OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 448, 5 March 1909, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

QUEENSLAND'S PROSPERITY. (FROM OUB OWN COUKESrONnENT.) Sydney, February 27. The Premier of Queensland, Mr. Kidston, who camo to Sydnoy this week with somo of his Ministers and Mr. ThaHon, the Queensland Railway Commissioner, to discuss tlio question of adjusting the differential railway rates between the two States, was invited by an interviewer to forecast the moro important provisions of his new Licensing Hill. He replied tint ho could not do it. "Wo will," he said, "be guided largely by the experiences of Now South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. ' We want to sco just how your little devices lvo.'k out. It is a matter I hopo to deal with during tlio coming session, but whilo it is easy to determine on general lines it is moro difficult to mako the legislation effective, keeping in view all tlie time the necessity for dealing not too harshly with those who will bo tho most affected.' 1

Queensland has boon for somo time agitating for a better financial understanding between the States and tho Commonwealth, and Mr. Kidston refrred to this subject as ono to bo discussed very seriously at the coming conference of Premiers. " Our idea in Queensland," ho said, "is that there is only ono subject to be discussed—tlio rearrangement of tho financial relations between the States and tlio Commonwealth. It is so important that everything else should be placed on one side to permit of its being settled on a permanent and lasting footing. The futuro security < f ;,he States, as well as the Commonwealth, depends upon this settlement. It is eminently undesirable that thoro should bo friction and disagreement, if not a quarrel, and it is manifestly to the advantage of the Commonwealth that thix matter should bo settled." Hence, it. is clear that Queensland means busiresß. Mr. Kidston declares that Queensland at tlio present time is probably in as prosperous a condition as it ever was. Settlement has been going on at an unprecedented rate, tho increase being duo not only to British immigration, but to the arrival of now settlers from New South Wales, Victoria, New Zealand, and South Australia. "This is natural enough," he observes, "for tliero is any amount of good agricultural land, and its price is cheaper than that of suitablo areas in other States."

Madams Mclba's Visit. Madame Melba landed in tho Commonwealth this week to begin tho most extensive tour sho has yet undertaken in this part of tho world, including visits to all sorts of out-of-the-way places. She says sho wants Australians to hear her sing, who cannot come to tho big cities, and hence she proposes to visit them, in their isolation. In the samo way sho will travel rather extensively in New Zealand. Tho distinguished singer has had a lot of work at Covent Garden and olseivhcre this season, but after tho rest on tho voyage sho feels, sho says, fit for anything. "My manager in England,''' she said to tho representative of the "Sydney Morning Herald" at l'erth, "told me that I was very foolish to suffer pecuniary loss, but I meant to make a thorough tour of Australia. I shall stay in Australia six or nino months, and after filling several engagements in England and America, will return again in ' fifteen fnonths' time—that is, if you will havo me again. You seo my great ambition is to produce grand opera in Australia on a grand scale. When I arrived in Naples last April, on my voyage back to England, I mentioned the idea to Simior do Sana, director apd proprietor of tho San Carlo Theat.ro there. He is a leading improsario in Italy. Tho whole scheme was discussed, and' Signor de Sana promised his co-operation; but when the scheme seemed to bo assured a completo success, I received a telegram from Naples to the effect that Signor dc Sana had been stricken with paralysis. The whole plan, therefore, fell through, but I shall havo it perfected by tho time I come out again .next year. Nearly every role Trill bo filled by famous artists, and whilo I am in Australia this timo I shall, endeavour to collect a few basses:" In reply to tho query, "What:' Singing parts will you take?" ■ Madamo Melba replied that it was hard to determino this yet; but sho would probably appear as Elsa in " Lohengrin," and Elizabeth in " Tannhausor," besides her usual singing parts. Speaking of singers from this side of tho world now studying in Enrope, Madame Melba mentioned Miss Tancrcdi, of New Zealand, as amongst the brightest of tho students. Tho great singer brings a new baritone with her, Mr.' jßanalow, who' was born in Dublin, educated at Westminster School, and has appeared with success in England. He includes oratorio music amongst his qua'ifications.

