AUSTRALASIA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2489, 13 April 1893, Page 3

AUSTRALASIA.

The Weillington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times writes as follows ; MELBOURNE. Chatting with Dr Lemon to-day, who has just returned from the Brisbane Postal Conference, having accompanied Mr Ward over the water, I got from him a terrible account of the state of things in Melbourne. Eleven thousand houses empty in greater Melbourne, and everywhere the signs of wasted extravagance of the “ boom.” He saw palatial buildings ten to thirteen storeys High with marble staircases, marble pilasters, plateglass windows, furnished _ exquisitely, without the prospect of earning the ghost of interest on the cost of their construction. . He heard stories of wild speculation, of personal extravagance, and of the contrast in the large number of people whose life savings are gone, and who, having to begin life again, know not which way to turn. '.Retrenchment in the public service, he declares the old politicians told him, is impossible, because every Minister knows that in beginning to retrench he must tread on the toes of his supporters. The way the various departments are overmanned positively astounded him, coming from a prudently governed country. Want of means for public works ; want of employment for the artisans (the factories unable to sell their products beyond the borders are discharging hands); want of political backbone to reduce an overcrowded expensive service.—these are the chief features of the Victorian capital. I mantioned the views of the Times correspondent, Miss Shaw, about the soundness of the country industries, and the necessity for getting the people out of the towns. He replied that such a policy costs money, “ and where is that to come from ?” I mentioned the case of Alison Smith. The Doctor had met him, and seen the evidence at .the enquiry into the locomotives. The Doctor said Ih.it Mr Smith was very cheery, and very sanguine of good results. The defence seemed to be, as far as he could remember, that the alterations which did the mischief were not Mr Smith’s at all, his alterations, on the contrary, having been beneficial. SYDNEY. Of the slate of Sydney the Doctor spoke a little more hopefully. Things are far from well, but they don’t cry “ stinking fish ” in the mother capital. QUEENSLAND. Of course we talked about the Hoods in Queensland, but I learned to my astonishment that the recovery has been already great. In many parts of Brisbane you would not know they had ever had a flood. The river is in a bad way, though ; it will take two years, with the present appliances, to dredge the silt out of the river, so as to enable steamers to get up to the old points. The Doctor considers that the damage done by the floods in East and West Maitland was far greater. He saw vineyards like dustheaps, produce of all kinds lying in long lines against fences, railroads, and raised roadways ; miles upon miles of water lying over a country he had seen smiling and rich on his way through to Brisbane, As to the country generally, he was very decided. He had not seen, between Melbourne and Brisbane, anything like the country here on the Manawatu, Wanganui, Napier, and Taranaki, lines. No place like home.