The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-12-14 00:00:00

QUEENSLAND DESCRIBED,

Under the head of "The British Colonies " (Ito. IT.) the
Cobs of Tuesday gave a most interesting description of
Queensland (by the Hon. E. 0. Ilacdevitt, ex-Attorney-
General of Queensland), which should be read with great
attention by those who may be thinking of bettering their
300dition by emigrating—the agricultural classes espeolally
—for, as the writer remarks, "the farmer from Europe will
Ilnd that the soil and climate of central and southern Queens-
land present all the conditions necessary to carry on in
Its perfection the agriculture he had learnt at home."—We
make the following extracts from the article :

. . - "The principal industries of the colony are
the pastoral, the agricultural, and the mining indus-
tries. Three-fourths of the immense area of the
country are fit for agriculture or afford good pasture.
The squatter, as the sheep farmer or graEier is called,
has ever been in the van of settlement nearly all over
Australia. Whether looked at from the point of
view of pleasure or of profit, it is doubtful if there be
any other occupation so well calculated to gratify a
man of adventure and enterprise, or reward a man of
energy and perseverance. As the pioneer and first
occupier, it has been the policy of the law to lease
to him large tracts of country at a little more than
a nominal rent. He begins with a very small flock
or hcrd, but in a few years he finds himself
master of many thousands of sheep and cattle. The
climate is so fine that he does not require to house
them, and the unaided bounty of nature gives sufficient
food. This is the prooess of settlement now going on
in the remote districts of Queensland. Ten years hence
the traveller will find princely properties where at
present he would only meet the black man or the
kangaroo. Stock increases with incredible rapidity.
There are many properties in Queensland on which
nearly 200,000 sheep, or a number of cattle of equiva-
lent value, are depastured, and which were first settled
in the way I have mentioned by their fortunate owners
not very long ago. . . .

"The first few years of a settler's life must be a time
of unintermitting toil—toil handsomely rewarded, but
often cheerless and lonely. He is sustained, however,
by the prospect of establishing a home for himself and
his children. Under such conditions toil ought to be
sweet and solitude should bring no ennui. Besides
helknows that in a very few years he must have plenty
of neighbours, that the telegraph wire and the
rally, ay will soon be extended to the little township
not far off, and he will thus be brought into com-
munication with the outer world. When he con-
trasts his present position and prospects with those
before him as a working man in Great Britain,
he is thankful that he is in a country which gives such
promise of happiness, and in which, no matter how
great his reverses may be, he need have no apprehen-
sion that his children will grow up ignorant or will
ever want a home. Education is free to every child in
Queensland. According to the statement of an intelli-
gent and trustworthy traveller, 'in Queensland there
is endless wealth in most minerals in commercial use
—particularly gold.' Coal and iron ore of the very
best quality are found in many places. Geologists
estimate the ore overlying the coal deposits at
24,000 square miles. There are also cinnabar, silver,
lead, bismuth, and nearly every other mineral; but
mining is principally confined to coal, tin, copper, and
gold. The tin fields cover an extensive area in the
border land between New South Wales and Queens-
land. The ore is being found in large quan-
tities, so as to maintain a considerable population.
There are several copper mining districts, in some of
which, as the Peak Downs and the Cloncurry, them
are mines of exceeding great richness. But Queens-
land is richest in gold, Every year the area of
auriferous country is being added to by new dis-
coveries. That country is now, in respect of her gold
fields, pretty much in the same condition in which
Victoria and New South Wales were twenty years
ago. Most of the Queensland gold fields have been
but recently discovered, and though yielding enor-
mously, are only in the first step of development.
The area of auriferous country at present being worked
cannot be much less than 4,000 square miles. There
is a chain of gold fields throughout the whole length of
the colony, from north to south. . • The life of a differ
is one of adventure, nearly always attended with
hardships, and often with risk. In newly-discovered
gold fields the digger incurs privations which are fre-
quently followed by fatal results. For a hard work-
ing man, however, the gold fields possess the attrac-
tion of plenty of work and wages nearly double the
ordinary rate. A good miner, working for wages, can
save at least £7O a year.
"Queensland is rich in precious stones—the opal,
the topaz, the amethyst, the diamond, the ruby, and
the agate. The noble opal is widely distributed.
But no considerable portion of the population has,
as yet, taken to the work or searching for these precious
stones as a continuous occupation. The climate, as will
be gathered from what has been already said, is different
in different places. In Rockhampton, within the
tropics, the climate resembles that of Algiers; in Bris-
bane the climate almost exactly resembles that of Ma-
deira; while in some parts of the elevated regions of the
south the winters are nearly as cold as those of Scotland.
The climate of Stanthorp, the capital of the tin country,
resembles that of London. Bright skies, warm sun-
shine, a dry and exhilarating atmosphere, are in the
main the characteristics of the climate. The people
of Queensland enjoy greater immunity from disease
than, perhaps, those of any other country. So healthy
is the climate that epidemics are unknown. Many
forms of disease unfortunately too familiar here have
not yet made their appearance in Queensland. As in
many other parts of Australia, one can sleep out
on the ground without even the protection of a
tent during the whole of the year except in
the rainy season. The summer heat is tem-
pered by the trade winds. Hence it is that
the country is free from the great extremes
of heat so often felt in other parts of Australia.
The capital of the colony—Brisbane—is a city re-
markable for the beauty of its Lituation and its fine
public buildings—the Parliament House, the Gover-
nor's Palace, and the various public offices. The
river on which it is built is crossed by a bridge
having a wider span than I ondon Bridge. In re-
spect of water supply, railway accommodation,
wharves, and docks it possesses everything that a
prosperous city, having a large commeice, can require.
In remote, unsettled districts the land is leased to
the squatters in blocks of not less than 25 square
miles for 21 years, at a rent of ss. a square mile for
the first seven years, 10s. for the second, and 15s. for
the third. When land is aliened in fee, the quantity
allowed to a single purchaser and the price he has to
pay depend on the position of the district in which the
land is situate. If near the capital or other large
towns, the quantity is less and the price higher than
for land in more remote districts. The Governer, by
proclamation, determines the price and quautity ;
but he cannot restrict the quantity to less than 640
acres, nor increase it to more than 5,120 acres, nor
can he fix a lower price than ss. an acre, while the
maximum is seldom over £1 an acre. The average
price would be 10s. an acre. The purchase money is
divided by ten, and may be paid by equal payments
yearly for ten years, without interest. But for the
emigrant of more moderate desires and restricted
means there is an opportunity, under the Homestead
Law, of acquiring a freehold at a nomival sum. The
Homestead Law allows the settler up to 160 acres of
land, at the rate of 6d. an acre for five years. If
during that time the settler has made a home of it by
residing on and cultivating a portion, he has it made
over to him in fee free of rent and taxes for ever.

