12 September 1945
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[COUNCIL)] of the movement and spreads the interest ?IgtigiBfb2 over a renter number of people. I hope Qmirnmc. that. the existing broadly-based interests W~ednesday, 12th September, 1945. will continue in the future. There are so many aspects of national fitness work that PAGE it is necessary that all bodies operating in Motion: North-West, a%to action to reftore economy 60$ the country districts particularly should co- Blls: Mine Workers' lellet(%Wax Senice) Act Amend- mentlt.1. 023 operate for the welfare of the movement. Ri~ In vate an 'riion Act Amendment, One aspect that many of the country corn- Act Amendment IR.........62 Police Act Amendment1 Act, 1902, Amendment. nittecs were particularly interested in is the is..........................623 ,question of sales tax being charged on equipment purchased by them, even though the funds were being expended through the central body. I understand that at first it The PRESIDENT took the Chair at 4.31) was anticipated that if the funds were ex- pan., and read prayers. pended through the central body, the Com- monwealth Government would be able to MOTION-NORTH-WEST. waive the collection of sales tax. However, As to Action to Restore Economy. that was found impossible with the result that, apparently, local committees, but for HON. r. 9. WELSH (North) [4.35]: 1 the introduction of the Bill now before the move- House, would have been faced with the That, in view of tie serious position exist- necessity t9~ pay sales tax on all equipment lug in the northern part of the State, this House considers that tim Government should installed in the various centres. I do not take imimediate action to restore the economy know whether the Minister made the point of the North Province. perfectly clear, hut I understand that under My object is to see whether something can the Bill it will be possible for the money be done to alleviate the situation in the %io spent to be regarded as funds expended North. In the old days, and for many by a State instrumentality, and sales tax years now, the North-West of this State wvill consequently be waived by the Federal has produced some millions of pounds Treasurer. worth of. wealth, mainly thirou~gh two major The Minister for Education: That is so. industries, the pastoral industry and the Mr. PERKINS: That is an essential pearling industry. The latter is almost non- point. Prior to the introduction of this existent today. The town of Broome was legislation I had received a lot of corres- practically built up and maintained by the pondence from country centres on this ques- pearling industry. The men engaged in that tion, and I am glad that the position is to activity spent considerable sums of money be rectified. In the circumstances I shall in equipping boats, building homes, and not take up further time in discussing the putting the industry on a sound basis. As Sill. I agree with its general principles a result the State has hen efited to a large and, so far as I am able to judge and in extent from the revenue derived from thost, view of the discussions I have had with operations. Since the last war the price of interested people, it provides the necessary shell has, at times, dropped considerably, so flexibility to enable the work to be carried that the pearlers have had difficulty in mak- onl satisfactorily. I trust the expansion of ing ends meet. The Commonwealth Gov- the movement will continue along the huies ernimenit at one time came to their assist- that have obtained in the past. I have ance by giving- them finance so that the-y much pleasure iii supporting the second could take their boats to sea. But, of reading of the Bill1. course, that -was a first charge against the shell recovered. After that the Japanese seni- On motion by Mr. Leslie, debate ad- pais came along and poached in our waters journed. so that the pearlers still had a wicked time. House adjournedt at 10,16 p~m. When the war, which has just concluded, broke out, the Navy commandeered or de- stroyed practically every boat in the indus- try so that the pearlers were left without [12 SEPTEMBER, 1945.] 6l609 any means of livelihood. Now that hos- scourge of dogs throughout the whole eon- tilities have ceased the Commonwealth Gov- tineut, and in the pastoral areas up north ernment should return all these boats or the problem is very serious. pay a fair price for them. I think it would Hon. T. Moore: Are there foxes as well ? be a fine gesture on the part of the State Government if it could induce the Common- Hon. F. R. WELSH: Yes, quite a number, wealth Government to give some assistance but they do not cause anything like the to the mcii who have spent practically a damage that the dogs do. One trouble is lifetime and nearly all they had in the in- that we do not know exactly -where the foxes dustry, and have now had their livelihood are or where they come from. One trouble taken from them because of the loss of regarding the kangaroos is that in years their beats. These men have been hanging gone by they had their natural enemies which on indefinitely hoping for better times. The forced them to rely for water on what they advent of the war cut the ground from could find in the rock holes in the hills. under their feet. I would like to see this Over a number of years the pastoralists have Government approach the Commonwealth erected windmills and provided troughs on Government with a viewv to the latter mak- their runs with the result that, wvith the ing money available so that these men could added water supplies, the kangaroos have multiplied in their thousands. In addition re-equip their boatb. That should be done, particularly as during the war no shell- to that they have access to the water hotes fishing has taken place so that the quan- in the hills. Despite the fact that the poison- tity of shell on most of the banks must ing of water in troughs has been carried out, have increased with the result that the the pest still increases. On one station be- twveen 9,000 and 10,000 kangaroos wero pearlers might have a chance, if they could get out now, to regain some of the leeway poisoned by this means during one year. they have lost. Members Will realise that it is only in the dry periods that poisoning by this means is The pastoral industry is one with which effective. To attempt to poison the water in I am connected, and I would like to say a the hills would not he safe. As many of the few words about it. I want to mention pasloralists have provided troughs on their some of the factors contributing to the very runs,'that has enabled pois6oning to be carried bad state of that industry. Apart from out more cifeotiely. We often hear it said seasonal disabilities, which no one can con- that overstocking has taken place in the trol, the menace of vermin has attained seri- pastoral areas up north. To my knowledge ous proportions. The kangaroos have ap- there has been no overstocking with sheep on peared in their thousands. Last year I any station. The overstocking that has taken pointed out the difficulty we had in ob- place has been in respect of the kangaroos. taining poison to deal with the dogs and Members will realise that if on a station there kangaroos. It was almost impossible to are 10,000 sheep and a similar number of get it, In addition the dogs have practi- kangaroos, overstocking would naturally have cally overrun many of the place;, and it is the effect of destroying the carrying capa- difficult to know what to do about them. city of the run. The small hill kangaroos, They have taken a heavy toll of sheep which are generally referred to a euros, and stock. The Government has made a have increased tremendously. It is impossible survey of this pest. with a view to putting to hold a paddock for feed, because the trappers on, and also with a view to poison- moment the grass begins to grow the kanga- ing. It is of no use only one or two being roos come in and eat the country bare. sent to do that work. Nothing but a sys- Hon. 0. W. Miles: The kangaroos are tematic crusade against the dogs and foxes worse than the rabbits. will do any good in keeping them down. Hon. F. R. WELSH: Most decidedly, and They arc distributed throughout the North; members should appreciate that up north as a matter of fact, the trouble is on an there are as many kangaroos as there are Australia-wide basis. In "Country Life" rabbits down south. Owing to man power the other day a Queensland pastoralist difficulties there is a labour shortage through- pointed out that dogs in the north of out the pastoral areas, with the res5ult that Queensland had taken toll of nearly 25 per station owners cannot cope with the trouble. cent. of his calves. There seems to he a They cannot maintain the necessary improve- [COUNCIL.] meats, which have deteriorated. As Mr. such purchases, they could not ship the Baxter mentioned the other evening, some materials up north. The result is that re- stations have been abandoned. Those pro- pairs cannot he effected.