LAND OF PROMISE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 110, 9 April 1926, Page 6

LAND OF PROMISE

IMPRESSIONS OF AUSTRALIA. AS GAINED BY LOCAL RESIDENT. Writing to a local resident from aboard the s.s. Medic at Fremantle, Mr A. E. Cowley, who left recently on a trip to the Old Country, states that to him tho most striking feature of Sydney and Melbourne is that each of these capitals contains half the population of its respective State. “Remembering,” ho continues, “that Newcastle, Ballarat, Bendigo, etc., are populous places, and that both New South Wales and Victoria aro studded with towns of various sizes, it would seem that tho rural workers and their families are but from 15 to 20 per cent, of the population. “Tho young Australians of the. rising generation are quite differenfigin many ways from those I remembei 50 years ago. Instead of ‘What can I be?’ and ‘What can I do?’ it is now ‘How do I look?’ and ‘How can I havo a good time?’ “The management of traffic will be a problem in Sydney. Melbourne, with its wider streets and excellent tram and train services, will not be so troubled. Probably, Melbourne lias tho best tram and suburban train (electrified) service of any city in the world. Trains run to every suburb at 10 to 15 minutes’ interval,, and the speed when travelling is 30 to 40 miles per hour. I went from Box Hill to Flinders street, a distance of nine miles, in 17 minutes (one stop at Camberwell). Tho New Zealand Railway Department could probably learn something by studying Victorian methods. Melbourne is becoming a manufacturing town. Between the city and Port Melbourne factory chimneys aro numerous and the atmosphere ‘smoky’ at times. “Adelaide is a place the south Australians can bo proud of. With superb public buildings of stone and brick and wide streets, the city proper is surrounded by parks and gardens totalling 1100 acres and is probably the best laid out capital city on the globe. Dwellings aro mostly of stone or brick, a wooden house being the exception. If tho summer temperature wejo 15 to 20 degrees lower, I could live happily here. Vineyards in hundred acre lots, wheat paddocks by tho thousand acres—truly a land of corn and wine.

“Western Australia, like tho Northern Territory, presents difficult problems. Tho south-western division, about the size of New Zealand, has a fair climate, with a rainfall of from 10 to 40 inches, but the other districts, comprising about 900,000 square miles, havo great drawbacks. The total population of the State is 300,000, half being in Perth and Fremantle. Butter and other dairy produce is imported from the Eastern States to a value of one million annually. “Tasmania, dear little ‘Tassie,’ is beautiful but unprogressive. About half its area comprises rough, stony, steep hills, not suitable for pastoral purposes. For climate and scenery it should please tho most fastidious. Hobart lias developed the fruit export industry in a wonderful manner, and this season 45 ocean-going steamers will call for fruit, tho export totalling two million cases.

“The Medic has about 20 passengers from New Zealand among her complement, all of whom are well. The general opinion among them is that Maoriland is the pick of the southern lands.

“We liavn’t seen green grass since leaving Wellington, and not much of any other colour. To sheep and dairy farmers of New Zealand, my advice is ‘Stay where you are and be thankful that you live in such a pleasant country.’ ”