Country Party Attacks Transport

Saturday 13 June 1953, The Sydney Morning Herald

The annual conference of the N.S.W. section of the Australian Country Party yesterday resolved that the party should seek a Royal Commission on State transport services.

Mr. C. G. W. Anderson (Young), who moved the resolution, said there was too much control by militant trade-unions and too much political control in the State transport services.

Mr. Anderson said: “When you have a Government monopoly with such a tragic history only a probe will bring out the facts.

“The new Minister for Transport, Mr. Martin, has reduced the deficit a great deal. But how is it that it has been allowed to rise so high?”

PAYROLL-TAX

Mr. David Hughes (Armidale), said transport deficits, amounting to £20 million over the last three years were bringing State finances into chaos.

Mr. Heffron had claimed that since his Government had been returned with an increased majority, it had a mandate to run transport at a loss.

A resolution put to the conference that “The payroll-tax should be abolished” was adopted in the amended form: “That the payroll-tax is a bad form of taxation, and therefore it should be the policy of the Country Party to abolish this tax when the opportunity occurs.”

The conference also adopted a resolution that “the party is opposed to Government undertaking television in Australia until the requirements of the rural population with regard to telephone, mail and radio services are more fully met.”

New England district crown leases

Wednesday 22 August 1849, The Sydney Morning Herald

SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF CLAIMS TO LEASES OF CROWN LAND BEYOND THE SETTLED DISTRICTS.

CROWN Lands’ Office, Sydney, 18th August, 1849.-It is hereby notified, for the information of all parties interested, that the undermentioned persons have demanded Leases of the several Runs of Crown Lands, particularised in connexion with their respective names. 2. Parties who object to any of these claims, either wholly or in part, should lodge caveats at this office, within two months from the present date, specifying the lands to which their objections extend, and the grounds on which their objections are based. 3. It is to be distinctly understood, that the Government does not pledge itself to the issue of a lease in any case, until due enquiry has been made into the validity of the claim, and whether or not it may be necessary to reserve any portion of the land claimed for any of the public purposes contemplated in the Order in Council.

GEORGE BARNEY,

Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands.

[…]

NEW ENGLAND DISTRICT.

123. Barker John. Name of run, Mount Mitchell. Estimated area, 18,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 4000 sheep. Bounded on the north by a marked tree line dividing it from the run of James Rogerson : on the south by a range determined on by Mr. Coventry and myself; on the west by a marked tree line fixed by Mr. Rawson and myself; on the east by a range of mountains dividing it from Mr. Hall’s station.

124. Buchanan W. Name of run, Tara. Estimated area, 20,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 600 cattle. Bounded on the side of Nevison’s run by the top of a spur of the main dividing range, commencing at the summit thereof, at Taylor’s southern and western boundary, and terminating at the Conji Creek a little above the junction therewith of[missing line] by the top of a spur of McDonald River commencing at the Conji Creek next above the junction of Butcher’s Creek, and terminating at the summit of the McDonald River range, at Messrs. Jamison and McKenzie’s western boundaries. Then in a general southerly and westerly direction, by the summit of the range draining the waters into the Conji Creek, to the junction of the McDonald River; on the east and south by the McDonald River to a point opposite the summit of the gap range; then by the top of that range to near the New England road, dividing this run from Perry’s; then by the top of a range, running in a northerly direction, nearly parallel with the New England road, separating the waters of the Conji Creek from those of Carlisle’s Gully, to the summit of the main dividing range; and by this range to the commencing point, dividing this run from Taylor’s.

125. Daly Joseph. Name of run, Spring Mount. Estimated area, 10,240 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 300 cattle, or 3,000 sheep. Situated on the Guyra River; bounded on the north by C. W. Marsh’s station, called Guyra; on the east by rocky ranges unoccupied; on the south by Mr. McIntyre’s station, Guyra, and Captain Dumaresq’s station, Tilbuster; on the west by Captain Dumaresq’s station, Tilbuster.

126. Ditmas Philip, (now Alexander Barlow). Name of run, Beverley, (Brodie’s Creek). Estimated area, 60,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 1,500 cattle; or 10,000 sheep. On the north by Mount Drummond and Mr. Flemming’s cattle station; south by Bundara River; east by Mr. Arthur Darby’s station, between which a line of waterholes is fixed; west by Mr. Allan McPherson’s run, a known swamp dividing the two. This run has been transferred with the sanction of the Government, to Mr. Alexander Barlow.

127. Dickson D. and J. Name of run, Edgerton. Estimated area, 64,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 1,000 cattle; and 5,000 sheep. Bounded on the north by the stations of Messrs. Gordon and Blaxland; on the east by G. Polhill, shown by a marked

line of trees; on the south and west by Frazer’s Creek, which forms the boundary line between Edgerton and G. Wyndham’s station. The east is ridgy, iron bark, and box country; west box and appletree, inclined to be flat.

