AUSTRALIA REVISITED.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1922, Page 6

AUSTRALIA REVISITED.

SOME IMPRESSIONS, A COMPLIMENTARY LUNCHEON. Members of the executives of the Taranaki Chamber Of Commerce and New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League foregathered yesterday afternoon, at May and Arrowsmith’s, to welcome home the president and chairman respectively (Mr. T. C. List), who had been away on a visit to Australia. Mr. E. P. Webster presided over an attendance of 24, whilst several apologies were received. After the loyal toast had been honored, the chairman said the reason for the gathering was for the purpose of welcoming back Mr. List, who had recently returned from a holiday in Australia. Mr. Webster then proposed the health of the “President of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce and the Chairman of the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League,” explaining that both these offices were held at present by Mr. List. Pleasure was expressed at the fact that Mr. List had returned from his trip looking so fit*and well. The toast was enthusiastically drunk with musical honors.

Mr. List thanjeed the members of the executive for their warm welcome. He thought it a very good thing for a New Zealander to go away sometimes and see how things were done in other countries. Thus he woutd obtain a better perspective of his own land and broaden his mind generally. Australia differed from New Zealand in many respects, but still there was much in common between the two countries. Australians for the most part were fairly ignorant of New Zealand conditions. Very little news appeared in the Sydney and Melbourne papers about. Ne«v Zealand, except, cablegrams relating to earthquakes. He was afraid we in New Zealand were also somewhat ignorant of Australian conditions. A better press service in Australia, and freer intercourse commercially and personally, would tend to greater mutual knowledge. A NATIONAL SPIRIT. The Australians were developing a national spirit. They believed in themselves and their country, and desired to be independent and self-reliant. They realised, of course, that they were members of the British Empire, and were not insensible of their obligations therewith; but they did not desire to be hampered or curbed, desiring to work out their own destiny in their own way. To them, attachment t-> .the Old Country was of far less concern than the promotion of the interests of Australia. The Australian, particularly in Nevz South Wales, in other words, was developing on different lines from the New Zealander, approximating more to the American type; whilst the New Zealander —and the Victorian, in a less degree—was following the English model. The difference in the two types was much more marked than it was 20 years ago, when he was last in Australia, and probably would continue, as the conditions of living and the nature of the countries were so dissimilar. AN EMPTY CONTINENT. A very great problem in Australia was the filling-up of the immense empty spaces. The people in New South Wales and Victoria were flocking to the big cities. Today Sydney had a population of almost a million, and Melbourne 850,000. Of New South Wales’s population, for instance, 77 per cent, was domiciled in Sydney. Sydney was now like a giant octopus, nd extended in every direction. The suburbs were self-contained, with their own shops and offices, parks, etc.—real cities within a city. In the city itself, the congestion was very considerable; in fact, between 4.30 and 6.30 p.m. it was almost impossible to move against the human current in “the block” area. It was a case of “going with the crowd.” An underground railway had been started, but, though this would relieve the congestion to a certain extent, it would not bring absolute relief.

i Sydney Harbor had shown a great dei velopment. There were myriads of boats on the harbor. Ferry-boats seemed to leave Circular Quay every minute for every part of the harbor. North Shore had a population of over 150,000, and the ferries could not handle the traffic much longer. A bridge was now projected across the harbor. The traffic outside what could be deI scribed as the congested area was very | great, too. The speed at which the trams I and motor-cars travelled in streets where I there were thousands of people surprised i him. The motor-cars travelled 30 miles an hour, and the trams thundered along at an equally great pace. Devon Street, New Plymouth, was wider than the Sydney streets, but in Sydney the motor-cars were allowed to pull up anywhere at the side of busy streets for a reasonable time. GROWTH OF INDUSTRIES. The growth of the industrial portion of Sydney was next touched upon by the - speaker. In some areas there were rows of chimney-stacks. Australian industries were to a large extent protected by a heavy tariff, and thus wonderful progress •had been made. In Sydney, goods were much dearer than they used to be, and no cheaper so far as the best articles were concerned than in New Zealand towns, except in respect to boots and hats and a few other articles in which the Australians had s]iecialised successfully. The effect of the 44-hour week was next referred to. This had had a prejudicial effect on industry. Shorter hours had reduced output, and thereby' increased prices, which meant that some of the industries could not compete with outside goods, not ■ withstanding the high tariff. Coal had i also increased in price, from Ils per ton to : 22s 9d. This, with the. shorter hours, had caused two large iron and steel works st Newcastle to close, whilst others were likelv to follow suit unless the 44-hour week Act were repealed. UNIMPRESSIVE FEATURES. There, were some features of Sydney life that did not particularly impress a visitor The city was always gay and light-hearted —perhaps wayward—brought about, probably, by the salubrious climate. Sydney was given over to the pursuit of sport and pleasure to an extent that must have a prejudicial effect on the future national life. The newspaper press was not without blame for this condition. With one or two exceptions, it had greatly deteriorated in tone, and become quite Americanised, serving up the sensational and neglecting the things that really mattered. It gave