"The population of Queensland has nearly doubled
every six years since the foundation of the colony.
Her prosperity has increased at a still more rapid rate,
and the future development of the colony promises
even greater results. There is the broad expanse of
rich land to be occupied, the mines to be worked, and
the trade sure to arise in consequence to be carried on.
Nowhere else has capital a safer or larger return, or
labour a better reward. Hence it offers inducements
alike to the capitalist as *ell as to him who has to de-
pend altogether on his own exertions, whether in a pro.
fession, in trade, or in the humbler walks of life. The
fortune of the individual colonist will, if he prudently
takes advantage of his opportunity, grow with the growth
of the colony. If we take thevalue of labour as a standard
by which to test the condition of Queensland we
shall find the circumstances of the colony very
encouraging. The lowest average wage for labour
is seven shillings a day; if hired by the year,
£4O, with board and lodging. Much higher wages
are generally paid. Mechanics are paid ten twelve,
and fifteen shillings a day. Meat is so cheap that
the poorest labourers have abundance at each of
their daily meals, and all the other substantials of
life are similarly within reach—tea, bread, sugar,
vegetables, and fruit. The ordinary hired labourer
at the lowest current wages can save £3O a year.
Domestic servants are paid from £26 to £36 a year.
There are only three women for every five men in the
colony; so the fair gex enjoy great consideration. The
Agent-General for Queensland grants free passages to
agricultural labourers and domestic servants, and
assisted passages to mechanics and tradesmen. The
Government of the colony makes a liberal provision
for that purpose. As proof of the care taken in the
fitting out of the Queensland Government ships,
it is worth* of remark that, although nearly
80,000 emigrants have been taken in them to
the colony, there has not been a death on
board one of them caused by any marine casualty,
People going to the colony ought to make up their
means to this that if they mean to profit by the op-
portunities it offers, work—persevering work—will
be required of them. They must even be prepared
for disappointment for a time. Many will have "to
rough it," as the phrase goes. But those whose
ambition leads them to prefer the hard work which
begets independence to the limited exertions suffi-
cient for a livelihood will find in Queensland the condi-
tion of things they desire."