PROGRESS OF QUEENSLAND.

Press, Volume XXX, Issue 4077, 21 August 1878, Page 6 (Supplement)

PROGRESS OF QUEENSLAND.

f" Australasian.''] The pastoral capabilities of Queensland are being developed with astonishing rapidity. The capital and enterprise of the southern colonies are both contributing to bring about this result. During last year alone the area of country taken up for squatting pursuits iraa nearly double the extent of the whole under pastoral occupation by Crown tenants in "Victoria at the present time. In 1576 the area of Victorian Crown lands enbrace'd in rung amounted to 21,906,540 acres, divided into 822 runs. In Queensland the gross area under pastoral occupation at the close of 1877 lias 318,660 square divided into 5755 rant. Last year no less than 1104 runs, embracing an area of 70,952 square miles, were applied for, and licensee were issued in all excepting sixteen cases. We learn from the pwwl report of the Under Secretary of

the Lands Department that " the rush for country was confined mainly to the North and South Gregory and the Burke districts, which contain some of the finest pastoral country in Australia. In the North Gregory district there is an area, watered by the heads of the Herbert River, about 2OD miles square, or 40.000 square miles, which is nearly all downe country. This tract was first traversed by Burke and Wills in the year ISGI, but h»s only recently attracted notice as p-istoral settlement has extended out westward. In this dittriet alone 53.85S square miles of cour.try are now occupi' d, some 32,000 ."quare miles being applied for last year. The department reports that, considering the large number of runs applied for, there are comparatively few disputes in regard to boundaries. The title is iuvariably granted to the applicant who first placed stock on the ground. Out of the 5775 runs only 2070 are as yet surveyed, but the work is being pushed on with vigour. The rente paid by pastoral leisees are very much below those received in this calony. Xhe average rentul upon the whole of the runs in Queensland only amounts to 11s IOJd per square mile, or about 89 of a farthing per acre j while in Victoria the pastoral tenants contributed in 187(5 £152,614 to to the Treasury, or about ljd per acre. The comparative fixity of tenure granted to licensees, and the practically almost limitless pastoral resources of Queensland are unquestionably attracting hundreds of wealthy squatters from the South, more especially from Victoria. The result, of this exodus of capital and enterprise to the northern colony must tei:d to the rapid development of Queensland, and the youngest member of the Australian group has every prospect of speedily attaining the measure of advancement reached by her i-lder pistera. At a meetiDg in London of the Howard Association, a curious incident was mentioned by one of the committee, who, on visiting a provircial priaon some years ago, found one of the prisoners (probibly waiting tri:d) busily engaged in writing. On ioqui-T in to the nature of his literary labours, he was informed that it consisted in the composition ©' sermons for cl out'ide.