THE LURE OF QUEENSLAND.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1785, 25 June 1913, Page 10

THE LURE OF QUEENSLAND.

-new zealander's views. . ADVICE TO iNi'ENDiNG' SETTLERS." Writing from the'Burdekin;Eiver,'North' Queensland, Mr. J. ■ M.<" O'Hagan, ui'ntil recently of Woodvillb, sends 'an interesting description of tho conditions existing in that part of Australia. Mr. O'Hagan says:— • It may.not bo out of placo to give your readers, arid soma of my friends on tho land in New Zealand, a-short description- of things in general in this part of Australia/ As information is more general concerning Southern' Queensland, >vith a few' remarks ori matters' on " the Darling Downs. I will confine myself to chev tropics, and the North principally. Forming conditions on tlio Darling Downs jire in-a vor> bad-state for there has oeen;no rain for a season and everything is dried up,.Und the. stock look'..miserable— that is, farm stock generally. As Brisbane depends largely, on tho. Downs for supplies of all temperate-zone crops' prices for tropical products have been going up fast for some time. As the Downs is the. : only place, where subdivision has beei'i' going on of-'late years- it. simply .means, a set-back,for years to,numbers of, old farmers, and ruin to tho rest of them. This -is. no exaggerated picture l , but just states tilings as they I have been a regular visitor to Australia for many years and I do not remember more than ono fjood season on, tho. Downs since it ivas first brought under tho notice'of New Zcalanders as worthy of their attention as .farmers or speculators.' This state of affairs affects outsiders inoro than, it •does 'Australians, for. the. latter take. :it. ns':.a 'matter ;«f course: Things up here in the far North are much' more pleasant to write about, .'as conditions lire totally different both as regards weather and stock. They have had- magnificent rains, there being too much in. places" '"Tip-hero : the products are mostly sugar and beef. I am sure that sounds peculiar to a Now' 'Zealand'farmer. Still, it is all the business up here if leave mining out. The coast lands from Rockhampton northwards are specially adapted ' for' raising, sugar-cane, being rich moist soil with a heavy rainfall generally,,which does not' travel very'farmland except in tho rainy Reason,' as it is called here; But sugar has .to be farmed, like most other ..crops, tnd ploughing and-cross-ploughing nnd planting 'is . going, on most 01. the. year. Seine 1 of'the crops, in the Mackay district show* t,hat-.good, eultivatiem pays.'

