HALF-AN-HOUR IN LITTLE BOURKE-STREET.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 80, 11 August 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

HALF-AN-HOUR IN LITTLE BOURKE-STREET.

(Eipm the Argus.) ' We 'have repeatedly called the attention bdth of tome and colonial readers, lo the novel enterprises or*. jw »£»-, .tries which' are springing up around us from time to time; and have pointed . .outinthis way many fresh outlets for, the employment of capital and' labor., The fact that neF industries of various kinds are growing into existence from .day to day, and increasing in prosperity m -theyge* older, is, a good argument. against the initiation of that protectxve policy *m Victoria which was, not so. - very Song ago, ft favorite cry with the so-called promoters of native industry, ffit would be -superfluous to refer to fheee-hovel enterprises in detail here; sind When we -call to «membrance Art .vineyards a*e. beingculfcvated by laige -numbers of -people in various parts of the colony.that lands are being leased in considerable quantities for purposes," as provided in the last jLa-sd Act • that coal and cement companies, are being formed, that monster clothing and other manufactories are being e.--tablished, and that trades of all kmds are bein^ engaged in, enough is stated < to show thaC e^ven without protection, both capital and labor can *c profitably employed in the colony. ; While 'the signs of advancement are apparent nearly everywhere perhaps *o K idea can be obtained of what »■ •doing in the wayof the establishment of Afferent branches of trade than may be .onveved by a utrdll through Little SSKtJt^o-- of our busiest tho-foughfares-at any time. The *ymptoms of progress are there wj efcarly seen; and, looking "back to the state of things in Melbourne a few year, ago, the strides which have been made as regards the development of different* trades, is highly satisfactory. Of the « Chinese quarter," whioh occupies a considerable portion of this street we need say nothing, since that has been already described in our columns. But, apart from the warehouses and shops of the children of the sun and moon, there, is much to be seen which cannot fail to prove interesting to any one desirous of observing the progress of trade in Melbourne. Colonists of a few years standing know well that it was almost impossible until recently to find a shoemaker who would condescend to practice his calling even where payment which an English workman would have regarded as almost fabulous was offered him It was equally difficult to find the "ninth part of a man" who would stitch you a pair of inexpressibles, or a garment of any kind, no matter what The remuneration offered ; and the same difficulty was experienced as regarded all the trades. A happy change, however, has come over the dreams cf tiadesmen and artisans in these lespects, and things impossible of obtainment^n the golden days, or even more recently, are now easily to be had. The colonial shoemaker no longer objects to fit the feet of his customers, and that, too, at prices more nearly equal to those of the old country. He will even condescend to repair the old as well as make the new : and the tailor has seen proper to become equally accommodating. The cabbage-tree is not now the only bat made to order; the hatter will make for you any kind of covering for the head, and his prices are hardly an advance on those of the manufacturers of the jld country. The premises of those who follow these trades— the two first ' named more especially— are to be found in large numbers In' Little Bourkeftreet; and they give quite an air of business to the street. But in addition to the professors of these more necessary arts, we have in Little Bourke- , ' street numerous representatives of al- * most every conceivable branch of trade. There are, for example, wireworkers, '*..' Jocksmiths, tinsmiths, working jewel- , n lers, bellhangers, gas-fitters, painters, \' c carpenters, blacksmiths, farriers, &c, 'r-' in plenty; and, turning to other mati ters, there are dealers in every possible 4eommodity. As in most of the byeespecially of large towns -of the country, too," there are a variety of i '.jhose " old curiosity shops,'' in which I *the purchaser may find whatever he { may happen to want, whether it be a \ 4 £needle or an anchor ;" clothing for L the body, or food for the mind, or i iiticles of all kinds for use or for ornati aent. Taken as a whole, Little lonrke-street presents a^ busy and ■1 Wiling aspect at all hours of the day. ,> $ioS early morning until evening the "*» Vm^Lvof labor is seldom stilled, and, as *&blkye .already said, in no other street ■ \ °m^town, perhaps, can a better idea * s * pitied of the rapidity with which 'it kinds are being estab*i B hei%th a success which is all the : Wore gratifying looking to the fact that, > J but thl^%jier day, we had little or nothing ibf -the kind amongst us. The Chinese quitter, slso a busy one, gives eT idenee oi enterprise in ways more Peculiar to \bat people. The purpdse of this slight sketch is, ,' «f course, njerely to point to the fact that a healthy activity prevails in various branches of trade in Melbourne ; an <i that even uDder the " evils of free trade 1 '— as the Protectionists will have it — -enterprise is neither dead not dory anant here. True, our tradesmen and I ) artisans have not yet sufficiently e - Xfcl tended their businesses to compete with Hi our importations in any respect; but it E| is at least satisfactory to know that we ■ft «*e not wholly so dependent upon the Wffi\ as we have been. It is a great »|> .thing to get a beginning made, no mat y wSdr^^l enter P riße ' Wfci I• nd that d one it can .soon be ■ F BC ; r ,^ ned (- bort > on the part of capital I ' V£* la ff° r \ h0 S f " ««* «c checked in ■^ ef those protective duties 80 much and ■pst loudly called for by many of th«? ■ ", 'gutsi friends of the working man.