The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-05-14
OBSERVATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.
Int, resting Letter from a wnIiamstown
Man

Int resting Letter from wnliamstown
Man.
The North Adams Transcript is per-
mitted to make the following extracts
from letter written to friend by Mark
K. Hunter of Williamstown, who went
to Australia about eight months ago in
the interest of the Walter A. Wood Now
ing and Reaping Machine Company of
HOOsick Falls. The latter is dated Bal
larat, Victoria, February LIST, and after
expressing his satisfaction with his pO-
sitiUn Mr.. Hunter goes on TO say:
To give you anything like compre-
hensive idea of Australia and its charac-
teristics would take long time, and am
not yet well enough acquainted with the
country to venture on minute descrip-
tion, so | will touch only upon general
impressions. The people, as in the
| United States, are mixture of English,
Scotch, Irish, Jews, Americans, Arabs,
Italians and Chinese. Occasionally one
sees a native black, but in the south they
are like our lndians-a thing of the past
and are fast dying out all over the con-
tinent. In the north, or very hot sec
tions, natives and MongOlians are about |
the only people ut present. These islands |
are OF late years receiving good deal of |
attention, especially since gold and silver |
were found in so many localities; and |
after the fever of mineral production had |
subsidized husbandry came in for its share |
OF recognition. Now in the more promi- |
nent colonies, like New Zealand, Tas- |
mania, New South Wales, Victoria and |
the south of South Australia, land has |
become valuable, think even more so |
than in many of our own old States. In |
certain districts thousands of acres that
are wanted for farming are held by
'squatters." Land rents from one
(S4.SO) to six pounds per acre per year,
and it is no uncommon thing for land to
be rented for a term of years at from a
pound to pound and 10 shillings per
acre. How many of the farmers, or
cookies, rs they are called, live don't
see; and really in many cases 1t is not
living, but merely staying in wretched
hOvel of two or three rooms. The ma
jority of farm houses and houses occu-
pied by laborers are One-stOry dwellings.
In small towns the stores, hotels and
public buildings are two stories high,
while the residences are but one story,
made of stone or brick and cemented on
the outside. But such is custom, and
although when first came here it all
seemed very strange, yet now | often
question why it is not Just as well. The
expense of building here is quite large,
and that determines to some extent the
kind of buildings used.
A strange thing in the government is
that while there is constant talk and
general feeling that Australia should be
federated, still each colony is independ-
ent, jealous and seeking to have its own
way. There are tariff lines between and
around each, except free trade New
South Wales. The result is the exchange
of productions is limited and a rivalry
exists which causes all, rather than help
each other, to send their products to and
to buy their goods of some European
country, chiefly England. | think this
is largely due to England's policy. She
sends here English Governors, railroad
superintendent and ministers of different
kinds, who hold the reins of government,
and the business of the colonies in close
relations to England, and for England's
gain send her goods here to market. If
these were made here of course England
would lose the trade. But the time
must come, think, when Australia will
be free and independent nation, with
federation of the colonies. and then she
will boom. The principal hindrance,
aside from internal tariff, which limits
the establishment of large industries and
manufactures, is the lack of several pro-
ducts that have greatly helped the United
States. Conspicuous among these are
iron and coal. New South Wales is the
only colony that has produced coal to
any amount, although Victoria has lately
been producing some. Petroleum is all
imported and candles are much used.
Kerosene is worth from 80 to go cents
per gallon. The supply of lumber is also
limited.
The large nterpiises-railroads tele-
graph, etc, are controlled by the govern
ment and do not improve as fast as they
would with competition and rivalry. |
Railroad accommodations of the first |
class are fair, but not up to those ir the |
United States by any means. The Eng
lish system prevails The cars are built |
in sections, and when you enter a section
you are locked in. The guard punches
your ticket when you get aboard and |
often on the route. The cars are about
six feet apart, with long spring buffers |
In the sleepers, called Yankee cars, you
lie across the car with feet to the win |
dow, and good draft on them. The |
aisle extends along the side of the car
and opens into sections of four berths |
each, two on side and facing each other.
These cars are used on the railroad from
Sydney, N. S. W., to Melbourne, Victoria,
and from Melbourne to Adelaide, South
Australia. There are second-Tate accom-
modatiOns, and third-rate on some trains
The second rate costs two-thirds the
price of the first and debars one from
cushions, furnishing only bare, wooden
seats and any kind of company In each
car is a smoking compartment, and in all
other parts smoking is prohibited. As
regards baggage, in some cOlonies-Vic-
tOria, and, think, New South Wales,
checks are used in the others they have
not got that far advanced yet. A trunk
is ticketed and directed to its destina-
tion, and at that place the owner points
it out and it is turned over to him. In
South Australia they have two or three
different guagcs and it is a fine thing,
because you have to change cars every
little while, and it gives work to the
railroads, and if you are in hurry for
freight, why, you can wait till it comes
In Victoria, called the American colony,
and, by the way, the smaTtest of them
all, they have a standard guage and the
accommodations are better. In New
Zealand they are said to be poor, yet a
man gets on all right.
Wagons, carts, ETC., are heavy, about
llike those used in the United States
years ago. Large loads are drawn, from
seven to nine tons on wagon being not
uncommon. These loads are drawn by
from seven to nine yokes of bullocks, or
five to eight horses. In this colony some
good horses and carriages are TO be
found. A carriage that sells at home
from Sl25 to $50 is worth here from $500
to $3.50. Horses are cheap. Drove
horses are sold at from S25 to S35; driv-
ing horses from $50 to $50. Merchandise
of all kinds is worth from 25 to 30 per
cent. more than in the United States. In
free trade New South Wales prices are
% per cent higher than in the United
States, though lower than in the other
colonies New South Wales is now get
ting on as well as Victoria, where higher
prices prevail and there is more employ
ment for labor. But am not as well
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