canes are: as thick as'a man'slarm, somewhat Tesenibling' maize in • appearance, though with, a different leaf. The good crops of cane and its-manufacture is having a big l effect on nil the coast towns-right 1o Cooktowti on the York Peninsula. Labour is' well'paid nml'has'' plenty to do at. this time; of year ut any rate. Speaking ofrainfall," there is one district, up: here ou~rtlie,coast that could give Inglewood; and s'ome.of.the towns closeto Mount Egmont'ai'Stiirt of 60-inches and: then: win, with ji<gobd iii'it-gin. r Ono of tliern has a■rainfall for. :the::past„ season of .'over .100 inches. I'think-it is exceptional even for this place. The cane,cutters work on. tho piece-work system,.and .make from"iß to £1 perlweek-in the season, but the hours are long, and ..the/season short. , Out west here: tf|e rains have been- good all' tliej •season and -feed is waste, and stock is rollin'g fat. Pat stock is cdming. in all the tiiile by rail and road to be treated: at'th'e different works,! while of-fers-are.arriving every'day of large drafts -at. per.head in -lbts- of 250, -:750, 1500, 2000an(l;up to 300(1 ti,' be 'iiisptfcted;"6f course. Wore.' a "sale is made? -This goes'to'show that the beef is here in the north, if iliot Elo plentiful elsewhere. ;,This. State treated! 250,000 head of • beef last , season ontl expects to add 50,600. to .that total this: present: season.,, A; good.-d?al of grown up here-in the north finds its-way-to some of the Central,and Southern meatworks. Olio of'.the big works at Townsvillo, doing up to 000 bullock? per day last year, has made extensions to put through. 700 per dieirf this -year, another 400 peflf day and so-on,''The carcasses this season are 'nicely 'covered' '.'and not too .fat, but ..cle/ir. ,and njcely, distributed.,,'.. BeforeMeaViiig Js'ew Zealand' in tho .an-' tuilin't Wad sortie accoiihts of pcople'leav-' iii{? Wellington* for the Northern Territory,'.influenced b.y sohio glowing reports made-by a gentleman, who, wept . there ,to see what things were like. Knowing something of the matter I at tho •timo to give a different accouut, but I Jiad no time to spare for the purpose; but the report was altogetherrtoo rosy. . It gave none of the drawbacks of the place, which, to me,-looked-misleading. -As we are; in close touch, with Darwin .'here,.'and: as. I: notice that some tramway 'men-'in Wellington were thinking of trying their luclc I have b?en careful to. get a true account 'before writing. Bight but I can-say front my'knowledge of the conditions in West•'Australia,' (which is a better, climate), that the Territory is 110 place lor a man not; ' toMh-iug .in a'.lugh' temperature ..for a long time, because the excessive hu.midity and the daily repetition, of the trying. heat brings; on,insomnia,..as there, is jlittlo difference between the .-best'of tho Bummer and winter, the effect of the glow-' ling heat of. the sun on the ground all day ■does not give timo'for the temperatures to fall low enough at night to allow any-ono.to-get adequate rest; and once a.person; loses, health. it .is hard to. regain it. The'effect on'people-from' lower temperatures Jike New Zealand and-Victoria, for instance, is, serious after,a' short;while, and-work for them is out of the question, except for .a. short time cacL day. : Anyo.ne thinking-of sucli;a calling'as farming had better make suro that; lio is in a position to pay for labour, bl-aes, white, or brown. There is a strike running' there now. All the white Svoi'kers are demanding .I'-l per week. The carrying business m .Darwin is in the hands of the Chinese and; thc'j-'-ai'e'6ii 'strike' in support of .the . others. ' The blacks (never in a hurry to work ;it. aiiy .time) are.in sympathy with the wholf; affair, and they number several I'liDUsHml o'l the ':o:ist Tho best authorities up there-allow -that whites die out after a fe.w generations unless new blood is introduced. lam .not inclined to write to prevent 'anyone!going there, but I think it only fair to give a Ncw-Zealander some notice of the conditions, and he can please himself .afterwards.-I Life up here is free -and .easy,..but N-ev,-,Zealand ..news is always at a preniiuin out this .way. 1

Develop tho milking 'propensity and lifili buttor-fnt test by using ; tho "Gilruth"- Calf- food. - Tho • constitutionbuilder., .It.is 11 ot''only the bc-st,'but also too-cheapest.—Advt." The reasons ! why ''Victor" Vats have been so favourably received by Cliceso Factory Managers are not • far to seek. In the first, place the workmanship and material of these vats . are excellent, that they outlast the old style vats, and give years of .good, service... Secondly, tho 'Victor" with its -sloping, bottom helps to pro'duco cheese of "a high-grade quality;''; 'that . brings better ; returns.'". The '"Victor"' has helped others—it can help you—if you don't possess one of. tho hundreds that havo licen installed.'. Send for particulars to-day'-! 0 Albert J. Parton, J-'luinbeiv Carterton—Advt. M.r,. ()'!,oughlin, of the. South Australian Legislative. Assembly;-' was -at Dublin questioned. about Australia by !a. • barefooted boy ; iron; whom he bought a liowspapbr, and tho-boy, ended-by askings "VVp.uld; yoiir., honour, take mo .thereP' • Tho Speaker asked the boy if his mother ivas., likely ,to consent. , Later, tho boy,-, ■washed and scrubbed, presented himself at Mr. O'Louphliii's hotel, ,and told the Speaker, that nis mothec. had given consent. Mr. O'Longhlin' interviewed thomother',!,and arranged to pay the boy's expenses, to Australia . and,, give, him a. start'in life. - •-• ■■ Five shillings a week- as old-age pension is inadequate in London, and means starvation. if thero is nothing to supple-" mcnt it, declare<l a City-of London police surgeon at inquests on the' bodied of two aged pensioners, brother and sister, whoso deaths had been Accelerated by.'spjiii-star-., vntidn. "Tho rent... fuel; ; and-lighting of tho-old -couple, w-lio shared a tenement, , camo't'o' Is., 1 ii '.•iwiek'/'r&Wiilj; o'nljv Cs."'tcr livo. 011. • '~'!!' '.! ' 7 Wet,feet, a, .bad cojd.. If, by chanc? vour Ixwts do leak-,-get a bottle . of "NAZOL."' .It baiiishas.C'.ough.s Colds, Soro Throats, and, Ini!jj,enra. Is. (kl. for, GO doses.—Advt,