Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-04
copyright, 1901. by Frank c, carpen-

copyright 1901, by FRANK w. O"'PS'
ter)
Melbourne, Australia
Almost as soon as this letter Is pub
llshed the parliament Of the new com
monwealth Of Australia will have held
,ts first meeting in Melborne The
members of the senate and house have
already been elected and many OF them
are now travelling toward this city on
,helr free railroad passes. Within a few
weeks they will be discussing the tariif
the site of the new federal capital the
REORGANIZATION OF the railroad system
and dozen other measures which are
pronosed 10 make Australia the great
est country south Of the equator
THE NEW AUSTRALIA
Heretofore this continent has been d.
vided IN into half dozen colonies
Some as widely separated as any parts
OF the United States. and all warning
with each other as TO commerce ana
trade. From now on they are to work
together. They are TO have Interstate
commerce and are 10 join hands against
the earth as far as their own interests
are concerned.
The new parliament Is to start the
bali rolling. II consists OF senate
and house organized much Ike our
American Congress The senators are
elected for six years and the represent
tatiyes for three, but the latter may De
dissolved by the governor general uh-
der certain conditions. The senators
and members get the same salaries,
each receiving $4,000 year. II Is pro-
yided that no member or senator can
hold office II he has been bankrupt ana
failed 10 nay his debts, and II he takes
benefit whether by assignment or oth-
erwise. Of any bankrupt law during ms
term OF Office his seat will at once be-
come vacant. He cannot have any In
terest In any company dealing with the
government, nor can he take pay Tor
other services rendered to the govern
ment.
A woRKINGMAN's PARLIAMENT.
The new Australia viii be n working
man country According 10 the consti-
tuition parliament has the right to leg
islate as TO invalid and old age PEN
sions. II can control the railroads, ana
arrange for their purchase. II can pass
Cancellation and arbitration laws as 10
labor disputes, and deal with banking,
Insurance and such things.
The new government is 10 have con-
troll of the telegraphs, telephones ana
postal service. These have already be-
come international and the railroads
and other things may follow. Bills for
all sorts Of innovations are ready for
Introduction. Every state Of the new
federation has been making its own ex-
perlments along labor and social lines,
and their combined experiences may
grind out a new social organization or
the Bellamy kind away down here be-
low the equator.
THE GIANT OF THE SOUTH SEAS.
First let me give you some idea of
this little giant Of the South seas The
Australians call their country the big
gest thing below the equator | nave
Travelled thousands OF miles through It's
various colonies, and am inclined to
think they are right. Australia Is In
deed a continent. II Is as big as the
United States without Alaska, II ID
twenty-six times as big as Great Brit
ain and Ireland, fifteen times the size
OF France and only one-fifth smaller
than all Europe. With New Zealand
and the other English islands II occu-
pies two-fifths OF the British domlnions
II Is country of magnificent dis
tances. II is so far away from every
where else that you have TO make q
special trip TO get TO It, The shortest
distance 10 England Is llOOO miles. IL IS
$500 miles from Africa, $500 miles from
South America and /, 800 miles away
from the continent of Asia. Even New
Zealand, which looks so close on the
map, is about as far from II as from
New York 10 Omaha, and II takes from
four to five days to make the voyage
from one TO the other.
The continent itself is longer from
east 20 west than from New York TO
Salt Lake, and wider from north 10
south than from New York TO Chicago
The Gulf Of Carpentaria at the north "a
about 800 miles long and 800 miles wide
and the great Australian Blight at the
south II much wider.
SOME AUSTRALIAN PECULIARI-
TIES.
The country has at one side great
coral reef a thousand miles long, wall
ing off an ocean waterway between II
and the coast. II has deserts like Sa-
hara, so dry that your finger nails be-
come as brittle as glass. so dry that
screws come out Of the boxes and that
the lead is loose in your pencils. II Is
land OF big things, as well as queer
things. II has trees almost II not quite
az large as those OF California. One
was recently felled near Melbourne
which was over 400 feet high and which
at 300 feet from the ground was six feet
In diameter. Australia has lilies which
grow to the height of a three story
house. II has trees that grow grass and
other trees that bulge out like giant
bottles.
a CONTINENT OF GOLD AND Sill
YER.
Australia Is a rich continent. So rich
that no one knows how rich IL is. IL Is
now one Of the great gold producers OF
the world II produced more last year
than the United States, and the surface
has not been scratched. The greater
part Of the country has never been
prospected. Vast areas have never been
explored, and new mines are being dis
covered every day. Later on / shall
give letter about Mount Morgan In
Queensland the richest gold mine OF
the world and shall tell OF my visit TO
Ballarat. where nuggets OF gold az big
as foot balls were found. Here In Vic
torla was the first gold excitement. and
today 100000 ounces and more Of gold
are still annually produced Gold Is
found all over the country--ln the
mountains. on the farms and IN the
sands OF the deserts Western Aus
tralia Is so dry that camels have 90 be
used to carry the gold out. and from
there come most of the gold exports OF
today.
Australia has vast quantities Of iron
and tin, II has stream tin that Is. tin
the shape OF sands which are so fine
that you can hold them up ard they
viii run through your fingers jus. Ike
the dust OF the desert. save that everv
grain Is pure tin. II has copper mines
and coal mines. It's silver mines have
produced $3.50 10000 worth of that me-
tai, and It has also diamonds. rubies,
emeralds, opals and pearls.
THE FARMS AND FLocKs.
More important than the minerals.
however, IL the pastoral and agrlcul