The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-08
COUNTRY PEOPLE WANTED.
Australians Needs Lie ia Rural, Not
Town Settlers.


The great want-of the Australian Com
nonWealth is more country population.
There are too many residents in the cities,
and too few in the provinces Hence the
cedseiess cry Of the unemployed in a land
where the acres are more numerous than
the hands. The extraordinary progress OF
sydney and Melbourne. says Mr. Coghlan.
IN his Wealth and Progress Of New
South Wales. has no parallel among the
cities Of the Old World. Even in Ameri-
ca the rise of the great cities has been
accompanied by a somewhat correspond
ing Increase in the rural population. In
the Australasian States, however-per-
haps for the first time in the history of
the worlds seen the disquieting specta-
Gle of magnificent cities growing with
wonderful rapidly, and embracing within
their limits oue-third Of the population Of
the territory Of which they are the cen
ire.
The chief cities of the other Australia
sian States present somewhat similar
features to Sydney and Melbourne; but
with the exception of Adelaide, which
contains fully two-fifJhs Of the whole
population of South Australia. they are
not 50 large in proportion TO their rural
population. The one satisfactory feature
IN connection with the growth # the chief
cities of Australasia is that, Ia spite of
their iuordinate size when compared with
the population of the States, they have
not grown by sc process Of absorbing the
rural population
The growth Of the Australian cities is
due mainly to the physical configuration
Of the continent, which makes no other
| mode of development possible-for they
| have no great rivers. with leagues Of nav
| igabIe waterway stretching into the heart
of the country far remote from the sea
| ports. To some extent the growth OF the
cities has also been favored by the COM
mercial development of the States
! FOr many years wOOl-groWIng has been
| the staple industry of the country; ana
while the actual tending OF fOcks needs
the handling of bales of wool at q con-
VenienJ place of shipment demands all
| the resources of a great commercial cen
! ire Also. gold digging, to winch the
/ States owe 50 much. is not an industry
/ likely to promote permanent settlement IN
the interior
! The auriferous miner of the past was
/ in every respect 4 nOmad. II successt ui
/ IN his quest after the precious metal. ne
| became an emigrauL TO the Old Weird
! or n SOjOurner IN an Australian capital
! In this fact is TO be found one source OF
! disappointment to the oversee emlgrdnt-
/ In nine cases out of ten his desire IS to
| obtain employment IN the city. where Ia
! Dor IS always abuuuant- tie Benerally
J has no relish for a country life, with its
/ heavy. mOnOtonOuS toll and comparative
! " low wages.
/ Yet this latter offers the best prospects
10 a persevering settler. who has become
! familiar with surrounding conditions and
I learned how 10 utilize them. This IS
! shown by che fact before mentioned that
! South Wales is not due 10 immigration
| from the country districts. but TO aEQ-
| walls from other States or oversee cOun-
| tries. For those accustomed TO country
! work OF any description New south
| Wales possesses many inducements. es-
pecially in the shape Of facilities Tor eS-
! tabliShing cooperative establishments A
1 few agricultural families possessing a
/ little capital would experience no serious
difficulty in preparing the basis Of a
| flourishing community. possessing it, own
! farms. workshops and other indus rial
/ establishments But this Kind Of Ehing
/ IS simply impossible in the city. where
| the price of hand is extremely high Even
| ia the metropolitan suburbs decent
! sized freehold building plot VIII some
! times cost as much as a gOOd-SiZed farm
/ in the country None Of the channels Of
| pastoral or agricultural industry are per
! manently, II ever, OyercrOwded-
/ There are always plenty Of chances for
/ the man who knows how 70 make use OF
! his opportunities and is not afraid OF
| work. II is the city man who Is not
/ wanted; who is too often failure For
! even the poorest British agricultural Ia
/ Iorer there Is abundant employment IN
New South Wales. but the cost OF pas
/ sage too often blocks the way The class
| Of immigrants most desired Ia New
South Wales cannot afford the cost Of
| passage thither- Hence the rush to the
/ United States, in which the facilities for
I absorbing country population, although
plentiful are less abundant than II New
/ South Wales which is capable Of readily
| absorbing the whole surplus agricultural
population of the United Kingdom