XVI. J. HAYDON CARDEW. 



necessity for connecting up this State with the proposed 

 line to Port Darwin for trade purposes, and the proposition is 

 one of great value, as giving Sydney access to a port which 

 could be made a terminal port for all mail services direct 

 from Europe, via the Suez Canal, during war time and in 

 the event of the southern coasts being blockaded, or in the 

 event of Great Britain losing the command of the Suez 

 Canal, via Vladivostock and the Siberian Railway. The 

 sugar growing industry which already gives a substantial 

 amount to Australian wealth, is capable of enormous 

 development in these tropical areas, with the aid of suitable 

 labour under proper control and with railways. These are 

 the problems, you as engineers, will have to deal with some 

 day, and until they are settled our possession of Australia 

 cannot be said to be either permanent or safe. 



In connection with the construction of railways such as 

 are here indicated, most of them passing through dry 

 country, the problem of water supply will be encountered, 

 but here again the trained intellect of the engineer will be 

 required to overcome the difficulty. 



The relation of electricity to land development was 

 pointed out by Mr. Thomas Rooke, Assoc, m. inst. c.b., in 

 papers read before this Society in 1903 and 1904, and 

 the possibility of the transmission of electricity over great 

 distances was discussed in regard to power distribution. 

 He stated, that in America, development of territory 

 was being carried out on a very extensive scale, electrical 

 lines distributing power for many purposes. Electricity 

 is there transmitted over distances more than two hundred 

 miles, an area of 140,000 square miles of territory being 

 commanded by one power house, and longer and larger 

 transmissions are being contemplated. As regards the 

 source of power, Mr. Rooke showed that coal was more 

 economical than water, even where the latter was present 



