Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-25
LABOR SHORTAGE PROVES
MENACE TO AUSTRALIA
OF KANAKAS is
MAKING TROUBLE
Victoria Agriculturists Said to Be En-
israting in Large Numbers to
Other States in the
Federation

srecial Cable to The Herald
SYDNEY, Aug 24-For some months
there has been a steady outflow OF the
agricultural population of Victoria. Farm
ers are giving up their holdings and are
seeking new lands and new homes in New
South Wales and Queensland. And most
of these farmers had been settled for
years in the best parts of the state which
they are leaving.
1t is no uncommon thing to read in the
newspapers of fifty or sixty departures
daily or even more. Several reasons are
assigned for this migration. One is the
high price Of land in Victoria as compared
with that of New South Wales and
Queensland the high valuation put upon
the land representing the high rates OF
taxation for irrigation and other purposes
and the fact that most of the best land
had been sold by the government so that
the young farmers have little chance for
securing suitable country for agricultural
purposes or for grazing.
There is yet another reason when, &C
counts for many of the departures. Farm
ers who are now getting along in years
have owned farms consisting of some OF
the best land in Victoria-they have pros
pered and saved money. They can sell
their lands and at good prices, and they
are doing SO. They say that they want
greater areas of country so that their
children may found homes for themselves
and for their families and the amount
they receive for their Victorian properties
enables them to purchase twice as much
land in New South Wales and three times
as much in Queensland.
In both states the purchasing terms are
very liberal, and the areas from which a
man may select are practically illimit-
able 1t is safe to say that many of these
people are making mistake, for distance
always makes the prospect more entranc-
| ing. Victoria has the finest climate of any
state in Australia.
Queensland, where most of the farmers
appear to be going, has the worst. When
fine seasons are experienced all goes well,
but the long droughts (the last continued
for seven years. result In terrible suffer-
ings for man and beast. Then again many
of the settlers will be hundreds of miles
away from the railways and often they
will be obliged to suffer for the comforts
as we'll as the luxuries of life.
Deporting kanaka Laborers
What seems to be a very serious state
of affairs is threatening the sugar cane
plantations. In order that the people may
be assured of white Australia" the
federal government some time ago decreed
that the Kanakas must be deported.
These Kanakas are natives Of the vari-
GUS islands of the Pacific adjacent to Aus
tralia who have for many years been
working on the sugar plantations.
Some of these people are married and
according to all reports have become good
Christians, have settled homes and are
acknowledged to be good citizens and their
labor is needed in the development of the
country, but the government makes no
exceptions and all must go. Some 1000
have already been returned to the islands
whence they came and at least loOO
more must go before the end OF the year.
After living the greater part of their
lives among the whites whose ways they
have learned to love and admire they are
being sent off to do the best they can
among semi-barbarians. But few details
have been allowed to leak out as to how
the business of removal has been carried
on, but 1t Is known that some have even
been landed on the wrong island and that
In all cases there appears to be general
disposition to return to old and savage
habits of life and give up their civilized
ways.
And the dificulty with the proprietors
of the plantations now appears to be the
securing OF labor in the place of the KAN
akas. 1t is admitted that the cane coun-
try Is no place for white men to work.
White men may ,superintend the labor
of Kanakas, but when it comes to the
actual work of handling the cane IT.
self 1t Is very doubtful whether white
men really can do the work under the
conditions presented.
Proprietors in the sugar cane belt have
advertised all over Australia for work.
ers and, though they offer good wages,
there have been practically no responses
to their advertisements. Now they have
agents in England, France, Austria and
Italy on the alert for suitable men with
instructions to head off some of the re-
markable stream of emigration flowing
in the direction of the United States.
The opinion of practical men openly
stated is that the sugar cane industry
here can be worked only with colored
labor and that this is the beginning and
the end of the argument And now that
the colored labor is prohibited the out
look for the sugar industry is naturally
very gloomy. especially for the coming
season.