I the public perhaps what they wanted, nat what they needed. But the speaker had a different conception of the duty of the j newspaper press, and deplored the retrui gressive tendency, which was having a marked effect upon the character of the people. It would be unfair to include ill the people in this category. A great proportion were just as sturdy morally' and in every other way as in New Zealand ar elsewhere.

Melbourne was next referred to by the speaker, who dwelt upon its broad streets ; and paths, its fine barks and buildings. ! The suburban trains had recently been electrified, and were a potent factor in the development of the metropolitan area. To give an idea of the frequency of the scr vice, he mentioned that in one suburb 182 trains passed daily. Industries were expanding here at a great rate. The workmen gave a higher output than in Sydney, due possibly to climatic differences, and he knew of one Sydney man who admitted that it paid him to send his orders to Melbourne and pay freight rather than manufacture at his own place. AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS. The speaker said he studied the agricultural conditions in New South Wales and Victoria as well as he could in the time at his disposal, and to him it was remarkable that the farmers did so well, considering the disadvantages under which they labored. There were droughts to contend against, entailing the conservation of water by' means of dams, holes and tanks; then the rabbits, which were an awful pest; as well as a hundred-and-one diseases from which New Zealand was immune. The white ants tackled all woodwork, unless it was treated with creosote, and mice and locusts were frequently so bad as to constitute a plague. Added to these drawbacks was the general poorness of the soil (except in favored localities), which had to be extensively tilled and fertilised before crops could be grown. Then the yield was not always very profitable, the average of wheat in New South Wales over a period, of five years being about 10 bushels, against New Zealand’s 30. In the summeri time the land was so hard that it was < impossible to put in a spade or a plough. Compared with Australia, New Zealand, from a farmer’s point of ciew, was a veritable paradise. One had to go away and see things to appreciate the fertility of New Zealand’s soil and the immense possibilities before the country. “In Taranaki, even the backblocks land is far better than the average Australian land. Instead of a I population of 63,000, we should be carrying a population of four times that number,” added Mr. List. But to fully realise its possibilities, certain things had to be done. The average farmer in Taranaki had more land than he could profitably ■ use. He would obtain better results by I reducing the area, thus saving considerably ; in overhead charges, concentrating upon | it, growing more winter feed and giving i it to his animals, looking after them better I by rugging them in winter and growing ' shelter belts. Then there was consider- | able room for improvement in the quality of the herds, and much could be accomplished by systematic herd-testing and the introduction of approved pedigree stock. Taranaki had a splendid future before it, and this fact was impressed upon one after being away even for a short time. Taranaki had a future, too, from a tourist’s point of view. He had interviewed the managers of the various tourist bureaux in Sydney' and Melbourne, and as soon as the lower Awakino road was through they could look to a great deal of the overseas tourist traffic going to Auckland coming through to Taranaki. This road and the Tangarakau roads were important gateways of tbe province, and they should concentrate upon having them opened at the I earliest possible opportunity. After referring to other matters (reported elsewhere), the speaker resumed his seat amidst applause. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) said they must all feel grateful to Mr. List for what he had told them and j what he had done whilst away. Evidently : he had not forgotten to serve his town whilst away on holiday, and he would ask them to accord him a very hearty vote of thanks, which was carried by acclamation.