THE MAN ON THE LAND.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17112, 6 April 1921, Page 11

THE MAN ON THE LAND.

STOBT OF A HABB FIGHT. It is a truism that the prosperity of this country depends on the efforts of the" small farmers and settlers (writes a correspondent to the "Sydney Morning Herald"). That being so, surely we-should bo prosperous onrselvcs. Under present condition.* it is impossible, except) in certain, favourable localities. True prosperity can be founded only on the produce of the land—there is no safety clso*Jiere. The small man on the land can never prosper until we have a Government aiivo'to this fact. There lias never been one yet. Ministers cry out for "more production," but if they really want more jiroducliou they should encourage us to produce.' Allow me to give you some particulars of my own experience.

I took up my present c.p. after reading a little booklet, issaed by the-Go-vernment, on this district.. jt was accompanied by a. map or plan showing the selections to bo offered lor ballot, and on this plan roads were marked to every selection, also a "proposed railway" through the centre of it. (That was about 14 years a go;, the'railway is not hero yet.) I could not, being at an agricultural college, personally inspect tho country. £ relied on the Government assurances. I obtained one of the selections. When I had finished my agricultural training I went to it) or rather tried to go. The roads were merely blazed trails through- dense scrub. It took me a month's hard work and many pounds to clear a traift, including the bridging of two creeks, from tho main road, just passable,'though .dangerous for a cart. The whole thing had been most shamelessly puffed "by Government officials. My selection was about 230 acres of jungle. The cost of clearing any part of- ib was heavy; and, of course, when cleared, there was not a blade of grass.. After 12 years of unremitting toil and .the expenditure of over £601) in cash, I have now 130 acres of pasture-and under cultivation. That has involved working 12: hours a clay the whole time. I.S'J*' together'a small dairy herd, and thouglit J was fairly started. Tlfcu the timber comnauies began,, in spite of remonstrances, and- unrestrained by the shire council, to drag the. huge pine logs over the road. This- soon became impassable. Appeals to the shire couneil v v.ere.ignored. The road, was simply 'a succession of deep mudh'olcs. To get my cream to the factory it was necessary to start before daylight, and it became impossible to do so. I had to sell my herd at a sacrifice-,, and, broken in health ami spirits, to try somcthuig else. I started a market garden. From this and the rent of my grass paddocks I have made a bare living. I cannot be suro of more' than about £l5O a year: and out of this have to pay the Government £22 and tho shiro council £4. Since tho war l I have been required to make income tax returns. Think of the< irony of it; it would be) amusing if it were not so tragic. > Mention has been made of one of the. greatest drawbacks; the want of. education for cur children. - My eldest ]soyis now old enough for sefiooi. Alter agitating for some time, we got a school two miles distant, which we built, ourselves. Tho. boy, six years old, had to walk tho two miles by himself, overa lonely road, and. on more than one occasion met deadly snakes. and haifinacl working bullocks. I tried rb- tov a time, but the child was' becoming nervous, and -was learning nothing. I do not blame the teacher; one man cannot teach 30 children divided into five or six. different classes. The boy is now with, relatives near Sydney. This means I ehnll bo lucky if I see bun once a year, if I can afford the travelling expenses. The Postal Guide makes us 'about .400 miles from Sydney, Tho increased railway and motor fares render travelling that distance a serious matter. ' ■ ■'• ... It is claimed that the Australian is proud of his independence, and is nob afraid of hard work. I do not altogether agree wit'lt.that., I ant nil Australian, and have had to do with many other Australians'. "II think' a largepercenta'ge hW-e no'idea of independencej and.are quite .ready to lie .down under tyranny. Was it : not John Stuart Mill who wrote, "A tyranny of the majority is'scarcely less odious ami unsound titan a tyranny by n minority?" Is it independence to be led by tho nose by agitators and paid union'officials who do no work? As to hard .work, it seems to mo thero is nothing- which holds sneli terror for the above-named percentage as hard work. If it was otherwise would they.be clanionring for a 36 hours' week ? AVhat about the nmnnployed? Ask the labour bureaus how many of them havo been offered work hi the country and refused. The country could absorb all tho unemployed if they would work fpr-a reasonable wage and were not afraid of hard'' work. I would lik4: to employ labour, but if I paid a man £5 a week my family would starve. The only remedy is immigration. It is our only hope of salvation. Do_ the handful of men now in Australia- imagine they could keep out tho thirsting millions of Asia without the power of the British Navy behind them? That power may decline; it may be stifled by a Labour Government in England; it may bo rendered useless by scientific inventions. Then, good-bye to a "White Australia. Well, the Chinese would make this a great country.. It would support at least 50,000,000 Chinese.