THE COMMONWEALTH

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8349, 8 February 1913, Page 9

THE COMMONWEALTH

“Oh, Australia, falx and lovely, Empress of tho southern sea.

Tho effect of immigration on the returns of insanity was dealt with by Dr Jones, Inspector-General of tho Insane, in a report which stated that the increase in the number of cases on the books of the Lunacy Department in 1912 was 130, and the actual increase in tho number of patients resident in institutions was 123. One of tho worst features was that cases admitted to institutions included a large number of immigrants. This was scarcely unexpected, because change of environment and new conditions of lifo must necessarily affect the minds of some of* the immigrants, who might or might not have started out as desirable immigrants. It was found in the United States, where an enormous number of immigrants were received, that the lunacy rate was very high, and it was observed that among Hungarians and Italians there were a considerable number of mental breakdowns, although the rate of lunacy in their own countries was comparatively small. In view of this large increase, said the InspectorGeneral, it was necessary to find additional accommodation for lunacy oases.

An Aberdeen paper recently published a remarkable lettei concerning Sydney and its people from a disappointed immigrant. Following are a few- extracts from tho article: “I expected to find the houses with a decent bit of ground attached, hut iu 19 cases out of every 20 you will find them with fiom 10 to 15 feet of back giound from the back of the house, and in many cases just bare ground, with no grass. This house u I.i-rc I am staying is away out in one or the new suburbs, and we have just 15 feet depth at the back, and just sand for a green, like the seaside, and it costs us 4d every day to go to the city. There does not seem tc bo any Dean of Guild Court here for keeping houses in line, for they are built higgelty-piggelty—a large well-to-do gentleman’s house, with a coal and stick store or a .butcher’s house with shop next it. Everyone here who wants to build a house for himself has to buy his plot. Thus you can put up just what you like.

“The streets and pavements, apart from a few in the centre of the city, which are paved with wood, are most deplorable; in fact, they are dangerous. They want a. city architect here, for I consider ■ they are disgraceful. They have a splendid service of cars, hut they are filthy. I don’t think they are washed from one year’s end to another. In fact, all the vehicular traffic sems to be a line they give no heed to, for it seems to me they are all put on new, and their carts, harness, and horses never get a dean until they are ‘scraped.’ I have never seen a tidy turnout such as you can see in Aberdeen, and for regula? tion of the traffic you can go as fast or as slow as you like. You will see, them galloping along the streets on horseback as if they were on a racecourse.

“As for the people hero, 1 mean the Australians, I can call them nothing but a set of thieves and rogues. They will cheat you as fast as you wmk. Unless you go into one of the firstclass shops, they think nothing of rolling up in a parcel quite an inferior article to what you have bought—l have got it done —and they will add on to the price when they think yon are a newcomer. In fact, X earnestly thought of coming home again, only 1 think I will try a change first, non that I am here. There is a bitter feeling raging against new arrivals, even spreading to the children. Some ol the boys asked my two hoys if they were coming to their school; if so, they would hoot them out of it. Yet over all there must be money to be made here, but I am afraid you require a large nest-egg, and be prepared to let it go to get a start. Rents are high here. Fancy getting 20s to 25a a week for a four-roomed house. 1 am in a four-roomed one (furnishedfurniture worth about £6O), and I am paying 44s a week. , Provisions here are higher than at Home, and fruit, which I understood cost nothing, is dearer than in Aberdeen. A workman’s wages of £3 12s a week are' net worth so much as 35s at Home, so, between all things, I dare say you would not bo surprised at me casting my thoughts back to Aberdeen. However, I intend giving it a fair trial, but had I known the true facts, I should not have Come out.” The writer, in the concluding portion of his letter dealing with the building trade, says “corruption seems to be the password here.” Esperanto played a leading part in the recent competition for the design of the Federal capital of Australia. At least one of tho prize winners owed his success to his knowledge of the “all uations” language, and he has acknow lodged hia debt (says the Melbourne “Age”) by a cablegram to the Home Affairs Department. Dr Agache, the Parisian architect and professor, who has secured third prize (£500), was first attracted to the competition by a notice appearing in the Esperanto magazines of Europe. Ho is a devoted student of Esperanto, and fortunately among tho Australian students is a young officer of tho Homo Affairs Department, who translated the competition conditions into the new language aa soon as they were framed, and had them published in the European Esperanto journals a month before they officially reached the institutes of architects, surveyors, and engineers. This gave the Esperantist architect a good start on their rivafs, and served to bring the facts graphically before a number of professional men who jth-.r-wise would not have heard of Australia’s search for a capital. Dr Agaohe has expressed his thanks by cM le to the young Melbourne Esperantist, Mr Whiteford, and has asked him to look after his interests in Melbourne. I. he use Esperanto had probably more effect in making tho competition u.vlrlwide than had any of the department's other advertising in Europe. It brought a design which at ’least is simpler and cheaper than those awarded first and second prizes, and which, hut for the mistaken use of narrow streets in the outer suburbs, would probably have been arfarded first nrizo.