CHAPTER XLIV 



LATER DEVELOPMENTS 



Ten years after its separation from New South Wales 

 Queensland took the step Lord Grey took on behalf of 

 the pastoralists of New South Wales in 1846-7. In 

 1869 the Legislature passed a Pastoral Leases Act 

 granting the persistent demand of the squatters for 

 fixity of tenure, by liberally issuing leases for 21 years 

 in parts of the country beyond the settled districts, 

 and making provisions that operated favourably for 

 runs in ill- watered districts. This wise enactment 

 doubtless led to the occupation of a large portion of 

 Central Australia. Or rather, it legalised and regu- 

 larised the occupation that had already taken place. 

 Recent explorations — those of Landsborough, McKinley, 

 Gregory, and Walker — had shown that, instead of being 

 a waterless desert, Central Australia contained vast 

 tracts of fine pastoral country. Following on the track 

 of these explorers, a band of enterprising 3'oung men 

 from the Southern colonies spread over and occupied 

 wide pastures in the North and West. Between 1870 

 and 1880 the pastoral districts of Burke, Kennedy, 

 Mitchell, and Warrego were taken up and stocked with 

 cattle. In 1880 one run — a very big ' run ' that — had 

 in the Mitchell district over 300,000 sheep. 



In New South Wales an Act of the same year granted 

 to its pastoralists a lease of only ten years. This term 

 was made extensible for another period of ten years by 

 an Act of 1889, provided the lessee could convince the 

 local Land Board that he had improved his holding. 



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