Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-05-30
shearing Sheep n West Queensland.

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety Washington, D. CO
That there is constant evolution
In government is pointed out many
times, with our 49 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
tralia, has made the most marked
change Of recent years in govern
mental machinery in the English
speaking world by abolishing it's SEN
ate and making it's legislative body
into one-chambered parliament.
This commonwealth, which has al
tered SO strikingly the traditional Brit
ish idea Of 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 it's great distance from u.s.
In reality it is huge state, COM
pletely dwarfing Texas, our largest
commonwealth. It's coast-line is more
than 2,200 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 an area of
$4,000 square miles.
Since Queensland is located in the
southern hemisphere, it's hot regions
are to the north, it's cooler regions to
the south. It's northernmost projec-
ton, 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 moved some 1900 miles
farther south until Key West touched
the Jsthmus Of Panama. If Australia
could be towed to our part of the
world, where we could compare it 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 that it would cover most
of the vast expanse 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 state is 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-
tiers of approximately that
of Oregon-is almost wholly OF British
origin.
The development Of the tropical por
lions of Queensland has been slower
than that Of similar regions in other
parts of the world because of the de-
VI Lie OlllACA6 VI Lie oLaIC
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
"whste Australia the federal govern
ment grants bounty on sugar-cane
raised by white labor, and sufficient
sugar industry has been built up In
the fertile coast valleys of Queensland
to supply Australla's needs. Aus
tralia's handling of Queensland's sugar
crop indicates that the federal gov
eminent, as well as Queensland, is
capable Of striking out into new fields
governmentally. All the sugar is
taken over by the Australian govern
ment, and 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 diff |