473 



Notes on the Preceding Analyses of Waters obtained 

 by Captain S. A. White in the Far North of South 

 Australia. 



The results of the analytical work which has been carried 

 out on the samples of water brought back by Captain White 

 from the Far North give much-needed information with 

 regard to the saline constituents in some waters that have 

 never before been analysed. 



It is known that the water of the Great Australian 

 Basin contains different amounts of solid, matter in solution 

 at different points. On the whole, the salinity increases with 

 the distance traversed by the water in its underground passage 

 from the intake beds in Eastern Australia to the outlet in 

 the Lake Eyre region of South Australia. These facts are 

 summarized by Mr. E. F. Pittman, Government Geologist of 

 New South Wales, in his paper entitled "Problems of the 

 Artesian Water Supply of Australia" in the following 

 table : — 



143 samples from Queensland give an average salinity of 



47'94 grains per gallon. 

 177 samples from New South Wales give an average 



salinity of 56'35 grains per gallon. 

 14 samples from South Australia give an average 



salinity of 141 '62 grains per gallon. 



Later work than that which was available to Mr. Pittman 

 makes the comparison between the artesian waters of New 

 South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia still more 

 unfavourable to the last-named State. 



Including these latest results, with all the other 

 analyses available, it is found that the average salinity of the 

 water from bores and springs in the South Australian por- 

 tion of the Great Australian Artesian Basin is 222'57 grains 

 per gallon, calculated from 33 analyses. In this calculation 

 the older analyses have been discarded in favour of the later 

 ones in those cases where more than one analysis has been 

 made. Thus the average has been derived from figures per- 

 taining to different springs or wells, although in some locali- 

 ties, as at Hergott and Dalhousie Springs, samples have been 

 taken from places in close proximity to each other. 



One noticeable feature with regard to the analyses is that 

 concerned with the improvement of the quality of the 

 Hamilton Creek Bore water, the salinity of which has 

 decreased from 112'79 grains to 80'46 grains per gallon 

 between 1896 and 1913. This is a point worthy of notice 

 by those who have been disappointed in the quality of the 



