A GOLDEN PICTURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 14

A GOLDEN PICTURE.

\ ;AUSTRAUA*S:MbNEV/'MARKET, ■' ; £ AND::ITS:;iiGRAIUAN:^iOUTLOOK!' -", ■\.i : .' (By Te!tEr»ph:-BDcclal Correspondent;! : . ■';: - '•'':;,.' '•''.->' ChrlstchiiroM, Soptc'niber 2-'/■ ■ '.. MF/;(3e0.. : T. Bobthi.'of/ytho,-'' implement na-nufacturing ifirm of-' .'Bpoth','-'i MaeDonald wd C 0.,. Cliristchurch,,; returned , ' to-day from I'yisjt to' Australia. Speaking-to' a "Press", reporter, Mr., IJobth said 'that; in 'New. Zoaiind almost-everyone was : looking; ;down h s lose, anticijtating'bad tiiriesj;and was/feeling ;he pressure of financial'stringency.''ln tie commonwealth,, however, -.money: appeared to i>6:plentiful/,and busineseVwas;:■' ippareatly ;ood.;. There"- had been- a succession, of good seasons, .they'..\vere.,anticipating-: a .bumpai seasoii this year,.and'generally tilings'wero sxceedingly prosperous. * There must -bo somd Mndition'oxisteni-in Now. Zealand that didlot, exist' in,the* Commopwealtli,'. butjt wae not very easy to put one's .'finger-on the spot,-, and'.say what that condition' .: was. iCrh'o dominant feature , in. Zealand was apparently .the shortage of; money, -and, oddly, enough; the reverse, appeared to be the oise in Australia. .Ho had been, told byone man that Australia, had a.-fairly, abundant supply if > money ,for. publio 'and' private,purposes, ind that;man said,that' ; hedjd:not know what bjiey .'were, going- to'do-.with'the money-that ivould 'be- available -when': this '.season's wool slip'.\account',-was paid, ''ior :r which '> thirty millions sterling' would ; be.received.:- ; '.'.-.,.- ; Regarding!.the . agricultural 'outlook, Mr: Booth, said that the' Ausjialiaas had .more, wheaib 'in : this .year., than'.ever; .and I were krakihg.'foritard. -tova very In , -. flew.-; South ,'. Wales,;, the. -Agricultural Depsrthfent had been activeVin attempting. to, ( firid;-new'' bteeds'of .wheat/that.'could ;b© grown pfofifably on more or less arid laad, aad -the4o Breeds, had been" very successful. According to- the Under-Secre'taiy for Agnoulture, thousands of 'acres '■ had. been , sown in 'wheat' wKch, years ago, , considered, unsuitable. ; ■"■ ■ . .'.;.:..'.-'■' ■ . - v ; in :Queensland,':-Mr;...Booth met one .or' two, , New Zealanders-who had 'taken up land ia: that State,- .which promised to- bo one'pf the most impoirtant'Statcs in tho Comfflonwealth,'as. tHe: result, of .the large area of land available for settlement. Of ihe total.area of 420,000,000 acresj.less than -five por cent', had 'been' alienatcd.y;. ; .;Tlie:.Crown lands; , at'- present available'were, obtainable on very easy terms under.-all tenures.; He ,had. ; had,'a talk with. : an. r '.orstW;hiJe. South Canterbury- farmer %ho' had vbought' Quecns-| land-Jand 45...6d.,;per acre, , on;the 'edge of the Darling. Downs laiid, .'whioh the farmci considered to be equal in quality to'-land-;n the Ashburtoh: County valued'-ab between £30 and £40. per dere.... The - : most , important foatnres connected with. Australia; were 'the efforts' being made-'. to ■ develop;' '. tho /productiveness, :of' the;.country by ; Hhe .Agricultural Departments. ..-. The extension -; of irrigation. systems was in contemplation,- closer .settle-; ni©nV;was, -being encouraged,' and improved methods.'-of^.cultivation- : ,wtfβ-ibeing; adopted., ■"■ "I should say;" «oacluded ; Booth, ",that the c late .Mr.- Seddon's idea.; in opening bra-nohes'-of ; tho-.'Tourist -..Department >m Sydney ■ and Melbourne is'bearing good fruit." ■Mr. Booth:thought that.'aiigreater.number, of. Australians-.could.bo induced ,;to'visit'the .Dominion -if ..its attractions were,. more, prominently .brought before, the;. Australian public.-: ,-■, M '■;, -.- : : -'..;■;-■;/■ .-';,'-.■ '■'■■!'* ';' *-. : '■■'.<■