128. Douglass James. Name of run, Marengo. Estimated area, 22,400 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 900 cattle. Bounded on the north-east by Kangaroo Creek, on the north by the Gulph; on the north-west by Gulph Creek; on the west and south by the Gulph and Reedy Creek; and on on the south-east by Captain O’Connell’s station.

129. McLeod and Wright. Name of run. Glen Lyon. Estimated area, 38,400 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 12,000 cattle. The Glen Lyon run is 10 miles long and 6 miles broad, there is about one third of it of little use, it being a stoney and ridgy country. It is bounded on the north by an understood boundary line between by Mr. Trevethan’s station, and the Glen Lyon station; on the east by the dividing range between Pike’s Creek and the River Sovereign; said range running to the turn of said creek, and under the junction of a small branch of a creek, on the opposite side called the Little Plain or the Oakey Creek, where there is a marked tree line; and on the south and west from the said marked tree, and by a dividing range running between the Glen Lyon station, and the River Sovereign to the head of the McIntyre Brook.

130. Maister William. Name of run, Coondang. Estimated area, 1,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 100 cattle. Bounded on the south-east partly by the north road and partly by Rawson’s road, along which the line runs about one mile; at either extremity is a marked tree from which side lines run in a north-west direction across the creek and as far back on the other side as to comprise the 1,000 acres.

131. Richards William, Name of run, Winterbourne, (Mattong). Estimated area, 20,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 400 cattle, 6,000 sheep. Bounded on the north and east by the falls leading into the McLeay River; on the west by a division of Scrubby Creek from the big waterhole to the fall of that water down to a range agreed upon by Mr. Elliott and myself; on the south by a range or ranges with the fall of water northward parting Mr.Elliott’s run down to Little Hill station, and then to the falls parting Mr. Crawford’s station.

132. James Rogerson. Name of Run, Yarrow Creek. Estimated area, 64,000 acres. Estimated grazing capabilities, 1,200 cattle. Bounded on the north by Messrs. Cox and Smith; on the south by William Rawson, Esq., and Mr. Barker; on the east by Thomas Hall, Esq., Mount Mitchell Station; on the west by Messrs. J. P. Robinson and R. Old.

Push to decentralise.

Thursday 21 October 1920, The Sydney Morning Herald

FLOW OF PEOPLE.
FROM COUNTRY TO CITY.
EFFORT TO STEM THE TIDE.

Alarmed at the flow of people from the country back to the city, the country Press proposes to launch an aggressive and widespread campaign to try to stem the tide, and to encourage the vigorous settlement of the country.

Its course of action is indicated in the following motion, which was moved by Mr. J. J. Sullivan (Cowra) at the Country Press Conference yesterday, and which was carried unanimously after it had been warmly supported by many speakers:—”That in view of the abnormal growth of the city and suburbs and the proportional decrease in the rural population, this conference declares for a united and sustained campaign by the country Press for decentralisation and the improvement of conditions in the country parts of the State; and that the executive of the association be requested to formulate a plan of campaign to carry this motion into effect.”

Mr. Sullivan said it was the startling report by the Select Committee of the Legislative Council inquiring into the conditions and prospects of the agricultural industry which had prompted him to bring the matter forward. Mr. Sullivan, quoting from the report, stated that 19 years ago 35.7 per cent, of the State population was in the metropolitan area; now 41.5 per cent, was in that area. He quoted further from the report as follows: “In the municipalities and small towns figures for the same period show 33.6 per cent, in 1901, now they reach 36.4 per cent. On the other hand, 30.7 per cent, of our population inhabited the rural districts in 1901; and to-day the proportion has declined to 22.1 per cent.”

Mr. Jas. Ryan. M.L.C., was plain-spoken. “If we trust the politicians we will never reach any thing definite,” he said. “We must, on our own part, do our utmost to create a strong, virile, and active public opinion on this big question of the development of the interior.” Mr. Ryan referred to the important part that hydro-electric schemes would play in the development of the interior, and urged also the establishment in suitable towns of industries such as woollen mills. Speaking of good roads, he said that in America, from east to west, good roads had become a union question, a State question, a municipal question. All the energies of the authorities were concentrated on good roads, on which they were spending millions and millions not merely millions In dollars, but millions of pounds. They should urge, too, the extension through the country districts of the telephonic system. He would like to see a “boosting association” in every Australian town, with the local newspaper editor as the chief booster.” (Laughter and applause.)

The new State movement was referred to by Mr. Sommerlad (Glen Innes), who said no portion of the State had suffered so much from isolation as the North had done. They had tried to have their grievances redressed, but without success. They had now in sheer desperation launched a new State movement. They did not want to raise the city v country cry. What they did object to was that, in addition to being the commercial capital of Australia, Sydney was becoming the political capital. “We are the storm centre for many smaller decentralising movements,” he added.

“The bulk of the country journalists,” said one speaker, “are advocating decentralisation, yet we always meet in Sydney. (Laughter.) It is the same with other bodies.