The daily sentinel., 1910-10-10
VISITOR TELLS
OF CONDITIONS
IN AUSTRALIA

Yesterday and part of today Grand
Junction has been the host to a dis
tinguished deputation of Australian
citizens who have viewed the valley,
the fruit growers associations and
the orchards with considerable inter-
est. None of the less conspicuous in
number was the editor of one of
Melbourne's, (Australia) greatest
newspapers, Mr.. w. A. Reay of the
Herald" The other members of the
party were Messrs. II. Mckenzie and
Ellwood Mead, representing the state
of Victoria and the Commission of
Irrigation and a second prominent
newspaper man, Mr.. Z. r. Gullett, of
the Melbourne Argos"
They were met yesterday by Sec
retary Tkos. F. Mahony of the Cham
ber of Commerce and Mr.. w. S. Wal
lace, ex-secretary of the Grand Val
ley Irrigation Co. While Mr.. Mead
was chief Land and Irrigation COM
missioner of the United States the
Grand Valley Irrigation company's
headgate was built mainly through
the efforts of Mr.. Mead.
In an interview this afternoon Mr.
Reay explained the mission of the
party to America which is in brief, to
learn of the advantages. the methods
and processes of irrigation and II is
with this motive in view more so than
to invite immigration, that the party
has made the trip of several thousand
miles, visiting in the principal coun-
tries of the United Kingdom and of
America.
Mr. Reay said: Our irrigrants
come mainly from Scotland. England
and other portions of the United
Kingdom and in fact we can readily
secure sufficient from these sources
to take up all of the land which is
idle but these are not perhaps worth
as much to us as they would be had
they knowledge of irrigation. /
believe that | would be permitted to
extend an invitation to 200, not more
than that. people, heads of families
who have capital of not less than
800 pounds to come to Australia and
take up government land. The land
available is that which has been pur-
chased back by the government from
large estates and private ownership.
The government helps the man buy
the land, build a home and make i'm
provements and it may be purchased
at price of 0 to l 8 pounds and the
purchaser has thirty-one years In
which to make the payment, the land
drawing, however, 8 per cent inter
est"
Another interesting fact divulged
by Mr.. Reay was the fact that the
government owns the railroads which
drain the lands open to the settle
ment of which he spoke, and the per-
son who settles there need have no
t6thhhcern ia regards 10 discrimination
or exhorbitant freight rates.
Mr.. Reay spoke of many other in
teresting subjects which could be
commented upon shiuld space permit.
He stated that having Travelled over
the countries of Europe and the con-
tinent as well as America he had seen
no land as fine as that of the Grand
valley and no place where the fruit
industry had been raised to the stand
ard which It had reached here, and
yet, he said, the lands of Australia
are as good and there is no reason
why they cannot with proper develop
ment be made TO pay as remuneratiye
as do the lands of the Grand valley.
The party exclusive of Mr.. Reay
left today for Salt Lake. They will
continue their trip of inspection but
MIR. Reay expects to go bacl, at once