Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-29
Geographic News
Bulletins by the
National Geographic Society
state without a Senate

State without a Senate
Queensland. Australia, which has
entered the limelight by becoming
the first two chambered democ-
racy" of the world to abolish its
upper house, is the subject of the
following bulletin from the WASH
ington, ID. c., headquarters of the
National Geographic Society.
Australia began its independent
political career. long after the
launching of the United States, but
II has set some examples in the past
in the creation of political machin-
cry such as the Australian ballot
and universal suffrage, that Ameri-
ca has followed. But the
wealth and its states have tried other
political experiments which the
great republic of the west has so far
merely watched from afar. Per-
haps the mo senate plan of Queens
land may be grouped, in so far as
the United States is concerned with
the Australian federal constitutional
referendum and proportional rep
resentation.
Queensland Dwarfs Texas
Queensland, and Australia, too,
for hat matter, loses in apparent
size because of its great distance
from us. In reality it is a huge
state, completely dwarfing Texas,
our largest commonwealth. Its
coast line is more than 1900 miles
long and is equivalent to hat of the
Eastern United States from north
ern Massachusetts down the Allan
tic, around Florida and to Mobile.
"Since Q~ueenland is located in. the
southern hemisphere. its hot regions
are to the north, its cooler regions
to the south. Its northern-most
projection, Cape York Peninsula,
may, then. be compared roughly to
Florida. though Cape York is much
closer to the equator. To be as
close to the equator as Queensland.
Florida would have to be showed
some 1900 miles farther south until
Key West touched the -Isthmus of
Panama. If Australia could be
towed to Jul part of the world.
where we could compare 1t with
the regions we know, it would have
to be turned about so that the
warm regions would correspond. If
it can be imagined that this were
done and Cape York placed near the
Canal Zone, so extensive Is the State
of Queensland hat it would cover
most of the vast expanse of the Gulf
of Mexico.
"Q~ueensland's area is $4,000
square miles. 1t is almost as great
as the combined areas of all States
east of the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers and western line of Pennsyl-
vania. extending from Maine to
Florida.
Working for a "White Australia"
Naturally, colonization in Queens
land began along its southern coast,
it's mildest region dramatically.
Thanks to its mountains which par
allel the coast, the climate of the
| state is not as hot as its latitude
would indicate. The far northern
| section, however, is truly tropical
and has not been developed to n
great extent. In the southern and
middle sections are thriving ports
and cities. Brisbane, the capital. Is
about the size of Bridgeport, Con-
| necticut, or Houston. Texas. The
states population of about three
quarters of a million approximately
that of Oregon is almost wholly OF
British origin.
THE development of the tropical
portions of Queensland has been
slower than that of similar regions
in other parts of the world because
of the determination of the citizens
of that state and of the entire COM
monwealth to maintain a white Aus
tralia.' The black and yellow races
have been excluded in recent years,
some being deported. Not more than
10000 of the black aborigines re-
main in the state and they are stead
lily decreasing in numbers.
ITO help the development toward
a white Australia the federal gov
eminent grants a bounty on sugar
cane raised by white labor, n a
| considerable sugar industry has been
built up in the fertile oas valleys
of Queensland. Over behind us
mountains the state has a great
plains region like that of the United
States. There and on the lower hills
are raised the vast herds which
make Queensland the premier cat
tie state of Australia and among the
leaders in sheep raising.
Had "Senate'' Appointed for Lh1e
1.-The six states which make up the
commonwealth of Australia were
colonies before federation in sol
and had governments differing
what from each other. states
rights were j0Alously guarded when
the federal constitution was ADOPT
ed, the several states keeping their
original political machinery. An u
the states had parliaments OF two
houses corresponding to the senate
and house of representatives Of AM
erican States. In -four states potn
houses were elected but in two New
South Wales and, Queensland, the
Senators were appointed for life by
the king of England. The members
of the single chamber which re-
mains in Queensland are elected
and the state without a 'conserva-
tive balance Wheel becomes the most
democratic of the Commonweaiths
nptfao