CXCVIII. THE MURRAY WATERS. 
conservation and distribution of the waters of the Murray 
basin is in striking contrast to the policy adopted in New 
South Wales. We have been collecting data in this State 
for a number of years, but to see the practical side of 
irrigation in the Commonwealth one must turn to Victoria. 
About 2,640,000 acres are commanded by water works, and 
Irrigation Trust channels, of which 276,000 acres are irri- 
gated. The Mildura settlement is an object lesson of what 
can be accomplished in the arid districts of Australia. The 
land before irrigation, was practically valueless, whereas 
a population of 4,000 persons are now maintained on the 
products of 9,000 acres of irrigated culture. The Renmark 
Irrigation Colony in South Australia is another striking 
example of what the arid lands are capable of producing. 
The Waranga reservoir on the Goulburn river now in 
course of construction, the proposed reservoirs at Barren 
Jack on the Murrumbidgee, at Cumberoona on the Murray, 
and at Wyangala on the Lachlan were described. The 
lecturer dealt with the importance of stream gauging, and 
gave details of the fluctuation of flow in the Australian 
rivers. 
The Premiers’ agreement, and also its subsequent modi- 
fication respecting the division of the waters of the Murray 
Basin among the States of New South Wales, Victoria, 
and South Australia was explained. The lecture was 
illustrated by numerous lime light views, showing the 
various points of interest on the rivers, the class of boats 
trading thereon, and the weirs that have been connstructed 
in the irrigation areas of Victoria. 
