“UNDISCOVERED AUSTRALIA.”

Hokitika Guardian, 5 December 1928, Page 8

“UNDISCOVERED AUSTRALIA.”

A FRANK CRITIC

“Undiscovered A ustralin,” by Sir Hubert Wilkins (Benn Bros.), is .1 model of this type of hook. It is written with authority and yet so interestingly that the ordinary reader ear enjoy its descriptions of the animal and vegetable lilo of the less-known areas of the island continent, which he and his party explored on behalf of the British Museum in search of rare specimens. From .Sir Hubert’s records one knows him to be fearless nhvsieally. but he joins to that fearlessness another sort, which is not always found in conjunction with it—moral fearlessness.

Block rearers in Mew Zealand will hoar with interest Sir Hubert’s views on that vexed question the possibilities of the Northern Territories.

Apart from the north-south railway there is likely to be but a slow development of this northern land. 'I he time has missed when products roughly and readily produced, and as roughiv

erved. will satisfy Ihe world. The "oniih-ted bush bullock fattened on the coarse grass at outback stations and travelled for a thousand miles over almost barren stock routes, does not turn into beef equal in quality i(j that grown and quickly fattened m controlled and cultivated fodder. The hard physical training undergone ’■v the Mm-ih-Australian beeves before Hiev reach the market would even enervate a professional .football cha.ninion. On many outback stations .here the bullocks are grown and fattened they muv have seen a stockman once in a year or so. During the drv season they must tramp miles and miles oaf’ll day for water, and their pads and footpaths extend as furrow 1fanwise from the water hole". kood may he abundant in some distant areas, hut it is soon cleared about the watering places, lluui. two or throe months before the bullocks are put on the read to the market, they are “handled" weekly, or more often, am! the furious gallooings and bustlings during these round-ups fill out with •tius'le wlml thev hue in fat. Me’ whole mol) is then rounded up and started towards a market, perhaps five hundred or a thousand miles awsiv. This is reached Ivy an average of ehdi' In ten miles per average travelling day. nr perhaps by long rail stages, with short intervals between. Ts ii •inv wonder that Australian 1 quarfrws” at Smithriold exhibit knotty biceps pud bulky tendons ? Ihe remedy 's not in kf-ping these details dark, fed. in the improvement• of the melhids of handling and suoply.

The explorer addresses, too. some remarks to his follow Australians which might, one imagines, he broadcast in the nominions. He relatemany examples of the ‘‘make-do no]icy out. hack among the set tiers who are quite well off and spend any amount of money in town, hut can never spare any to make their homes ■■cmfortable or provide the amenities of life nut buck.

Independence! Those psondu-domo-crats of this sunny land of ours have not yet realised the I net that it is iiitordopondoneo. not independence, that matters in hi {'ll states o| civilisation. Xo one ean afford to he independent ns are the savages. d lie ihtnisive insularity of the cultured hut untravelled Englishman is as nothing to the .aggressive independence of the ignorant Australian. As with \ustralia’s; lesser puhlie servants, so with her primary producers—it is *‘every- man for himself.'' During the short period they spend on Lite farm or station it is the genera! desire to make just enough to leave the farm and country and live a <lretired” life in a garden suburb; to “entertain” a servant and take their e>:eroi.se in a cheap American motor car. or hy visiting various racecourses. In most cases there is no pride in holdings or in homesteads. The “near-mm-igli,” “it 11-do-fov-nio” slogan has .been so thoroughly ingrained into the people during their temporary sojourn in the country that they cannot overcome it when in retirement. Df c-'iirse I could equally well mention the few conspicuous cases ol an entirely opposite character, where men are using u n -to-dato methods, and hv taking a pride in their work and then country are really forming the hac I '- lioiie of Australia: but the unequal ratio that is so obvious is rather dis appointing to one who, though having travelled outside his native land, still has groat pride in his country and i/.on,ions for its progress and its attractiveness to visitors. There is no doubt that it is hound to progress, for its possibilities are as great as. tl not greater than, those of any other country. But this will not happen o ! its own accord: the Australians n>"s< ihems.elvos co-operate to build up their country.