Before grog, before wages, before the Japanese war: the Northern Territory in 1938 and some station routines

Abstract

The majority of people living in the Northern Territory in 1938 were Aboriginal, outnumbering others by more than two to one. Host Aborigines lived in rural areas, so the disproportion there was striking. Women were the minority of all sectors of the population. The annual report of the administration for 1937-8 gave a 'total' population of 6,704, which included the substantial Asiatic numbers but excluded Aborigines. It was the highest non-Aboriginal population recorded since the territory had been taken over by the commonwealth, and it was to increase by a further 701 people the following year. There were over twice as many white men as women in the territory in the year 1938: about 3825 to 1820, and over half of the women lived in 'rural' areas. The administration was pleased to report a decrease in the 'half-caste' or part-Aboriginal and Asiatic population, despite the fact that this must have been mostly due to deaths.