Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-11-10


26.215 square miles. One hundred and
thirteen states the size Of Tasmania
could be placed on the mainland Of Aus
trsIia. 1t is famous for several things
Its scenery, its fruits, its timbers, its
wool and the protest girls in the COM
monweaIth.
Unless you knew it beforehand you
might have trouble discovering for your
self that the island is part of the Aus
traIiaS commonwealth, for the Tasman-
fans have a habit Of speaking of their
little state and Australia as separate
countries. They will compare things as
II Australia were halfway around the
world instead Of 4 bare two hundred
miles across Bass Strait, which bounds
Tasmania on the north. They seem to
feel that when the commonwealth was
formed in 1901 Tasmania lost her iden-
tlty and individuality, and became mere
ly cog in great big machine. And
that is not exactly pleasing to a land
that was one Of the first colonies OF
Great Britain in this part of the world.
TASMANIA WAS
DISCOVERED IN 1912.
Abel Tasman, the Dutch navigator, was
trying to find a great continent in the
4NAAAG NbGu ne upon
Tasmania in 1912. As a matter of fact,
h bad sailed down the west coast Of the
continent he sought, but he missed it en-
tirely and when he sighted Tasmania he
mistOOk it for the mainland and nam2d
1t Van Diemen's Land, after the superio.
officer who had sent him upon his mis-
sion. Satisfied in his own mind that ha
had fulfilled his mission, Tasman kept
on east and thus was able to discover
New Zealand. But his discovery of Tas-
mania was little thought of, for it was
thirty years later before another white
man came along, Frenchman this time.
But, like those who followed him, he
made only the most casual investigations
and then went on. 1t was in 1898 that
a British lieutenant, Flinders, sailed
around the island and learned that Ii
was not part OF the mainland after all.
In 1903 the first white settlement of the
island came into existence. and the fol-
lowing year that Great Britain officially
took it over and made of IL a penal
colony for Iaw-breakers who had been
sentenced to transportation from Eng
lind
Our party came to Tasmania from Mel
bourne, a fOurteen-hOur run by fast
steamer across Bass Strait. and was
landed at LauncestOn, forty miles from
the open sea up the wide, but still shall
low, lamar River. Our ship had scarcely
been warped into her wharf before 1
realized that we had come TO a land
that was largely dependent upon tourists.
We came down the gangplank into a
verit3ble moi Of porters, cab drivers,
guides, others, purpose unknown, who
welcomed US with a fervor that they did
not display toward those who were IN
mistakably Australians. Great signboards
urged US to patrOnize the government
tourist bureaus at Launceston and Ho-
bart, the capital, and energetic boosters
showed into our hands pamphlets point
in but how We could spend a good ten
days seeing the sights around Launceston
alone If there was any doubt in our
minds as to the feeling that Tasmania
has for tourists it was dispeIled when
the driver Of the rather ramshackle cab
which conveyed US to a hotel named his
price.
GATEWAY TO FERTILE
VOLCANIC DOWNS.
LauncestOn is a rather pretty town OF
almost $1,000, the gateway to the fertile
volcanic downs Of northern Tasmania.
which raise excellent fruit in large guam
titles and ship it down the lamar and
Esk Rivers TO be sent abroad or across
to the mainland. There was a time
when Tasmanian fruit, and particularly
the jam made from that fruit, was world
famous. In the last twenty years it is
al becoming known as Australian fruit
and Jam, because every box Of fruit that
goes overseas from Tasmania, every jar
Of Jam or preserves or marmalade, must
bear label stating that it is Australian
OF course, the Tasmanian roared at hav-
ing Australia get credit for fruit and
Jams for which Tasmania had built up
reputation, and, OF course, they got
nothing for their roars. So, IL you will
look ut cases Of fruit from the island
you will see that they have complied
with the law, all right, but Tasmania"
is printed I'm big letters and Australia"
in small ones.
Apples, pears and aprfcots are the
three principal fruits I'm which Tasmania
specializes. A million and a half bushels
Of apples, 10000 bushels OF pears and
$1,000 bushels OF apricOts is about the
average annual productions. Some 36,OOy
of the 10000 acres which are cultivated
are devoted to fruits. TIE fruits pro
duced have n value Of almost two million
dollars a year.
N the wharves at both LauncestOn
an Hobart I was made to realize that
somewhere along the line there must
have been laundering. for wharves were
lined with cases of prime fruit for which
there was no room in the great ware
houses. already filled to the rafters with
fruit and case after case OF jam and
preserves. The answer lay in the fact
that owing TO the strike not sufficient
chi
carry away the cargCes. [ was not sur
prised that with heavy losses on their
perishable products facing them the
Tasmanian fruit growers were in 4 down
cast frame of mind. 1t explained, too,
why all along the railway line from
Launcestoh to Hobart, III miles. l saw
orchard after orchard with the fruit
spelling on their trees or lying upon the
ground.
SUGAR BADLY NEEDED
AMONG TASMANIANS.
Lack OF sugar is the thing which has
put a dent in the preserving business
in Tasmania, that and the fart that In
the recently opened up irrigated districts
Of the mainland fruit growing is being
done on a great scale. Australia has some
sugar mills, in Queensland particularly,
but the commonwealth government is
compelled to go out and contract for
sugar from other countries in order to
supply the needs OF its people.
The trip from Iaunceston to Hobart fs
not one 1 would recommend for COM
fort-loying travellers. The 100 miles Of
line in the island. of which the state
government owns $50, are all of the thres
feet, six inches gauge, and they wind
around a great deal following the naturs
slope OF the country. The running time
is equaled Only by that of the notorious