The morning call., 1894-07-12
THE TROUBLES OF AUSTRALIA

The great collapse of the banks and
building societies of Australia took place
in 1892, but now in 1894 the Governments
of the several colonies report that TIE
prevailing poverty is appalling. a meeting
was la tely held at Sydney, at which Gov
eminent official stated that the cases OF
restitution which required public relief
had doubled in year, and that poverty
was steadily on tho increase, with its usual
cOncOmitants, crime and suicide. year
ago, or thereab bouts, a number Of unem-
pl0yed men in New South Wales emil
grated to Paraguay in the hope of better
ing their condition. They find it impossible
10 obtain food and shelter, and are in the
most deplorable straits. Men and women
are selling themselves to planters, yolun-
terily placing themselves on the footing OF
slaves. They have appealed to Australia
for means to return home.
The best remedy for the Australian
trouble should be found in utilizing the
conditions Of the country. Vast tracts OF
land are adapted for the production of
wheat and vegetables. ana still larger
areas are suited for pasturage. In re-
gon which will produce unlimited quanti-
ties of bread, beef and mutton, there is 10
excuse for starvation. fought to be made
possible for the unemployed thousands in
New South Wales and Victoria to form
cooperative colonies, and TO support them
selves by the product of cooperative farms
on the unoccupied lands of those colonies.
OF course, this plan would involve re-
distribution of labor and industry. Aus
f-Yy Of To- To-,
holders and well-paid workmen. The
country has been cut up into vast tracts of
pasture-lend, broad wheat farms and eX-
tensve sheepwalks. The owners of these
wide properties obtained from banks and
building societies the means to develop their
estates and TO meet their heavy payTolls.
When the banks suspended and their Gus
toners were called upon not Only to pay
their acceptances but to meet assessments,
the landlords were brought to a sJandstil
They could neither go on with the i'm
provementS which were necessary to make
their properties lucrative, nor could they
maintain the force which such large prop
critics required. They were compelled to
stop both sources of outlay. Thus thou
sands of men who had been earning lib
eral wages and living in comfort were sud
denly plunged into poverty. AS usual in
such cases, they appealed to their several
governments to undertake public work so
as 20 furnish employment to the idle. But
the governments themselves were crippled
by the interest charge On debt incurred
for public works already constructed. To
anticipate the future again was to court
bankruptcy.
Some months ago Sir George Dibbs,
Prime Minister of New South Wales, Of
Tered encouragemenGS TO miners who were
willing 10 CLEAN in abandoned dggings,
and to forage in the hills for new gold de-
posts. 1t is understood that the plan has
been successful. and that the metallic out
put oil Australia will show an increase
this year. 1t would seem that the same
scheme should be tried IN the agricultural
field. The colonial Governments own
vast tracts of fertile unOCcupied land and
several tracts in private ownership are
ready to be abandoned by the owners who
cannot pay taxes thereon. 1t should be
possible to organize at Sydney and Mel
bourne parties of c0lonists to work these
lands. That would be better than sub
sisting on public relief. Mere hunger can
always be quickly relieved in a country
where the production of food, with fairly
favorable season, is a question of weeks.