

34

wetter

27.69;

Southern

for

much

rain

much

and

-~

western

~

wetter

a

1

-

it

and

mucb.

1908,

.L

head

a.

was was

s

and

fall

;;n

I"""

e

State.

was

-.

l

line

areas Rockhampton

was

North

1008,

the

;,

1009

nwealth

1909

was

the

it

;

tt

but

o

c

27.20;

'lilt//

generally

Wa

South-eastern

for

the for

coast

~u~~

tt

whvle

Central

-

nea.r

but

from

ll

but

was

Western

UNT,

fall

fa

the

areas,

the

the

h

Comm

;

Sydney land

and

and

.

and

H

v

~_;:

:.::,v~"-

METEOROLOGY

South

the

A.

the

At

and

100\l

areas;

Nort

......

ne

A.

45.66 'V

.

of-

a.

;-;.

Inland

I

...

for

1009

.

v

Queens

New

Ta.sma.nia

H

....

;;;

~

l

Brisb

fall Central throughout coast Peninsula. West--over 1008, South-east

throughout

tablelands plains and

f

S

·

d.

·! or

'"

48

ler

1723

"i{

f

~

direction

r ..

P:r~~

cent

N~o~frt~h·

·

fall

previoU!

Northern At

.

J36'

..

Mr

.

·c~eek ~~~et

m~·~

·-,~~ll

'.

Australia., the

the

0 ;

30.52.

sg

SEA

a

TASMAN

rdi~n;

.

°

.

Northern

0

t

;';.".

was

.

;

es

.

•.:::av:..•:..

•

Powell

A

drale

it

1

~nt

W

WM

1008,

with

'"..' North·wrt .,

under

1

-

..

00

more

;

Darwin

qmAl

it

wp

rain

and

t~-

and

per

11

~

i

61.63.

.

ovo~

.'

1009

.

the

·

·

around

Port

39

3~

Jess

lished

b

Nortb

1008,

At

_}~_:IH:~;-;~·~ ·

cent.; '

over

wa.s

Territory

j

:Wce~!~~h~T

.u~Ul~•m

:'tr_

•

except

Pu

fa.r

per

ner

;.r;,

·

and

Australla

comparing

2

o

A~·~on.!'s!

the

69.21;

·;'lif{~l~

~

'·

S

1

Creek.

,.....

'""

year,

Somowhat 1

~

.'-:'"

~i

r

.

l

r

....

e!

-~"::-'

'i

e was

over

.

it.orY,

fo

CoMMONWEAlTH

~

r;;~~ i

1

:~··

,

~~~f:~~~ drl

Northern

·

South

pe~ ye Barrow 1909

ye&r Nortb-eaat

areas

m

Ter

,fU"

I

I

09.

·""·

9

1

R

,,

V

YEA

v

v

A.

•

.

of

:t>..;...,.

----

0'

THE

-

/4

Gulf

Carpentaria

-----..!..

'W

FOR

JJo

'

ltJ>

r

de

ALIA

I

s.

(/n

I

1l!

AUSTR

40

F

O

.

,

.

..

~J

..

"

()(!

0

.5

.

..

,

1116"

;:

of

91 78

of

At

th

1

At

,·er

the

.

i

the MAP thn tho

and

Mt'

the

tOO

rain

anrt

0

-

cool

from

w

)

bein<

other

18 com-

1909

where

May;

~

th'i

in

spring

s

regwn

·

ot'

f

Murray

~~r'mal,

assured

by liesviest

and

In

~

of

~;::·;~j~;

1

of

excess

·

ratns~w;

across

ANI.>

above

;

.

south exce

the

,;<;

·

being

Qurtmsland

mamtamed

excess).

.

rainfall

m

average

The two-ft

close

,

was

and

rainfall

storms,

..

00

nt

.

e~{.:f~~;::'.t on

. ;-;a_li·Skeie

·

..

n~.

·

.

in

th~ 4 1908

u"

and

\ItO'

,.,...... _.,

-

d

mtddle

e.g

the

fa\~

the

,

:·~ .....

~},;",..i;·::ro~

the

mou~ta,i~.

\ -

a.dvent

~+rF-. whilst

.;;;

\..

~~-~~

hn.nt

l ,

>S,

~

or

... -R,

' ri- ~.,.

_

S1

~~:we

in

-

')::;tbJ~.at

~

-

.

•

of

"'\,- . in;~i.-~

... the

_

.

,t

to

~ :

•

light

than to

p

the

\

~~igl~~J~:r

"

~

A..f"

cyclonk

\

~

~EA w

~ eiu.

throughout

1908~

~no;

Aust~Rti8:

~·· raina

~

p

,~

-

the ,.

~~p

+~-.

27.Z9,

~b~l~

the~~~

~~

l.w• ~:~r~~

fla-tn

h

-

tl ~

•n

the

~T·

l

more

~.

lD

·

r~. ~.;;.

••

c

the··';;·

in

shown

,

.. ~

Two ~

e,ens]!an~

~

nf.ih.T ·

~~~~~-

1900

v~~-t~e.

