TASMANIA IN TYPE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 328, 15 October 1908, Page 5

TASMANIA IN TYPE.

SOME EXCELLENT HANDBOOKS. attractions to farmers and . > TOURISTS.... We have received from the Government of Tasmania a set of five excellently printed handbooks oh somo of that country's chief resources; its tourist attractions, and other snbjects of interest to residents in other States.'The set comprises ; the following:— Fer Immigrants. f . r "Information for Immigrants, and Statistics": This 1 gives information about Tasmania's climate —the rain-fall, tho healthgiving'.properties of the mountain air, the low death rate (nine out of every ten infants born surviving .thoifirst year), cost of living, with a list of .'retail prices of provisions, furniture, house ."rents, • ruling wages of mechanics, brief chapters on mining, agriculture, land prices, shipping . facilities, educational system', and 'social life. These are all points 'which appeal.fto the intending immigrant, and they aro put concisely. For Tourists and Holiday-Makers. "Australia's Playground and Health Resort This guide book is compiled to supply Aa those wio aro wondering where to spend : their., holiday, particulars of the climate, .scenery/- accommodation houses, sports,..etc., of-this rugged land of mountain? /river,"and lake. Something is said abouu 'what is costs to see Tasmania through the eyes .of a tourist, and the chief routes of travel-arid spots of interest are described in - detail. .The'guide contains 1 150 pages, and its attractive illustrations of Tasmanian sconeijr. are tioro ih. numbers than the leaves of thsj/hjiok itself. Land. rU Gsdwii Land Laws": Intending settlers learn^from' this tho cost and the terms and conditions of settlement. The mode of purchase Jis, set out in a somewhat novel manjner.. Any 'person 18 years old and upwards iC.in select? any area up to 200 acres, J/JQO acres, or 1000 acres of first, second, or v third/class land respectively, the minimum prices tbeing £1, 10s., and os. per acre, re"'speetirely. Eighteen years' credit js obtainable by an addition of one-third on to the . r purchase price. Thus if a selector takes 100 acres at £1 per acre, and pays by instalments over eighteen years, tho total payment amounts to £133 6s. Bd. Of.v,.this- sum 16s. Bd. is paid down, and thereafter tho payments are £1 6s. per annum, for the next two years, £5 for the next four years, £7 10s. for the next four years, and. £10 for the next eight years. The occupant is then the. freeholder unincumbered. There is an institution known as the State Agricultural Bank, which lends sum of money up to one-half ; tho amount to credit-purchase,' selectors,'-at, 6 per . cent'., actually paid .on, the .purchase and one-half of the. improvements effected. The secondclass land, at 10s an acre, however, is that which embraces Tasmania s famous orchard soils.. The credit-purchase payments arc in this case spread, over 14 years. Apparently the intending; settler can' select his; section, pay down "his deposit, and become immediately the occupant without a ballot or other of the distracting delays': so familiar to New Zealanders. While' one would regret every settler who should leave i this country to become a freehold citizen of Tasmania, one must: admit that the task of doing so appears to be exceedingly easy.' This handbook contains also an attractive chapter on the timber industry. Tempting Bait for Anglers. "An' Angler's Guide": Thisjs a rare work , for an angler's " of "hSts. . It tells'the sportsman' not only which are Tasrichest rivers and what they contain, biit it' tells him how to land, i the "beauties.''*' , lt :: 'gives I Vdluable advice .'as to' rod and reelj line,' gut, flies, and the other gear: it tells how to cast the line for good results or! ill, up'stream or down, in largo river or small; how and when to "strike"; and how to land tho catch. It gives warnings against many of the common errors of young' anglers, and good practical advico on hundreds of.the small points that make for big baskets. ,It : is. an angler's cyclopoedia, Then each fish has a separate chapter with its portrait and all its little whims and fancies revealed; each river is fully described; and sea-fishing is amply dealt with. A table of dates of seasons for the. different fishes, and details of the license fees are appended. Apple Orchards and Other Farms. "Orcharding, Dairy, Poultry, and. General Fanning": This is No. V of tne series. The photo-prints of some of Tasmania's famous apple orchards' will interest New Zealand orchardists, and so will the views of the big fruit steamers lying at the moorings, the packing operations, the fruit pickers and graders at work, and some views showing: the peculiarly profitable system of pruning which the Tasmanians have learned to adopt.. There is money in a look at this handbook for New Zealand orchardists, even if, they do not yield to the temptation to go over. The letterpress gives welcome information about the art of apple-growing. The chapters on dairy, poultry, and general farming, including Tasmania's great industry, potato-grow-ing are also of great' interest. Apparently the series of handbooks is issued gratis to suitable applicants, as there is no price printed on them. . They are most artistically printed/ they ' are overflowing with photo-prints of< exceedingly great merit, and the letterpress is ' characterised by a practical vein.