Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-01-25
FROM THE ANTIPoDES.
Australia Suffering From the StaGnatiOn
of Older Lands.

Australia Suffering From the StagnatiOL
| of Older Lands.
Especial Cores pond ence.
SYDNEY, Dec. 1S.-New South Wales is
| perhaps the most prosperous Of all the Eng
lish speaking colonies south Of the equator
yet in proportion TO its population-l,2O 200,
| 0O0-it has more idle men than England
and quite ms much poverty. Disguised with
conditions here, several hundred men, many
Of them with their families, left for South
America few months ago, and thousands
are only deferred from following their ex-
ample from want OF means
The veal of these colonies lies in sheep,
cattle, whe; and gold and silver. There
has been no disease to thin out the herds
and hocks, he wheat and other crops have
been larger han ever before, and the out
put of gold and silver has been up to the
average of the most prosperous years.
Heretofore Australasia has been regarded
as aworkingman's paradise, yet today there
are tens of thousands of idle men in this
and the other colonies, and the govern
ments have had to vote grants to keep the
people from starving.
When landed here from New Zealand a
short time since, the first thing | saw after
getting free of the customs officers was u
u.
They looked like intelligent mechanics, but
there was an eager and hungry expression
in their faces as they held up dingy blue
flag, on which was the legend, Help the
Unemployed"
asked the meaning of this demoustra
ton and was told that this was Il small de
tachment of the unemployed army then
idle aud starving in the Queen City of the
AntipodeS," as sydney Is called. While
was seeking information a number of these
men passed along the sidewalks hat in
hand, soliciting help. This they do in all
parts of the city and suburban towns, and
the money gathered in this way is divided
up among the men who have wives and
children dependent on them.
The business staguation from which the
whole commercial world is now suffering
began in Australia just two years ago The
capitalists say the strikes Of labor organi-
zations caused the trouble. The working
men swear that it was caused by land
sharks and overspsculation, and they point
to the scores of broken banks and burst
land booms in proof of their statement.
Building associations, which in the Unit
ed States have been conducted on mutual
and economic lines, here were made joint
stock affairs, with banking annexes aud
enormous capita!-On paper. Poor men, in
the hope OF becoming their own landlords,
were induced toput their saviAgs into these
associations, and the consequence was, when
the inevitable crash came, they found them
selves without money$hhd without employ
ment.
Sydney, like adj other Australian cities,
Is noted for the number and beauty of its
public parks. Hyde park, one OF the oldest
of these, has at its entrance a gigantic
bronze statue of her majesty Victoria In
coronation robes, q crown OH her head and
q typical globe in her hand. Every day at
noon thousands of idle men gather about
this s.atue-nlost of the poor wretches have
their bedrooms in the park-while one of
their number mounts the steps and de
claims against kings and capitalists in
way that would not he permitted in the
United States.
What the end Is to be the wisest cannot
foresea. The capitalist may have been a
byrant, but the workingman ia his despera-
lion promises to out Herod Herod Social
Ism Of the moat advanced kind Is openly
preached. On Sundays the parks are
crowded with listeners to addresses that
would not be permitted In New York
As . result Of this state Of affairs crimes
against property are rife. The streets, filled
With dangerous men by day. swarm with
worse women by night. The jails are
crowded. The poorhouses overflow with
old people and children. Yet there are
mines to be worked and empires of good
land still untouched by the pillow within
easy reach Of all this suffering. But the
mines aud the unused lands are In the
hands Of syndicatcs, and 50 labor starves
by the richest bounties of ma
lure, to which 1t Is forbidden access by the
laws Of the land. w. l. ScoTT.