AUSTRALIAN AFFAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 213, 8 September 1926, Page 17

AUSTRALIAN AFFAIRS.

TOWN PLANNING AT SYDNEY. UK. H. K. MACKENZIE'S VISIT. After a seven weeks' holiday visit to Australia. Mr. H. R. Mackenzie, chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, returned to Auckland by the Ulimaroa yesterday afternoon. Sydney, at the present time, said 31r." Mackenzie, was spending millions to repair a want of foresight in the early days. In the new suburbs, where the roads were two chains wide, every provision was being made for the future. The roads, however, were a long way from being first class and could not be compared with those of Auckland. While at Sydney. Mr. Mackenzie visited a number of the seaside resorts, including Tremorne. where the houses are built right on the water's edge, and Newport, in Broken Bay. which is regarded as the coming boat harbour. Going from Warwick to Toowoomba, JFf. Mackenzie traversed the famous Darling Downs. The country looked very fine, there being , thousands of acres of wheat land lately sown. The houses on these plains are built about ten feet above the ground in order to escape the white ants. The workers appeared to be behind the times in farming methods, using horse traction when motors would do the work in half'the time. The land sold at -about £10 per acre.

Queensland was a country that would grow anything, said Mr. Mackenzie. Its railway system was a coastal linp for some five hundred miles north of Brisbane, having three branch lines running into central Queensland, about 2.30 miles apart. At present there was a movement to have the three lines connected with a direct line running at right angles. This connection would mean that thousands of sheep would be saved in times of drought, as they could be transported to good pasture by a journey of six hundred miles instead ■of some three thousand miles, as at present. At the present time, these three direct lines into the interior were connected by an air service.

At Brisbane. Mr. Mackenzie attended the_ annual agricultural show. The exhibits, he said, would do credit to any show in the world.

Accompanied by the engineer in chargs. Mr. Mackenzie inspected the port. Skilful engineering had rendered the river navigable for large ships as far as Brisbane proper, a distance of sixteen miles. Large works, with their own private wharves, were sligbtlv further down the river, all the wharves being connected by rail. AmplP provision had also bPen made for the future. It was likely that labour at Brisbane was eoinjr to have a crash in the not tar distant future, said Mr. Mackenzie. at tbe present time the industries were being paralysed by small production and flijrh wases.

"The one thin? that struck mc in Australia was the uniform courtesy that is extended by everyone/ , he added