1

~e

··~

·

a_t

68.(;7,

18

~o.s

.

J

(1.

. .

and ·

wh1

:

C

Qp

of

'~

,,

~

'

~f-

~t

,

had

di THB

Au8trs

the.~~ than

·' i

l

.

.

th~re

approximate!)

..

:::..··

52.40

.Tnlv

.h;tioue

~~;d

and

o•·

total

ov~r

'

durmg

_

area

...

.

on

Belmont

,

In

_Thenc_e

·o.

v

.

_

was

-CO&st

South;

was

~~~j~~-below.

RAIN

purposes

larger

the

genera.!

111

wne~e

at

J'A.li

,

on

v

was

up

a.rea

~h-~~!t-,

s

it Tu~•

C43

'

...

generally

u

p3rt

·

-

.

close

total

~~~~~;';~~~

norm:ll

the

.1n

N"o~th

In

South

A~str~_Ea

The

'

eded-v·::;;;;·a

the

-

lfTJ

[~~~~:at

25.86

holr

the

were oorner

ra.ln whe~e North-east Read,

parts extreme Hobari

of ce

normal.

COMPARISON

the the parat1ve

slightly lbelowl a,·erage

1fft.:dr!

winter~

the

91

December

62 oo

31

or

•92 :~~ '

·79 ' ·2~

'18 ·93

·

.

--

ex.

greater

.

at

New

South

or

of

on At

28'87

84·06 56•78 39 29 34:18 ~f~; 32 12'50 ~: g:~~ S9 22'39 27 27·92

19 13'21 29 22•85 26 ss·os 85 32•49 24•77 32'09 28'11 28'30

on

far

th~

November,

:

had

of

I 1

J

1 I

\

1

1 ' year

over

the

from Cape

area.

being

abou~

coast

·

o~

was Southern and

•ghtly

..

.

al.

;

I portions

.

wettr..3t

~o~J_

· :

the

, fall

94 76 27 43 70 ...

3s

~

and

at

' :~: · · ·47 Western

· - ' ·7 ·sa

dry

Ullual ~ m

j~~~

Southern

~. 34.06,

total

""

approximAte!~

Coa.st

.. in

&

\IJ

36 th~ 28 12·02 28 33:19 29 84·20 28 10·33 ~~ 86 20 ~~:~~

2.5'37 &4 27 23·28 20·39 27'97 ~ver ~] 82'40 ~:~~ 92

40'19

Queensland an~

whole

~

as

South

·:<:_:;·

fr?m

Nor

the

.

... ofthe

.78,

· 1

1 ~

1

1 I ! Jundab.

1

.

Wales

t.he

.

. ·1 ...... , . . .

. . :

.

~.

above

mean

wa.'J

.

......

. ..

.. . . :: . • . • . . •. : . ::

..

;t~~~~~~r.

t

average

was

~

the

Geraldton .

the

Wales.

the

ay

w_as

show least

South

the

w

was -~

o!

parte

of

.

)D_.

, to

•ll

tbe

region

·

-e the

but

T

•

~

Peninsula

~ :~€-~~{~;:over

~

~

with

.

~~~

. . .

.

.

SotJJ.b

and

Victoria

l

.

. . . .

. .

. .

:: .. . . .

on

;~l~~:i ~

~ns

ar

Ta~mania.

Plain

M:t. Slope

Manning

s·to

~

al

~~f: ;.".,~

~~..;South COMt;'ibe

-

l4,

rn

the

r.i

r

oi~h"

-

~

r

·

Upper

At

a~i

Lower

:

t

Tableland \

Country

T~rblef:nd

e

·

·t- n1

------CA~

State,

- ":\

Jess~

NtM

t:md

~

tor

·ai

stations

~ two-ftfth.s

\,th

-'~~-; •t~ouKcu Plateau

Table

and

;

.. below \

ve:

~

\,S

.... •

CoMt..

.Otai'

East

Cent West

_ Coast.. ~8._89

jij_-;&t.;s_(

f~~

one

- - Nevt

- ,

O!:C

D!atrlet

Coast,

eo

{'

b~t~;;

~ -~~.~

)

go9(1

the oJ 85

~t

"

ah

~?"'

cam}larad

.,a

o!

e

•ne

..

('l

11;i

b

of 7:3~

.;

Western

W~tern

·

Metropolitan

,

·

.

Derwent

North

East

South-Rutero

Gippsland Midland Central Central

Weetern North

Northern and

North-West Central North Northern Northern

Hunter West g:~~~l :~~:~:West .~~o~.r~~:& hlihla.iids- South81'n North South

~~~']~,~~;.:~~!• ( ~i~h

.

rain.

