Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-16
OFFER COLONISTS
AUSTRALIA LANDS
Prominent Officials Arrive on a
Tour of Inspection of the Ad-
vantages in AntipodeS
DESIRE FOR IRRlGATIoNlSTS
Hundred Experts in Dry Soil CuI-
tivation Wanted to Intro
duce New System

Headed by the Hon. Hugh McKen-
zie, minister of lands of the state of
Victoria, and DIR. Elwood Mead, chalr-
man of the water commission of the
same state, party of prominent Aus
tralians arrived in Los Angeles yester-
day, having come here to further big
colonization scheme.
The party has been touring England
and Scotland inducing colonists to go
in Victoria and settle on the govern
ment lands there, which have been put
under irrigation. They are in Califor-
MIA for the purpose Of studying meth
DDS of irrigation and inducing 100
practical irrigation farmers to go to
Australia and teach the English and
Scottish emigrants to get the best re-
results from irrigated lands.
DR.. Mead is well known in Los An
geles and Southern California. Dur
ing the ten years Immediately preced-
ing his departure for Melbourne he
was connected with the United States
department of the interior and several
irrigation projects of the west. He
went to Australia three years ago as
an expert in irrigation for the state of
Victoria, and it is largely due to his
efforts that that province is now able
to offer more than 250,000 acres Of fer
tile land all under irrigation.
PLANS FOR BEET GROWING
While here the delegation will en-
deavor to secure an expert in beet
culture to return to Victoria with 1t
and aid in introducing that plant in
the new districts.
Under the present government of
Australia owners of large estates are
being compelled to sell their holdings
back to the state governments, which
in turn subdivide them and sell them
to colonists. The subdividing process
has been carried out In Victoria to such
an extent that. according to the state
ment Of DIR. Mead last evening, small
farms to accommodate 10000 emil
grants are now ready, or soon will be
ready for occupation. The state has
spent millions of dollars in construct
ing great irrigation projects to supply
water for these farms.
The farms are sold to the settlers on
easy terms, buyers being required to
pay down onlp 8 per cent of the value
of their property when taking possess
sion and have thirty-one and half
years to pay the remainder. Not only
this, but the state government If de-
sired, will build the settler home on
his property, for which he is required
to pay nothing during the first five
years of occupancy
WIN SUCCESS IN ENGLAND
1t was stated by DR.. Mead last even
ing that the party had been successful
in it's mission to England-that as
many colonists as were desired had
signifled their intention of going to
Victoria from England and Scotland
In fact, so many were going that every
berth on every steamer sailing from
London to Victoria during the next
three months has been taken by these
colonists.
eve have many colonists at present"
said the Hon. Hugh Mckenzie at the
Van Nuys last evening. "They are
coming from England and Scotland.
Now we desire to get about 100 practi-
cal irrigation farmers from this por-
ton Of the United States to go there
to act, in a way, as instructors to the
English and Scotch settlers. That is,
we want these men as examples for
the British colonists to follow. The
latter know absolutely nothing of irri-
eating land and probably would have
rather hard time in getting their
farms under way without the practical
example of farmers Versed in that
manner Of farming.
"And we will get them. OF course
the land-owning irrigation farmer from
California and the western states will
not go-they could not be expected to
leave this beautiful country and begin
again in Australia, and we will not
try to get them 1t is the tenant
farmer-the man who has not money
enough to buy a farm here, whom we
will endeavor to take back with us.
We need him there and he can better
his condition by far in Australia.
think we will have no trouble in secur-
ing hundred families"
The party will leave Los Angeles
Monday evening for San Francisco and
sail November for Melbourne.