And after
the preliminary work of emptying the old shafts of the water which has
accumulated, has been accomplished, there is every probability that
smelting operations will yield a handsome profit. Coal has been found on
the Collie River district and, tested by the Government, has been proved
to be of good quality and to exist in seams varying from two to four
feet in thickness.
The Government, by way of trial, raised 1,000 tons of coal at a cost of
about 16 shillings per ton. The field is open to private enterprise, and
as the land may be leased on the lowest possible terms there seems to be
a good opening for the capitalist.
In considering other sources of revenue in the Colony I should be
inclined to put that of the timber industry at the head, and this the
more so that steps have been taken by the West Australian Government for
the proper conservation, systematic working, and efficient replanting of
the forest-lands. Hitherto in young colonies the disafforesting of
districts has been for agricultural and other purposes recklessly
proceeded with. Warned by example, the West Australian Government have
taken steps for the preservation and utilisation of their valuable
forest-lands. In 1895 Mr. J. Ednie-Brown was engaged by the Bureau of
Agriculture to make a tour of inspection in the Colony. This gentleman
having had experience as Conservator of Forests both in South Australia
and New South Wales, was eminently fitted for his position as Conservator
in West Australia. Having made his tour in 1896 he issued his report. It
is to this report I am indebted for the information contained in this
brief notice.
The principal commercial forests lie in the South-Western districts of
the Colony.
Mr. Ednie-Brown gives a list of thirty-five varieties of indigenous
forest-trees, but as only a certain number of them are known to be of
real commercial value, I shall confine my remarks to the better known and
more widely used species. These are: Jarrah (EUCALYPTUS MARGINATA), Karri
(EUCALYPTUS DIVERSICOLOR), Tuart (EUCALYPTUS GOMPHOCEPHALA). Sandalwood
(SANTALUM CYGNORUM).
In addition to these are many important but secondary forest-trees, as
the Wattle (ACACIA SALIGNA), Raspberry Jam (ACACIA ACUMINATA), Badjong
(ACACIA MICROBOTRYA), Peppermint Tree (AGONIS FLEENOSA), Banksias of all
sorts - the Sheoaks (CASUARINA FRASERIANA, GLAUCA and DECAISNEANA), the
Red Gum (EUCALYPTUS CALOPHYLLA), Wandoo (EUCALYPTUS REDUNEA), Mallee
(EUCALYPTUS OLEOSA).
There are many other trees of some value, but the foregoing represent the
chief.
The total area of the principal forest regions of Western Australia
covers no less than 20,400,000 acres, made up of: -
Jarrah 8,000,000 acres.
Karri 1,200,000
Tuart 200,000
Wandoo 7,000,000
York Gum, Yate Sandalwood,
and Jam 4,000,000
- - - - -
20,400,000
Jarrah is, without doubt, the principal forest-tree of Western Australia.
This tree is dark grey in colour, with the bark strongly marked in deeply
indented furrows.
