The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-10
VISITOR FROM AUSTRALIA.
Joseph d. Russell, Envoy of Queens
Iand Government, Is Here.

land Government, Is Here.
Joseph D. Russell, Of Brisbane,
Queensland, South Australia, is stop
ping at the Metropolitan for a few
days. Mr.. Russell comes as special en-
Voy of the Queensland government 10
the United States, with the title OF
"commerciar agent" and for the pur-
pose of acquiring information concern
ing the agriculture and manufacture
ing of this country and to encourage
the immigration Of Americans to
Australia Today he will visit that
institution of which Minnesotans are
proud, the agricultural college and
state experimental station, after which
he will continue eastward.
Mr.. Russell is himself an American
by birth. but has passed twenty-six
years of his life in Australia. He Is an
engineer by profession and was Sc
lected by that government for his
peculiar mission, as filling the require
ments and being best able to pursue
his investigation here. In an inter
view with a reporter he said:
1.-The Americans are ahead OF US IN
many respects, but in others l think
we take the lead. Among them is
dairying; in that we excel, both in the
judgment and forethought we use in
adjusting our goods to the demands of
IIe-1IOIGlSH IIlctl net anu c1iSO III w.
machinery and appliances. Some of
our appliances, of course, are par
ticularly adapted to our hot climate
but others could be used here to ad-
vantage: For instance, we use lacuS
acid ferment in Fastening the ripen-
ing of the cream. AS far as L can find
out, the use of such ferments is alb
solutely unknown in this country.
where you let the cream take it's own
haSi1aS taken
American patents in machinery and
improved upon them.
''In the past we have devoted our
energies largely to raising sheep and
other stock, and the government is
endeavoring to make us more agricul-
tural At present, with population
OF 400, GOO, the colony raises only enough
wheat for home consumption. This
year we had an average crop of forty
bushels to the acre Of hard wheat,
Wheat has never been lower than 80
cents a bushel with us, and we can
raise it much more cheaply than your
farmer can, for right after our farm
ers harvest their wheat they plant the
same ground to corn and get big
crop. Not having commenced to culti-
vate wheat on a large scale, we are
still far Behind you in methods of
handling it. We use bags, and know
tation in bulk. 1 have studied your
elevator system and have forwarded
drawings and specifications to my gov
eminent.
"Although our country-that is the
northern part of it's very hot, the
heat is never intolerable, so dry is the
climate. I say dry in spite of the fact
that we have in our wheat country so
much rainfall that a dry season does
of in
years, and we do not have to irrigate.
"In cattle-raising, and also in dairy
ing, we have a great advantage over
you, because we have natural grasses
on our ranges the year around. AS
whole. our colony is a great lakeland,
back from the coast range of noun
tains. and is from 1,C00 to 1000 feet
above the level of the sea. There
are great prairies and light and heav1-
ly timbered regions. Our colony has
,0C0 square miles, which makes it
more than twice as large as Texas.
With it's 100000 people scattered all
over that region, but mostly thicllly
settled along the east coast, it has
only 1900 miles of railroad. We are
connected with the north and south
railroad down to Melbourne, but have
no line running the length of our own
colony Going north and south, we
travel by coasting steamers. We are
building 600 miles of line at the present
time There is land in plenty for all
corners, and our manifest destiny is
to beat you out in agriculture, just
as you have beaten Europe. The first
thing we do will be to cut off the Ash
attic market for cereals and bread
stuffs.
Our government is very paternalis-
tic, and is always studying to promote
the interests of it's people. The people
are mostly of pure British stock, but
the climate is working great change
in the type. While the second genera
ton retains the bulldog tenacity Of
purpose of the Englishman, it loses his
physical characteristics 1t is not
florid-faced. it is not short and stocky:
but is tall and slender and of darker
complexion. We are the most healthy
country in the world; our death rate
is only 11.38 in the LOCO and our natural
increase is about 10 per cent. This in
creasa is we'll taken care of by 80
public schools.
CAS- indicating the wealth of the
colony, take the following figures of
our last years EXPORTS: Wool, SIS.
COO; tin, $4,000 tallow, $4,000, 900;
cane sugar, 10000 tons; hides. 81, 900 900;
pearl SHE'LL $500, COO tropical fruits, $780,
OOO gold, 1O,50O,O0O silver, $500, OJ9;
meat, $4,000, OO0."
Mr.. Russell has been in the United
States about six months and will re-
turn to Australia in January.
SEWER WORK DELAYED.