The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-05-25
shearing Sheep n West Queensland.

Shearing Sheep
prepared by the National Geographic So
Ciety, Washington, d. CO
That there is Il constant evolution
in government Is pointed out many
times, with our IS states and their
peaceful experiments as illustrations.
But even more radical changes are TAX
Ing place, equally peacefully, in other
parts of the world. Queensland, Aus
tralla, has made the most marked
change Of recent years in govern
mental machinery in the English
speaking world by abolishing its SEN
ate and making its legislative body
into a one-chambered parliament.
This commonwealth, which has al
tered so strikingly the traditional Brit
ish idea Of Il parliament, is one Of the
six sovereign states Of Australia,
which, like the units Of the United
States, are bound into a federation
yet are free TO shape their own affairs
with relatively slight limitations.
Queensland-and Australia, too, for
that matter, loses in apparent size be-
cause Of its great distance from us.
In reality it is a huge state, com
pletely dwarfing Texas, our largest
commonwealth. Its coast-line is more
than 1900 miles long and is equiva-
lent to that Of the eastern United
States from northern Massachusetts
down the Atlantic, around Florida
and to Mobile. 1t has M area OF
$4,000 square miles.
Since Queensland Is located in the
southern hemisphere, its hot regions
are to the north, its cooler regions to
the south. It's nOrthernmost prOjec-
ton, Cape York Peninsula, may, then,
be compared roughly 10 Florida,
though Cape York is much closer to
the equator. To be as close to the
equator as Queensland, Florida would
have to be moved some 1,2OO miles
farther south until Key West touched
the ISthmuS Of Panama. If Australia
could be towed to our 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 1t can
be imagined that this were done and
Cape York placed near the Canal
Zone, so extensive sis the state Of
Queensland that K would cover most
OF the vast eSpanse Of the Gulf Of
Mexico.
Best Developed in the South.
Naturally, colonization in Queens
land began along It's southern coast,
its mildest region climatically. Thanks
to its mountains which parallel the
coast. the climate of the StateIs not
as hot as it's latitude would indicate.
The far northern section, however, is
truly tropical and it has not been de-
velOped to any great extent. In the
southern and middle sections are
thriving ports and cities. Brisbane,
the capital, is about the size Of Bridge
port, Conn, or Houston, Tex. The
States population OF about three-quar-
ters of IL million-approXimately that
of Oregon-is almost wholly Of British
origin.
The development of the tropical pOr-
tions Of Queensland has beer slower
than that of similar regions in other
parts of the world because Of the de-
termination Of the citizens of the state
and of the entire commonwealth to
maintain a white Australia The
black and yellow races have been ex-
cluded in recent years. Not more than
10000 Of the black abOrigines remain
in the state, and they are steadily de-
creaSing in numbers.
To help the development toward a
white Australia the federal govern
ment grants Il bounty on sugar-cane
raised by white labor, and Il sufficient
sugar industry has been built up In
the fertile coast valleys Of Queensland
TO supply Australians needs. Aus
tralia's handling Of Queensland's sugar
crOp indicates that the federal gov
eminent, as we'll as Queensland, Is
| capable OF striking out into new fields
goyernmentally. All the sugar Is
|, taken over by the Australian govern
ment, and a virtual government mo
nopoly created. Contracts are made
for the refining, and both wholesale
| and retail prices are controlled.
Cotton Growing DIED Out.
Some day Queensland may develop
into a cotton producing region, FOR
both climate and soil are favorable.
Just at present, however, the white
] Australia" policy makes this as dill