256 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



attribute of municipal and other public bodies in Australia, the 

 application for loans poured in until it was evident that it would 

 take over 5,000,000 to finance all the projected schemes. The 

 official estimate of the cost of the " National" works alone, which 

 it was suggested that the Government should undertake, was 

 3,200,000, and this included no provision for the Western Wim- 

 mera district, or the dry Mallee country to the north of it. 



Many serious mistakes were made, both in engineering and in 

 estimates of supply and demand. The proper principles of irriga- 

 tion had to be learned by the farmer, and when he failed, through 

 his own blundering, to reap the benefits he expected, he passed the 

 blame on to some one else and resisted payment of his rates. The 

 local trusts sympathised with their fellow-settlers, and refrained 

 from putting on the pressure which a business company would have 

 done. Hence in a few years a large number of the trusts were in 

 default of the interest due to the Government, and the Government, 

 having a vicarious form of compassion unknown to the ordinary 

 landlord, also refrained from exercising its legal rights. In the end 

 it had to make provision for some hundreds of thousands of pounds 

 as bad debts, and with solemn admonition as to the future to give 

 the defaulters a clear sheet and a fresh start. A large amount of 

 good was undoubtedly effected, and, especially in the Goulburn 

 Valley, a great impetus was given to production. But the cost was 

 sometimes raised to an unprofitable point by the restless haste with 

 which much of the work was planned and carried out. No one can 

 read Mr. Deakin's report without realising the value of the informa- 

 tion collected and the suggestions made ; and had the development 

 of irrigation proceeded on more tentative lines, gradually gaining 

 the benefit of experience, the results to the colony would have been 

 more valuable and far less costly. It is also important to bear in 

 mind that while the huge expenditure indicated was assumed to 

 directly enhance the value of the irrigated lands by at least 1 per 

 acre, yet the area so benefited was not more than 3,200,000 acres. 

 As this was only one-seventh of the land held by private owners in 

 1886, it follows, as a result of the financial breakdown, that the 

 property of the irrigated farmer was increased in value by the in- 

 voluntary contributions of people who had no share in the benefits. 



