PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 31 
of water conservation, irrigation, and drainage, it is of the 
utmost importance that it should be now definitely decided 
upon what general lines that expenditure is to proceed ; 
bearing in mind that the sum to be provided is probably 
less than a tithe of what is required to carry out a com- 
prehensive system of works sufficient to materially affect 
the conditions of settlement over the State, and that, there- 
fore, the most necessitous areas can only be dealt with. 
~ One of the lessons to be learnt from the present drought 
is that the policy of the past to induce a class of small 
settlement in the semi-arid and arid areas of the State, 
particularly in the latter, has largely failed, while at the 
same time it has been shewn that there are immense 
quantities of land in the humid and semi-humid areas 
capable of carrying a closely settled population, the facili- 
ties for such settlement only being wanted. The future 
policy of the State will be, no doubt, to afford these facili- 
ties, whether by construction of railways or purchase of 
large freehold estates, and ensure closer settlement in the 
future on a sounder basis. 
The climate conditions referred to may be defined as 
including the following areas :— | : 
Humid—The eastern slopes of the Dividing Range. 
Semi-humid—Tablelands and western slopes as far as 
foothills of Dividing Range. 
Semi-arid—West from the foot-hills 100 to 150 miles. 
Arid—The remainder of the State. 
_ A very large number of small and isolated works. will be 
required over these areas which can be separately dealt 
with on their merits. It is proposed now to define a general 
scheme of larger works to be constructed. 
- Some of the richest lands in the State are the coastal 
swamps in the humid area, which in their virgin state are 
useless for any purpose, but when drained are capable of 
