AUSTRALIAN WANDERER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22064, 21 September 1933, Page 16

AUSTRALIAN WANDERER

ADVENTURES IN MANY LANDS “ THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN.” (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, September ’9. An Australian who has wandered far from his native land and has had many adventures and strange experiences in other countries, returned last week to his native land, convinced that it is the best country to live in. He, is Mr VV. M. Mather, who originally came from Western Queensland. He has been wandering about the world since 1920, two months after he returned to Australia after war service with the Australian Imperial Force. He has been copta planting in the Pacific, mining in Mexico, sheep and cattle raising in Peru, sinking artesian bores in Spain, and seeking concessions in Abyssinia. Proceeding to Fiji in 1920, Mr Mather later went to Samoa and then drifted to the United States. He soon found himself in Mexico mining for gold and silver—an occupation which shortly afterwards led him to Peru, where he was engaged in the construction of smelting works and mills or the treatment of silver ami copper. He then joined the Sociedad Ganadera Corpaeancha, the largest stock-raising company in Peru, and for them he assisted in the cross-breeding of Romney Marsh and Corriedale sheep with Rambouillot merinos. He worked on haciendas (stations) 15,000 feet above sea level, where the only vegetation is pasturage. He said that the quality of the wool produced in Peru is being gradually improved, but climatic conditions will prevent Peruvian breeders from reaching the high standard of Australia.

Having acquired fluency in Spanish, Mr Mather subsequently joined a United States syndicate formed to exploit artesian waters for irrigation in Valencia, the great orange-growing district in Spain. Mostly sub-artesian water was found, and deep turbine pump wells were installed, with excellent results. While in Spain Mr Mather saw many op-

portunities for the exploitation of reciprocal trade between Australia and that country. He said that although Spain is now passing through a period of transition, it was a country which possessed more scope for development than any other part of Europe. Early this year Mr Mather wont to Abyssinia with a view to ascertaining the prospects of obtaining concessions for business. He found that the Abyssinian considered himself vastly superior to Europeans, who were shown plainly that they were not wanted. He soon came to the'conclusion that it was no place for a white man, and came home to Australia.