St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-16
AUSTRALIAN TIPS.
"a Returned American Gives Out
Some That Are New and
81 Interesting.
Parrots Cheap Enough to Eat,
and Fruits to BE Bought for
Small Change.

= III. Weinrath, of Brisbane, Australia,
was in the city yesterday en- route to
the worlds fair, where he will visit
: with relatives whom he has not seen for
the past twenty years. Il arrived in
the city this morning over the Canadian
2 Pacific line, and | Will leave this even
ling over the Kansas City route" he said
to reporter of the GLOBE. 81 have
been in Australia for the past twenty
years, and this is my first trip to the
States during that time" Mr.. Vein
srath is the insurance inspector of the
South British Company of Aus tralia.
He had in his possession a dozen par
rots, several other birds and quantity
of curios from Australia. One of the
curios was snuff box or match box
made of a native bean and mounted in
silver. He wore watch charm OF
native gold hammered into proper
shape, and in every pocket be carried
something queer.
sit seems so strange for me to see the
prices charged for the most common
fruits in this country" he said. I'm
australia we can purchase bananas
for about 10 cents per bunch, and those
large pineapples, for which the people
in this country pay 25 cents, we buy in
the market, and much finer ones than
are seen here, for Is cents a dozen.
These parrots which | have with me |
paid % cents apiece for, and they will
sell for at least $40 apiece in Chicago. if
| care to sell them. l expect to give
them to my brother and his friends,
hn hox Jim
twenty years, and he was only boy
then. do not suppose that will know
him.
Australia is one of the best coun-
tries in the world for Il young man to
go to for the purpose of making fort
une. There are millions of acres of I'M
improved property there, which has
never been explored as yet. The sheep
raising industry is one of the principal
Industries OF the country, and the
gold mines are large portion of the
valuable industries. l know man who
has made large amount of money out
of the killing of kangarooS. He ships
the hides to England and America for
the making of shoes, and he gets a
bounty from the crown for the killing
of the animals. These animals have
multiplied to such an extent that they
completely overrun some parts of the
continent, and eat more of the grass in
the sheep pastures than the sheep them
selves do. They eat large quantities of
grass. and | have known of instances
where the sheep have been unable to
get enough to eat where the grass was
i'll the best of condition. The clumsy
marsupials would gather in droves and
drive the sheep away. OF course, you
have heard of the rabbit plague, which
has caused so much trouble to the farm
ers of that country. The rabbits were
brought to Australia in small numbers,
and it is supposed that they found the
conditions such that they multiplied
much faster than in any other country.
"They are killed by the million, but
there does not seem to be any decrease
in their numbers. At some seasons of
the year the farmers and bushmen
organize for rabbit slaughter and the
little pests are killed in immense num-
hers. No one takes the trouble to save
their skins or their meat and the dead
bodies can be found in all parts of Aus
traia. The hunters kill them with
clubs and stones, and it is rare that
powder. and shot are wasted upon them,
unless there is a large bunch together.
IS ''SOme of the most prominent business
men of the country have been convicts
who were sent to Australia by the gov
eminent. They became good citizens,
and it was these men who developed
the country. Some of them were
natural criminals. but the better class
of convIcts have kept them out of the :.
way. Now and then we will hear of
some of the bushrangers who still CON-
init depredatonS. but they are very few.
| am very much enthused over my
adopted country, and think it is a good
plan for young man to go there"