. A GcjR'.r. IX Tin; >[ACDONXEI, A(>1RA1,1A (By courtesy of the Hi^h Commissioner of Australia.) geology speaks concerning Central Australia with a voice restrained, but not pessimistic. The ancient rocks which form the ridges of Central Australia are frequently metalliferous: wide areas have been proved to contain good medium-grade ore : , in the vicinity of Arltunga, gold and mica ; at Hatches Creek, wolfram. But capital and then machinery, timber, water, and white labour are required to develop these deposits, and capital will not come until the enormous transport cos
. A GcjR'.r. IX Tin; >[ACDONXEI, A(>1RA1,1A (By courtesy of the Hi^h Commissioner of Australia.) geology speaks concerning Central Australia with a voice restrained, but not pessimistic. The ancient rocks which form the ridges of Central Australia are frequently metalliferous: wide areas have been proved to contain good medium-grade ore : , in the vicinity of Arltunga, gold and mica ; at Hatches Creek, wolfram. But capital and then machinery, timber, water, and white labour are required to develop these deposits, and capital will not come until the enormous transport costs are reduced. Besides minerals, these ancient rocks gener- ally provide belts of fertile soil, with a good water- supply around their bases, and between the parallel ridges of the Macdonnells are numerous rich, if still dry and " unimproved," valleys. But b}' far the greater part of the area is covered with soft and relatively recent formations—sandstones, limestones, clays, and marls—sometimes forming wide alluvial plains. Undeniably there are considerable waste or semi-waste areas—sand and sphiifex country with \-ery poor scrub—especially in the western and south-western parts. These soft formations have three qualities of capital economic importance : (1) They are often extremely rich and support a drought-resisting vegetation unsurpassed as fodder. The horses and cattle of Central Australia are of notable quality and condition. By careful selection among these desert grasses and bushes, by burning oft' poorer sorts (, spinifex), the quality of pastoral land can be greatly improved. (2) They are extremely responsive to climatic influences. Like most desert soils—dry, long fallow, sun-bathed—they are, if given water, capable of astonishingly rapid productivity. "In a night " the bare clay-pans fill, the grasses rush out and the sad scrub shines out as bright park lands. In places, 3 in. of rain at the right season are held to be sufficien
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