Death of Sir John Hay. As reported in' a cablo appearing in TnE Dominion last week, an ex-New Zealander, Sir John Hay, who at ono timo was in business in Auckland, and was related by marriage to tho late Mr. Justice Gillies, of the Supreme Court Bench in that city for so many yoars, died on Friday afternoon suddenly, of heart failure, at his residence at Crow's Nest, North Sydney. "Hay of Coolangatta" was ono of tho best-known men of this state, and one of tho best beloved. Up at his big estate at Coolangatta, on tho Snoalhavon River, ho was regarded in terms of personal affection by his tenantry, a fact of whioli aniplo proof was given when he returned a few months ago from his visit to England as ono of tho honorary commissioners for New South Wales at the FrancoBritish Exhibition, and }vas enthusiastically welcomed by residents of tho South Coast. Sir John Hay stimulated laud settlement in every possible way, originated a policy by which his tenants wero enabled to acquire tile freehold of their lands, and did a groat deal for the town of Berry, built on land which originally formed part of the late Mr. David Berry's estate in tho Shoalhaven district. . This is ono of tho richest. dairying countries in New South Wales, and tho finest milking herds aro. those of Coolangatta-, which h(tvc made Sir John Hay's name prominent at every big agricultural show in the Commonwealth for years, principally because of his Ayrshircs. It was largely through his efforts, and thoso of men like him, that New South Wales dairying produce was enabled to secure a position in the London market closer to that occupied by the produce from Now Zealand and Victoria. Ho was 0110 of

tho pioneers of the industry, and by' spending money in getting; liords of tho finest strains together, and in equipping dairy factories, lie rendered it tho inost valuable service. Sir John Hay was born at Coolangatta. He went to Scotland to be educated at St. Andrew's University, where he t'ook the degree of LL.B.,.and it was when he returned to New South Wales that lie wont on to New Zealand and entered into business— I belioyo as chief partner in Hay and Honeyman, in Auckland. About 30 years ago he came back to New South Wales to take charge of tho vast Berry Estates, nt tin? request of tho proprietor, Mr. David Berry. This property comprised 80,000 acres of the north and south of tho Slioalhaven River, 500 acres known as the Crow's Nest Estate, North Sydney, and other land. When Mr. Berry died in 1889, lie left about a quarter of a million pounds to religious, charitablc and educational institutions. Sir John Hay was related by marriage to the Eov. Dr. David Bruce, a prominent figure of tho Presbyterian Church in New South Wales, who was for 20 years minister of St. Andrew's Church in Auckland.

The Sweated Clerk. , The United Clerks' Union tells us no'thin" new in announcing that clerical labour is badly sweated in Sydney, 'i'hero are 11,000 or 12,000 clerks in this city, and evidently thejr lot is not any better than that of their fellows in other big cities. One often wonders why a clerk should remain a clerk in an office at a mere pittanco when there are opportunities of going into the country and obtaining a billet as a farm labourer, where he may lay the foundation of future independence by saving enough money in a few years to pay a deposit on land for himself, which ho may work with profit in tho light of the experience lie lias gained while toiling for another. This has been done by many young fellows in this Statewithin the past few years, and tho accounts which come to their frionds from those who have been on the land long enough to speak of their prospects show that they have done the right thing 'unaiißstibnabJjr. Some shocking

