142 Cc. J. McMASTER. 
communication, would have more than covered their cost. 
It is a well-known fact that last year, one of our leading 
pastoralists removed by rail about 100,000 sheep that could 
not be travelled by road. If the railway had not been 
available for this purpose, this large number of sheep would 
no doubt have completely eaten out the country, and after 
devastating it would themselves probably have perished. 
The effect of relief of this kind on country that,may have 
a tendency to develop drifting sands, can be more easily 
imagined than described. 
That Mr. Maiden’s paper will have the effect of drawing 
public attention to the necessity for studying the Sand-drift 
Problem of the West, there can be little doubt; in fact, 
Mr. A. W. Mullen, (attached to the Staff of the Western 
Lands Commissioners) who heard Mr. Maiden’s paper read, 
became so interested that immediately on his return to 
Bourke he forwarded to the Commissioners a comprehensive 
report accompanied by sections of levels taken by himself, 
of a drifting-sand hill in the County of Landsborough on the 
western side of the Darling River. He also forwarded 
samples of the sand taken from the hill, analyses, for which 
the author is indebted to Mr. Guthrie, F.1.¢.,, F.c.s., together 
with extracts from the report referred to on nextp age, 
and reduced sections of the levels see Plate 10. 
Attention is invited to the similarity that exists between 
analyses A and B, indicating, in the author’s opinion, that 
for the purpose of supporting plant life the hardpan or 
subsoil remaining after the surface soil has blown away is 
not inferior to the surface soil. 
In furtherance of Mr. Maiden’s views, it is thought that 
scientific observations should be made in order to ascertain 
beyond doubt whether the western sands are really en- 
croaching on the better lands to the eastward, and what 
