Notes on a Visit to Australia.

Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 734, 1 May 1894, Page 6

Notes on a Visit to Australia.

(By Mr T. McDonald.)

Thinking a few notes on a trip to Australia would he perused by your numerous readers I send you what I think would be of most, interest to them. Tn Sydney trade is quiet, though not stagnant, as one is led to believe. A quiet and sound business is doing. Those suffering most are the proprietors of the very large establishments, whose expenses are heavy and which cannot well be curtailed. The smaller establishments are doing a fair amount of business. The same remark applies to the very large hotels and coffee palaces, shares in which can scarcely be given away. There is plenty of capital awaiting investment, but until the reconstructed Banks can shew a good margin of profit, and a likelihood of being able to carry their scheme to a successful issue (very doubtful as to many of them), capitalists will not unloose their purse strings.

The season for grass has been favorable, and fat stock are very low. Meat is being sold at from fd to l|d per lb. Fat cattle can be bought at thirty shillings per head, and those who drive the cattle down to Sydney generally get more out of them than the owners. Attempts have been made to grapple with the unemployed question, and hundreds have been given a Miner’s Right, a permit, and a free pass on the Railway to go up country, and prospect for gold, which I think is one of the best things that could be done with those willing to work—and the results will be shown in the next returns by a large increase in the output of gold. There is a class of men about Sydney that, if you gave them a £5 note, would not leave the city on any account; they will rather try to pick up a precarious living by thieving or begging, and sleep on the seats in the park or under a verandah. In fact one may see as many as 40 or 50 people recumbent under a verandah in sop<e place where the police don’t carb to disturb them, although it may be in one of the principal streets. As to those who are professional beggars, they don’t appear in rags and a very small swag, but walking about in a paper collar, and having a walking stick in their band. They will take a silver coin, 3d to Is being their modest demands, and when it is refused (which is generally 99 times out of 100) they are quite indignant. Still, there is a solid and substantial look about Sydney,—lacking tn some other towns —and it has such a tremendous extent of country to back it that it will soon recover from the present depression. Going on to Melbourne I found this overgrown city in the throes of as bad times as ever it was the misfortune of any city to be in. It was at once apparent to me that Melbourne was very much overbuilt. Tall buildings of 7 to 8 stories being only tenanted in 3 or 4 of the lower ones ; numbers of shops in the principal streets being to let, and those open for business having very few customers in them ; probably not one for 50 they had 3years ago. Hems have come down 50 per cent, and have not yet reached their lowest. In tact places are let in some instances for nothing, rather than the owner should see them empty —but the first one coming along - and offering a rent gets it. To make things worse, the overmanned Civil service is being cut down to reasonable dimensions. A number of those retrenched are of a very helpless class. In the Education department alone there were 600 teachers drawing salary' and no schools for them. Of course a great deal of political capital is being made over the retrenching of so many but the pruning knife will have to be kept going until the deficit of a quarter of a million is wiped oft'and the finances properly balanced. Those who took up sections in the village settlements also have a grievance, as they have got a long way in arrear with their rents, and the Government, being short of money, now

want them to pay up. About £40,000 of arrears have been paid, but the Minister of Lands (the Hon. J. Mclntyre) informed me that there are still over £700,000 of arrears. I hope our Liberal Government will see that they don’t Jet their proteges get so far back as that. Of course, could the Victorian Government get in half the arrears it would soon turn the deficit into a surplus.

While in the Treasury buildings I saw a large deputation of the unemployed wait on the Minister of Mines to net work, or assistance to go out to the auriferous country and try to get a living there. A great many had already been sent out, having received a miner’s right, a free pass on the railway, and 10s to give them a start. The Minister of Mines agreed to lay the matter before the Cabinet, with the result that another £5OO would be granted to assist those wishing to go out in the country, but instead of 10s it was to be reduced to 7s. and at that rate would assist over 1400 to a chance of earning their own living, and get them away from the town. Already a considerable amount has been repaid to the Treasury by those first sent out; so that speaks well for those assisted.

While paying a visit to Bendigo I had proof of the good results of the policy pursued, as all along Forest Creek and around Castlemaine the place was alive with men busy cradling or sluicing ground that had been hurriedly turned over years ago, and they were doing well. The fruit industry is also being attended to ; new orchards being planted in all directions. During the land boom a great many orchards near Melbourne were bought by syndicates, who had the trees cut down and streets laid off. In many instances only a deposit was paid and the land reverted to the former owner, with the result that bis living is gone and the whole of his work has to be commenced afresh, so that the land boom has rendered a considerable extent of country useless for several years. The wine industry is also engrossing a lot of attention, and will ultimately play a prominent part in the future trade in Victoria.

Other industries, are likely to be fostered by bonuses, the chief of which will, I think, be the growing of sugar beet, some parts of the country being very suitable for such purpose. I have not mentioned the butter factories, as they have been prominently before the public for some time. Still, it may be news to some that in one of the principal streets, (Collins St.), in a building owned by Mr P. K. McCaughan (formerly M.H.R. for a Southland constituency), there are two butter factories, the milk for which is brought either by the Railway or cart from the milk runs, and it is paying well. (How about the Kaikoura factory after that) 1 I had met Mr McCaughan out in the country, and at his invitation had a look through his building—4 stories above ground and two floors underneath, and every place occupied; a very pleasing - contrast to some of the other large buildings in the city. A great movement is now on foot to start freezing establishments, but it will take them some years to get the proper class of sheep for freezing purposes in numbers large enough to keep their shipping - going and from what I saw on a former visit they may have a drought which would probably have the effect of closing all their factories for a time. Of course N. Z. will have to keep up the quality of her meat, and if so she need not fear Australian competition, as from my own experience they cannot turn out meat of such high quality as that produced here. A certain section have a great set against N. Z. timber, owing to the miesrable samples produced in the Allison-Smith enquiry, a great many people told me our N. Z. timbers were useless. 1 took some pains to find out about the samples shown at the enquiry and I discovered that they were waste pieces that had been lying in the yards, out in the sun, for, in some instances, seven years. So I scarcely think that was exactly a sample to produce in Court. I told

them to call on Mr A. J. White, in Christchurch, if ever they visited the Cathedral City of N. Z., and they would got their eyes opened as to the quality of N. Z. timber. I must say, however, that they think a very great deal of New Zealand, and such expres. sion sas, ‘ Your beautiful New Zealand,' and ‘ Your grand country ’ were often used both by those who had seen it, and others who had only heard of it from friends who had been in N. Z. on a visit.

Melbourne has the finest tram service in the world. It is on the cable principle, and the trams are very easy, and comfortable, but, like many more undertakings at the present time, the services are not paying. Shares, which at one time were selling at £9, are now selling at 7s 6d, and no one is anxious to buy. However, the sorvice is a splendid one, and with better times may return good interest to some of those buying in at 7s 6d.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds are now hopelesly sunk in large buildings,. One, especially, the Exhibition Coffee Palace, contains upwards of 700 rooms, that is if it was finished throughout. But there it stands, with walls up and roof on—but no windows put in or any of the rooms finished—nor likely to be for many a day to come.

One more word and 1 leave Melbourne. I must give them credit for having a large amount of self respect, and I am sure many are starving in secret rather than let it be known that through their recklessness during the ‘ boom ’ everything had been swept away. Not one twentieth part, in comparison with Sydney,ask for assistance.

Hobart is to Tasmania what Nelson is to N. Z., the ‘ Sleepy Hollow.’ A sort of genuine calm seems to rest over the place (always excepting the electric trams). No one ever seems in a hurry. The great industry is apple growing, and packing them for the Home Market. Thousands of cases are being stored in the shed ready for the P.&O. or Orient boats, which have been taking away from 12,000 to 15,000 cases a week for some weeks. Exporters told me that if they can net 3s per case the return will pay handsomely. There are some splendid orchards, and they are well worth a visit.

The Exhibition buildings are shewing up prominently on rising ground, by the Domain. The electric trams are a curiosity. A car is seen running along without, any motive power but making a great noise. It shakes one up considerably going up hill, at 3 miles an hour, but making tip for lost time on the down grade with, of course, increased noise. The means of locomotion, however, seem to suit the Hobart people (wakes them up, probably), and I trust pays those who found the capital, but I could not learn. The unemployed difficulty is also to to the front here, several hundreds being present at a meeting during the afternoon, wishing to be sent to the mines.

A considerable amount of silver ore is being brought from Zeeban to Hobart for shipment Home. It is carried at a reasonable rate.

Hobart is the most law-abiding place I have been in. You can leave your doors unlocked, and your ben roosts open, and nothing will be touched; a pleasing contrast to the thieving and burgling in Sydney and Melbourne. Getting back to N. Z., I visited Invercargill, which is, I think, the prettiest little town I have seen. Indeed, it will be bard to beat N. Z., taking all things into consideration.