canes of sweating have boon exposed by the union, r Ono clork in a solicitor's office, a young fellow of 27 getting 255. per wool;, relates that tlic man host paid in the office, amongst theso who are doing work similar to his, receives £2 a week, ami has been (hero for 21) years. There aro scores of lawyers' offices, it is stated, where tlio salary of a clork- never reaches 30s. a week, unci only the fact that overtime is paid for at folio rates enables him to escape insulforablo conditions of existence. In ono of these offices, six clerks, whoso ages vary from 23 to 38, receive l'rom 20s. to 30s. per week; a cjerk aged 2G receives 155., and one aged 18 10s. a week, and a "boy" of 17 is paid ss. Tho conditions in the banks, though far superior to thoEO obtaining in Australian branches of British financial institutions, arc still described as unsatisfactory, and tlio rule forbidding a man to marry until he is receiving £200 a year is said to bo practically an enforcement of celibacy in the majority of cases. In ono.hank, where the general manager for Australia received, with allowances, at least £4000 per annum, it was found that tlio accountant at the head offico in Sydney was paid only £350 per annum, whilo the salary of the chief cashier, a man with close upon '10 years' service, was less than £300, and that of tlio receiving teller, who had obtained increases of not moro than £10 in the last dozen years, was not much over £200 a year. The condition of the shop clerks lias been improved by tlio award of tlio Arbitration Court, but those in the employ of agents and manufacturers appear to ho badly in need of similar relief. A case is quoted of a man who, whilo ranking as accountant to a large, manufacturing firm, is paid 30s. a week, and this salary is expected to bo perfectly honest with tlio cash passing through his hands. The union summarises the position thus:—"A vast proporticn of the people engaged in clerical work do not. receive a wage sufficient to maintain themselves ill independence in a single condition; and tlio proportion of those who do not receive a living as it is recognised as the minimum upon which it is possible to maintain a household, is, of course, far in excess of this. There aro instances of a man of 25 years of ago receiving 12s. 6d. a week, and of others working for 15s. and 17s. per week. One pound weekly is tlio standard at which an amazing number of clerks seem to remain until middle ago, and cases are numerous of those _ who attempt to provido for a wife and children oil that wage." Would not all tluso workers bo immeasurably better off as farm labourers, with the alluring prospect of improved conditions in the immcdiato future ?

Tho Country School Teacher. ■ Country teachers'in Victoria have to undergo some queer experiences. In the \ ictorian Legislative Council a number of letters were read this week from women in cliargo of seventh-class schools, which, from tho description, would seem strangely remote from civilisation. City school teachers complain if they, are inconvenienced by lack of accommodation, and are aggrieved if the premises in which they instruct aro even slightly out of repair; but the women teachers of tho Australian bush schools aro compelled to ignore sucli trivialities. They havo to worry about matters of considerably greater importance. Tho homes in which tho writers of these letters aro obliged to live in when on duty in tho country aro vastly inferior to anything described in "On Our Selection." One of tlieso teachers, describing her. lodgings, wrote that she never liked to look at tho bottom cf the milk jug in case she .should seo something there that would turn,'her against milk. The bed slip was supposed to sleep on was too disgusting to describe, and sho mado a point of lying on tho floor as far from the bed as space would permit. Another lady informed tho Council that in her lodging-house thero was 110 jug or vegetable dish, and a large jar was daily set 011 the table, containing a mixturo callod jam, whoso principal ingredients wero flies and ants. In this establishment tho children, always dirty, energetically sought to reduce all food to trio same repellaut condition. A teacher quartered with a German woman, whose husband was prospecting in another part of tho country, was far from being comfortable. The .landlady had no children, but pigs, fowls," and dogs constituted a substitute of a more aggressive character. When tlie absent 'husband • failed to send : remittances, the (irsv homo expenditure to bo cut down was that upon food, which seemed to be regarded as. a .superfluous luxury. The teacher looked lor other lodgings. She found thorn with a most ignorant farmer, who indulged freely in stimulants, and whilo under their inftuenco treated his wife with great severity. There was nothing', to compensate for such an unpleasant atmosphere. Tho food was bad. Mieo frolicked about her bedroom, spiders and tarantulas swung from the coiling and finally dropped on her bed. Imagine it I In 0110 case it was tho practice to leavo sick children to tho care of the school teacher, while the parents frequented dances. All application was received somo time ago, from a teacher of one of these isolated schools* to bo removed from the locality, as tho people with whom sho was obliged to livo wero utterly demoralised. No similhr position could bo offered her; thercforb sho accepted a lower grade school, and the one sho vacated was afterwards advertised as being for a man only. Altogether, the lot of tho country teacher apj)ears to bo anything but inviting. However, wo continue to pay our pugilists and jockeys well: the ordinary school teachor is a person of comparative unimportance. Seriously, tho pains wo go to in order to break the liearta of thoso who arc teaching our children constitute a crying scandal.