THE QUEENSLAND LURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 513, 21 May 1909, Page 8

THE QUEENSLAND LURE.

EXODUS FROM NEW ZEALAND. v ME. JOHN GAME'S OBSERVATIONS. ' Mr. John. Gallic,' well* Known in the.Wairarapa, where ho was formerly a successful sheep-farmer, has returned from, si second visit to Queensland, feeling that tho'Government should do somcth i ng&ooiv to check tho exodus; of Now Zealand landowners to . its sunny shores by removing tho disabilities milder which they suffer in this country. Mr. Gallie ; went over most parts of tho .'Darling Downs, and was impressed by tho number oj ' New'-Zealanders'■ who'" have already invested capital in, tlioso much-boomcd lands, i . Ha told a Dominion representative yesterday that ho know personally of twenty men, withU total : capital of over £150,000,' who had gone over to try their fortuno in the new country. Fully a .hundred settlers fnjm NewZealand must. have acquired land altogether, and they had taken from these Chores sums of capital ranging 'from £3000 'to £15,000 !a-pieco.' He asked some.of thesosmen what were the inducements that had / led them to .desert Now Zealand for Queensland. They replied that they had heard glowing accounts of land and prospects in Queensland, and that the present labour conditions in New Zealand made it dilficidt for. them, to farm successfully in that country. ; 'At Warwick,' on Wednesday of last week, Mr. Gallie spoke to six' New Zealanders who were on the . lookout for land. Four/of them came from the Hawera district, and they, w ere -all 'good," sterling men. . -. . • . ■ ■•. / ■ ~. . . V'.// . Warm Feeling for New Zealanders.' ,At the present time, he states, the Queensland newspapers are making the most of the 'reported-depression in .New Zealand, in contrast !to tho prosperous conditions of 'then idwji State. Tnoy art using this, contrast' toassist the policy, of attracting men of. 'capital :to . their shores, which, i from; the; point of: _viow'.of New Zealand's interest, has met with "too much success already. /' il i-As* evidence of the' good -feeling-',towards' • New Zealanders,.-Mr.. Gallio' states that he 'was at. Warwick whon Mr. Alfred. Deakin ■ 'was-arriving to give, a speech .'iru'.tlieVeven-, :ing. Recognising the foriner,'Prime- Minister from photographs when he stepped uft the train, and noticing :.that the represents!-' ■tives- of tlio local authorities seemed>in no' 'hurry to. greet him, • Mr. Gallio introduced himself as a New Zealander, and asked to be ;aDowed,. in that, capacity/ te; welcome,.theVisitor to Queensland.. '"You're/the sort we like- to see hero," Mr. Deakin said, in : returning' warmly the. unusual welcome. "It's a: pity- wo can't got moro of: you New Zealanders'." j-V ,' I.'. ;- -" '!: ' ' : "A Wonderful Country." Mr. Gallio admits that Queensland is . a wonderful country. "I'Ou can" get land ot .every, .class, and a climate to suit almost anybody. It has, in parts,; one of the : finest ,climates in the 'world, and it has also some of tjio finest land. I have seen... For. the high , class, black volcanic, lucerne land you have to pay up t0,£50 an acre near a town. The .Government is offering great attractions toy settlers, and •is putting*; down-' iiglit railways, .to assist, the."'development of tho country in "a way which Mr.. Gallie Bays : would be an object- lesson to tho New Zealand Government.: -It is ho use, "ho states, for,:tho Premier';-.and;'.Ministry of >:/this. Dominion ~to . say that.; tho New '/ Zealiuders wlio Jiavo .takqh.up: land in Queensland'will ,a: .man invests £10,000 in Queensland he is stuck. thero for some, time,-' as ho would.be. in -New • Zealand. ,While the',. presentlabour/'difficulties, are experienced; by: farmers, i in : New Zealand, we will continue to lose' these'people: whom we can- least afford.V, Workmen.-and/labourers are'/following tho fanning , class to' Queensland..: There has been a certain exodus'of brick'workers "and plasterers from/New', Zeaand these men are finding work readily in Brisbane,/as iarvas I- couldrseeJ- : "I 'ldiow it/has ; been denied, that ' there is any surplus of, employment, in Brisbane,but it seemed to mo : that there was plenty,of work about,, and 'I"failed to Bee: in -Brisbane; the same' number of idle, people that one about Wellington,'now. Wbethor . tho prosperity . on /thp ' othor.,, side /will continue or not. I 'cannot tell, but .if;tho tido of immi-. grants.keeps up it; will'continue;- for.'there. :is -any :amount ,of' land, for: settlement." You could put New Zealand unto the heart ■: of Queensland ,-and never notice the difference."

Lucerne and No Labour. ~ , ,

.;: As .showing the attitude. . I Zealand' farmers' towards,'tho ywestern' lure}] Mr. Gallio.instanced tho.case, of two-younfj men, known 'to himself, 5 , who. have been carrying_on agricultural/farming' and dairying, all.! their : livesV in Otago, '. and. if theyi i sell,: as far as;ho couldgather from .'them,' they would havo about £14/100;■';;'They',were'■".dissatisfied iwith their NewZealandprpspccts, and meet- | ing' one,of tho';two'-..brothers on tho look-out for;land in. Queensland,' Mr. Gallie asked the cause., of their dissatisfaction. ; He;, replied that, after'thd expense and trouble.of get- 1 ting labour in; Now Zealand there whs no'C much .left in farming, there;: Ho has there-'. fore;gorio to Queensland to spy out tho land probably to buy. If. ho buys, ho 1 wili, cable to! his .brother in, New' Zealand to sell their Otago property and join.him in. Queens-' land.'.-He belioves .that' he. could purchase • 300 or 400.acres of 1 tho.;best.lucerne-gfowirig , laiid oh tho' south; part of the Downs; ;whero tho two brothers could grow lucerne' practically without the need of fany 'outside• ;labour..' "Once.you get lucerne down,, it: is down for. twenty years.".-.As.showing the profits to be! made from lucerno farming, Mr.' Gallio said; that'three, miles "from 'Warwick a man had:7o acres,\2o acres of which'were absolutely useless for-,this plant. ; Ho had ; 60: acres down: in ■ lucerne,'and. from 'them, both the farmer and his assistaht assured Mr.Gallie, ho raised. 400 tons of lucerno in •18 months,-.fpr which an" average price of ib ; a.: ton was received. ■'; In addition ■ho got £300 worth of lucerne seed.: Ho kept onlj, one man for all tho work involved, except at the .brief, rush of .carting hay: into his shed Tliis man had been offered, and had refused, £50' an acre'for his 70 acresv ■-,',.: