THE LURE OF THE LAND.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 446, 9 March 1912, Page 7

THE LURE OF THE LAND.

A NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERIENCE. A New Zealander who was lured to West Australia, tells a sad story of his bitter experiences and disappointments. He was formerly in the Government service at Gisborne, and had been a resident of New Zealand for fifteen years. He was so fascinated by the contents of a bulletin issued by the Agricultural Department of West Australia, that he threw up his position, incidentally resigning with it his pension, and left this country about eighteen months ago. It was not long before he discovered how misleading were the statements contained in the bulletins by which he had been led astray. It cost him £25 per acre to clear the land he had taken up, after ring barking had been done four years previously, although the pamphlet stated that similar work could be done for £8 8s 6d per acre. A 1910 pamphlet held out the bait of "160 acre 3 for £40." The next one he saw in Melbourne read differently. It bore on the front page, '"160 acres for £9 10s." Hundreds of settlers are giving up their holdings in despair, says this returned and disheartened emigrant. He declares that he had seen more poverty in West Australia in the fifteen munths he was there than he ever saw during his fifteen years residence in New Zealand. He and his family lived on bread and mutton-fat for six weeks, and in the end the Government threatened to take his land from him because he was 10s behind in his payments. This settler had lost all his capital, and was glad to get back to New Zealand with what he stood up ir. was his sole worldly possessions, and, he added, "I could not have returned but for the aid of friends in the Dominion," The lack of educational facilities in the back districts was deplorable, "and you cannot grow a thing on the land." What a country to invite immigrants to!