16 
The Victoria River .—Before undertaking the prospecting tour for the Government, I was, through t 
kindness of Mr. Stevens, of Palmerston and Glencoe, enabled to visit the Victoria river. Though not con¬ 
nected with my tour in the Northern Territory, I may here state the general results—For sixty miles above 
the mouth I found the river bordered with fluyiatile sandstones and conglomerates exactly like those here 
described. At first these rocks formed a wide valley, and then narrowed into precipitous and very narrow 
rocky gorges. The stone is red and mottled, and dips away from the river at a high angle. There were 
also high outliers of broken tableland visible inland. Higher up, the river runs through good volcanic 
country. I do not think that the fiuviatile quartz conglomerates extend to any great width on either side of 
the valley, and the nature of the country beyond is not accurately known. 
4 CONCLUSION. 
I have one or two final remarks to make, and not exactly within a geologist’s province, but still whereon, 
my opinion may be of some weight. The Northern Territory is just passing through a period of extra¬ 
ordinary depression which, in spite of its mineral riches, has nearly destroyed the mining industry. One 
cause has been frequently referred to, that is, the high rate of labor. It is hoped that the railway will 
remedy this, and I need not say anything more about it where I have no advice to offer. Another cause of 
the depression is the way in which the mineral lands are locked up. The great mass of the mineral lands 
are held by persons who do not work them, and who cannot work them. As soon as a mineral discovery is 
made the Land Office in Adelaide is besieged by speculators, taking out thousands of acres all around, who 
mean to hold over until the discoveries are tested. This ruins the country, for it prevents the development 
of mineral riches. While the prospectors should be liberally dealt with the mere speculator should be 
excluded. No one should hold mining land beyond a reasonable time without working it. Legislation 
should deal with this. 
One more remark will conclude what I have to say. I think that the Chinese should be entirely 
excluded from the goldfields except as hired servants* At present the whole gold mining industry of the 
Northern Territory is bound hand and foot, and handed over to the Chinaman. I have seen something of 
China, and much of the Chinese, and I say we will one day regret any supremacy we give them. On the 
labor question I offer no opinion, but 1 have very strong opinions about giving up our mines to this people. 
If the Northern Territory belonged to any other European nation its mineral resources would have been 
made a source of splendid national riches and prosperity, while we simply stand by and let them flow into 
the coffers of the Chinese Empire. If we cannot make use of them nowit will not be always so, but what folly 
it is to let this alien people quietly carry them away. Future generations will be amazed at our imbecility 
in this matter, and future colonists will loudly blame the culpable ignorance which despoiled the country of 
its best though happily not its only inheritance. If the Chinese want to work for us it may or may not be 
wise to employ them. On that matter I do not pretend to decide ; but they should not become proprietors 
of our treasures, for which the majority do not condescend to pay even a miner’s right. Thus we shall keep 
our own, and if this procedure does not remedy existing depression when better times do come we shall not 
fiud our inheritance gone. This is a matter which should be dealt with at once, for it admits of no delay. 
I cannot conclude this report without expressing my grateful obligations to the Government Resident and to 
every colonist of the Northern Territory for the kindness and hospitality with which I have been received, 
and for the untiring zeal with which my inquiries were assisted in every possible way. 
IhaV J & E. TENISON WOODS. 
To the lion. John A. Cockburn, Minister of Education, Adelaide. 
a 
PLAN. 