!~e

~~~:...P!'

n.vorv.~

or

.

o~~tb;E

with

.

_

.

.

.

, :

to the·-~~1,

:

,

1909

fatlure

Austraiia.w

weather

...t

of

inteJ.-iOr

of

54 the" 31.

27A re 27B. 52. 28. 53. 29.

<0. SO 41. 32. 42. 33 3SA. ~~: !~:~i~~era 50. 51. part 47. 38. 39.

43. U· .f:8.

4U.

:

17.84

a

llarch~t.~:!_~~

ly

e

the

1

below

w

of year

ar

.

dry

32.42,

as(OO~ri~~

f

:~rl~:~~

dR

Oy April

lack

·

29

e

of

.

and

areas

In

In

~

during

h

~n~'

In

dry

Wales

-

the

c no

below

over~~- ~!.·;;;,oul!:-~nd-~t'i ::v':'::~~~ ·

14.00

~~~~~~~~;~~~l~~J

Drishane

most 0~>

areas; the

the

coast, was

grsater

a.

in

normal

or ;

of

whi subtropical

North- areas

been-iii~

47

Wales

37

) in

was

os

marked

so

_.

·oo ·

'36 ·86 ·

·25 '81 ·06 on ·25 · ·us ·oo

'13

·z~ '91

'70 ·st '.foi · '57 ·.f7

·o2

the tho

less

and

wa.s

South

pastoral

8 o·4ft

7

7

;!.

Eyre

were

total

District

there 1/0'

26 14"06 2S

25

44'89

16

22

12 23

13'68 49 12'74 16 32 13 44 the ~

11

18 ~

22. 45

88 22 so

excess larger

or

over

tocheR

although

break

.

In

ue1~w

it

-

eMtero

a

have

1

1 1

.

t 1 rainfall

I

·

·~· I I

~~,:~w."~!'woather.

~------l~~r greatest

areas,

were

·

a ~he.r~

3 normal

South

m

generally

records

over \

New

.

oto

t

~

hot 50

63 u

lo

lnexce~

as Lake

66

·74

the each

·43 ·42

·os · · '95 '56 ·ts '91 ·so · ·

·57

·90

·oo '96 .~:

·~1

·so ·40 ·114

'55 ·oo

tropic, --

·

more

~

of

The

most.

9

the

g

1909 in was

New

s

16 13 14

n·~s

23 u 39"03 14'98 18 19 29 10 ~nd 29

27

;~e

62

69 30

28 18 .

40 24 23

nv_er_!h~ 14

were

.

except

,

·-(2.i.ij

records

; 1

either

(

gha.ded

1

i ,

A.no·i

of

the

. . r . .

.

.

wa •

over

. ·

in

\

Australia

set

stormy?

. . . . of fall .. . . .

. . . . . 7 . .

.. . ·.

falls o!

\>

.

: .

were

•

Coast

from

~ccurred

or

it ~

~

O.

the

was

•d ,

\

\

,

isolatod

,;;;,·

ing_ land.

_

wtralia.

"~~~;,;-_

fa.ll

1}8.S3

y ;nber

ln the

0

rains .duft,.alia.

fall

4

N.W.

~!if!/f~ia~od

''"'

1~

.

3_n.ft.

, ......

. . .

•

. ~~%:~~

Rainfall . 1

.

on

Upper

......

Lower

,

,

. ,

. . . . . • . . 7 .

.. ..

. . . .

• ......

three

•

------

Territory

The

the ••:

ut

d

Q

complied

l iJ;@;:

_!eoord

th~~~~~Valley);

.

~e;t~t; ~·..-..

and

n

~h.:.- south places •

W ~ was

. \

a.t

South and

!~g

a

LS

1

t..ut,

--

.. b.r

I

years ..

;;.~ ~~'""'

: ·

Valley

Downs were

\ Coaat

until

the cold,

,

on

thrco

1n

North. N01th

erage

·

Coast .

West

Coast .

l

West

A

.

v

Kimberley

-

Dlatrlet.

71 ern

Y~ar~=:~At1:~~!

4.

year.

Kimberley

in

monso7ant!~!

A

a

150me

North

raiDB

line,

"

...,.

not

-iJt~~~~

~

St~li~g

cla

h

'

very excess

h..,...

tro~;>ic

been

Territory

ceased, ~T1~;~~::i~~

and

u

the

t

below}.

rth

(7.36

dry

factors

.....

Gasooyne

North-West West West Upper

E Ea.stern South

North·E&st Western

Lower

Central o

South-ERBt u North

Central

Far South

South·

Murray

East Peninsula

Carpentaria

Centra Darling Maranoa.

December

least

in

The

w""

1

whole

Ln

Only

and

o

...... a

.

. .

. fro~-,,;;;

.

whl"re .

"as

N

m

;.., •

wet.

2. 4.

5. 6.

3. t~heJ.~~~;~ 7

BB. 9.

1.

8A.{Northern}

S it

only

West

------

the

ly

rams

11.

u. (2.63 16.

10. 12. 13.

17 25. was

16. 20. 21. ~3. 22 2..1

26. 18 10 he

the

t

overland

Perth

27.69

ht

u

less

6

In

In

In

...

below

......

:f

and dry late TerritOr} and axccp~ional June the year.

during UDU3U&.~

.

~

:

below

over At fall ~

very

basin,

for of portion

and

;" excess), and ~!'_!.h. ha:ve ramfa.ll

the occurred

slig or

~

&O .s-5_:..

.

j

I

I

: