The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-10-20

near a place called Barren Jack. The
reservoir, which was to be used for
irrigation purposes, was to be one of
the largest in the world Il would
Include three times the surface area
of Sydney harbor, and the walls 200
feet in height, represent an outlay Of
S2,5OO;0OO The Cabinet sat on the
matter in more ways than one. Il
was not in accordance with the prin-
ciples of the Federal Government to
allow a private corporation (their own
flesh and blood" please notice. to
build the reservoir. So they had
agreed not to accept the OFFER of the
syndicate nor to proceed further with
the business.
Meanwhile the commonwealth has
Accumulated a vast debt. The
London Stock Exchange has just is
sued a manifesto declining a future
negotiation of colony loans, so that
Australian credit in England has ap-
parently collapsed.
Given an area Of land large enough
to include the whole of Europe, ex-
ceptiRg Russia. or the entire United
States without Alaska, the possibili.
ties of Australia to the wide-awake
American, with his propensity for pro-
motion of big things" is simply stu-
pendous. Aside from Siberia, Austria
liza Is the one vast habitable expanse
left on tho earth's surface. Its terri.
tory is capable Of employing a great
number of people, and yet, at the close
of a centurys existence under Anglo
Saxon rule its population aggregates
less than 100000. A network of
railways. a spstem of irrigation involv-
ing the conservation Of it's great riv.
ers and the opening up Of its hundreds
Of thousands Of acres Of irrieable
districts, and the commonwealth
would have inducements to offer un.
excelled, perhaps, by those of any
other country on the face of the globe.
Its coal supply is possibly unsurpassed
| Il has immense mineral and forestry
resources while It's splendid harbors,
coupled with a climate of semi.trop.
cal nature, afford facilities for a wide
variety of manufacturing enterprises.
With a vigorous Government admins.
tration, ready TO embrace every op.
portunity TO advance the interests Of
the farmer. this ono-time paradise
of the workingman" may yet fulfll IT'S
manifest destiny and become one of
the strongholds Of the earth.
The question Of renewing the con.
tract with the Oceanic Steamship
Company for the San Francisco mail
service is under discussion in the New
Iceland Parliament. There is a strong
current of adverse sentiment among
the political leaders. who would much
prefer to turn the subsidy over to the
Canadian line now plying between
Vancouver and sydney. They con.
slider Il "unpatrlotle' TO subsidiz1
foreign line of steamers, especially
after President Roosevelt's widely cir
culatod prophecy concerning an
American domination Of the Pacific.
One member argues that American
laws debar British-owned steamers
trading on their shores. and asks:
why should we pay their steamers
to CALI" Another member said that
the colony could get all they wanted
from the Vancouver service and was
opposed TO giving the subsidy to
aliens" A third believes II would
not be worth while TO renew the sub.
sidy. especially II Mr. Chamberlain's
preferential bill Is put into circulation.
How" asks a fourth. "can we con
sistsntly penallze foreign imports,
which arc so largely American. and at
the same time continue the mail sub
sidy?" Finally there is the question OF
cost The Oceanic Steamship Com.
pany, which, by the way has become
metamorphosed In the Antipodes into
the American and Australian Royal
Mail Steamship line" is receiving
some e17,OO0 per annum from the
New leland Government, They now
demand e25.OO0 and a FIVE years con.
tract A rumor is current that the
Union Steamship Company is pre-
pared TO build Immediately three 600 |
ton steamers for the Vancouver line |
This may account for the sudden cool ]
ness on the part OF the legislators
toward tho San Francisco service.
A man died in Sydney last month
who. while an alien under tho federal
exclusion act was regarded as one OF
the city's foremost citizens THU
was Quong Tart a native OF Hong |
kong. He arrived IN Australia whom |
only 10 years of age and was taken in /
rharua -. "a Az and Mra Sim u