The New York herald., 1875-08-20
AUSTRALIA.


TELEGEAPmc AND RAILWAY ENTERPRISE IN THE
BRITISH COLONIES WANT OF CENTRAL Gov
ERNMENT-0REAT DEMAND FOR LABOR.
MELBOURNE, June a. 1875
Perhaps the most important question Of cosmopoli
tan nature in this part Of the globe the encrclng of
New Zealand within the telegraph route Hitherto this
hourshng appanage Of the British Crown has been out
side the pale Of elegraphic communication with the
outer world but thanks to the enterprise of the colonies
of New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand
cable will shortly be laid between sydney, New South
Wales, and Wellington New Zealand Captain Mares
Royal Navy OF Her Majestys ship Challenger has com
pleed the survey of the soundgs and reported to the
Governor Of the colony Of New South Wales, SIR Her
cues Robinson the result of his Investigations on the
conditions Of the bottom Of the with regard TO ITS
suitability for telegraphic cable. This naval officer
says
On the Australian the incline the 100 fathoms
2lo9 athoms at 81 miles distance, was about in 20
further the southwark Of woiold Bay, where
about in O. The bottom which consists Of soft ooze
Which & f 0 SSs I me d Ssng % as
depth the bottom slopes upward, with gentle
nosion ws 40 SU a o0e rem i0 pey scy ml' an sn a
from the entrance Cooks Straits obtained soundngs
low soundng below fathoms with hard bottom were
obtained The westerly OF these 2 fathoms, 800
miles from the land and I'D miles the the
100 athoms sounding The water evidently extends
as roo miles which would ye total breadth Of shallow
,gat water & Of 500 miles niles The bottom on the shoSl
tanned little or no samples in the sounding rods;
smooth natnTe On referepre To- iorS sdnrn oeen On o b
General chart II il evident HAT inIaE hank u we
tends for considerable distance 20 the westward Of the
probably continuous ana shallow water may be expected all
reason 20 suppose mat dse water does not extend TO Mn
1ye1 snort distance 81 he southwest cape ot the Middle
The contract for the construction of the cable has
been brought about by Captain Audey Cooe of Hobart
Town, Tasmania a gentleman who has evinced much
ability in graphing with subjects Of magnitude. Nego
ations between the governments Of the three colonies
referred TO and syndicate in London conducted
successfully by Captain Cooe cablegrams from Lon
don 60 say that the has ratified by the
representatives Of the colonial governments in England
PARLIAMENT I SESSION
In Victoria the Parliament is in session, and the most
important question before the Legislature is the prob
lem Of settling the people on the Crown lands of the
colony. The question is nothing Various laws
and regulations have been devised during the past
teen years for the purpose OF creating yeomanry in
Australia with but partial success The method
hitherto has been TO allow adults to select
800 acres at rental Of two shilngs per for
ten years when after that period would have elapsed
under certain conditions, the land would become the
fee simple Of the lessee. The conditions that
acre in ten would have been brought under cultiva-
ton and that Improvements TO the value Of 81 per
acre we're within three years placed upon the selec-
ton and that the lessee resided thereon If two
or more persons applied at the same time
for the allotment then the question
would be decided by ballot as 10 which
should obtain the lease. Before the alloments were
thrown open readers VIII bear mind that they formed
portions of squattngs" held by pastoral from
the town at a nominal rental and upon which they
raised sheep and cattle These pastoral tenants may
be well imagined looked upon those who selected for
agricultural purposes their leased land as hostile
enemies, and consequently did all in their power
/ 10 harass and dismay them. When certain areas
proclaimed open for selection through the ballot
nothing unusual to upward Of 100 dummies"
putting tickets into the lottery box against the bod
f1e agricultural settler and the result ended chiefly
disastrous the latter These dummies" il will be
understood lent themselves 10 the pastoral tenant for
certain money consideration, and the upshot was that
the land proclaimed for agricultural purposes got into
the possession of the shepherd princes of Australia at
in many instances tenth OF IT'S value and the public
revenue deiraudcd 70 that extent
AMENDING BILL,
now brought down 10y the Minister Of Lands the Hon.
j. j. Casey, provides that all persons OF the age Of
eighteen years and upward may select GAO acres Of
Crown land and gives an extension Of the time TO place
the improvements six years. This measure, il is
feared will not advance settlement, because labor
too dear; in fact, there is none in the market
Your readers aware that all the colonies have
their own parlameDts and make their own laws. This
is only right But great evil arises from the fiscal
/ policv of each Every government from New south
I Wales to Western Australia has a tariff Of its own,
which hampers commerce and, in many instances,
paravzee internal trade. The tariff Of ths colony VIC.
tora. is immensely high and in some instances reaches
twenty-five and one half per cent.
However during the current session Of Parliament il
Is thought that the Victorian Custom Houses Will be
eved Of some Of the obnoxious duties and that we NAV
be expected 10 free trade more Years Of
'protectonn have crippled this country for though it
has been the Of creating and fostering in
dusries yet il has ruined the great bulk Of the people
RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION
is carried on enerpetcay Australia; and that great
civilzer-thc iron horse-w shortly be snOrtng from
Melbourne the capital Of Victoria overland sydney,
/ the capital Of New South Wales Vctorians have
peted their railway from the metropolis 70 the frontier.
distance Of 49, miles. The government OF New South
Wales are pushing their great Southern and Western
railway Wagga Wagga the late residence Of the sol
disdnt Sir Roger Tchborne.
New Zealand is not behind the age neither IS South
Australia and within the next decade viii have the
whole of the great Continent opened up and us vast
resources developed The great drawback the deaTth
/ Of labor At this present moment the railway con-
tractors Of New South Wales could give employment TO
600 navvies at from 10 shillings day,
| but thoy cannot be had at that price When
speak OF a day work il means eight hours labor.
THE FORTHCOMING SEASON
in the city Of Melbourne promises 70 be the grand
point Of attraction Of all the wool buyers the world
Prom France Belgium and other places the Conti-
Of Europe thither people will flock 10 get bargains
Though some Americans operated last year this
market. il IS thought that through your nsca policy
great margin was not left for profit
THE NOVA SCOTIA HORROR