TROPICAL AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 23 June 1925, Page 1

TROPICAL AUSTRALIA

CONDITIONS OF LIVING. VISITOR'S STRICTERES. SYDNEY, June 1“. A. man of rare moral courage is Sir Heorgo Buchanan, a famous British engineer, who was brought, out to Australia by the Commomvoali li Government to report on ports and harbours. Besides being an engineer, Sir George is an observant traveller, and widely experienced in affairs of the world. Travelling with eyes open, and not being afraid to slate his opinions alxmt Australia, however distasteful they might lie to Australians, lie lias come into conllict. with other authorities over bis expressed views. A statement of his reflecting on tlie efficiency of the Queensland railway’s roused Hie ire of tile Queensland .Minister of Railways, whose reply, dealing with generalities anil not the specific points mentioned hy Fir George, was hardly convincing to the impartial observer. V greater controversy was awakened by this critical visitor when be commented mi life in tropical Au~tralia. Among bis statements was one that the unhygenie and insanitary living anil housing conditions prevalent in the north, with an unsuitable diet. were responsible for producing io whites a lower slate ol efficiency than was shown by black labour in other countries. People in the Northern Territory, be declared.

lived under conditions unsuitable to till- tropics; the working ••hissos. for tlio most part. dwelt in houses littlo better than tin boxes. which in tin' summer were like ovens. Ihe residents there, lie also said, drank too liineli liquor. Those sweeping statements inspired spirited delenees of the North he men in official jKisitions. True. Mr Brine agreed with (sir Oorge linehanan in most, matters, but Mr Nelson, who represents the Northern Territory in the. Federal Parliament, was hotly resentful of the visitor's id rieinres, although he. 100. agreed that the housing ( ondii ions were mostly uusuitahlo. Mr Nelson ilineheil his argument by challenging Sir ooorge to produec a leam of any coloured people he eaied to select against, a white team from the Northern Territory, at, say. railway cot ting. Mr Nelson was sure I hot. the work of the white would work out bO per cent, cheaper than that of the coloured gang. But the st raightesl answer to Sir (teorge Buehanan came Irom Or ■!. S. C. Flkington, Director of Tropical 1 lygieue. Commomvcalt h Department or Health. Careful observations, said Dr Flkington. showed that Northern families neither died out nor degenerated; nor did they show any evidence of commencing degeneration up to tile third generation. The iropichoru woman was as healthy as the woman horn elsewhere in Australia, l ife insurance records showed that their chances of longevity were rather greater than elsewhere in Austra.m. Industrial records showed that they could outwork any non-Brit isii rn.-e in the sugar-cane fields under toe ordinary present conditions ot living. Australia is proud of her ideal ot a White Australia, and of her experiment of at tempting to develop 1i" troical north by means of white labour. Consequently. a visitor who criticises her efforts in this direction is asking for controversy, as the late ■Lord l.cverhulme discovered on he Visit here last year. Now another famous Briton Has crossed verbal swords with Australia's spokesmen, olid the general public is left wonderin<4 who is vight.