FROM CEYLON TO AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 83

FROM CEYLON TO AUSTRALIA.

SOME IMPRESSIONS BY A WELL-

KNOWN DUNEDINITE

Mr T. W. Kempthorne, who was a passenger by the Orient Pacific steamer Ortona from Colombo to Fremantle, continues, in a letter written at Sydney on the 28th February, his interesting notes upon his voyage : — Tho voj r age from Colombo to Fremantle was about as monotonous as that round Cape Horn. We saw no land excepting the Keelings Islands (in lat. 12.34- and long. 97.4-), and no ship or steamer till close to Rottnest Island, near Fremantle. There were very few seabirds sighted, the only visible living things being Hying fish from day to day, in uncountable numbers. On board of the steamer they had the regular sports of cricket, quoits, and other ships' games, with a few concerts, dances, and the usual amount of flirting, inseparable from hedged-in ship life. Un arrival at Fremantle I did not expect to see such a perfect harbour. ' The Government of Western Australia has spent money freely and well in "making a safe port for shipping. The largest sailers and steamers can go safely in, with plenty of room for swinging and tying up securely at the wharves, with every facility for rapidly receiving and discharging cargo. In going from. Fremantle to Perth by railway, 12 miles, you see houses erected almost the entire distance, and at the rate buildings are going up the gaps will all be soon -filled in. Fremantle is growing fast, and is now an important town. On reaching Perth I was agreeably surprised to find such a well-laid out city, with large reserves. The King's Park or Garden is a very extensive reserve, well planted with flowers, shrubs, and ornamental trees. Just now the red gum trees known as the scarlet gum,- planted along the edges of the paths or carriage drives, are in flower. This flowering red gum, I hear, only grows v in Western Australia. The flowers are huge things, growing singly and in clusters. The flower is the size of a small peony, the colour a brilliant scarlet. They are remarkably beautiful. Perth is going to be a large and prosperous city. Its rapid growth shows the marvellous effect produced by gold discovery. Western Australia, although the oldest settlement, made little progress till gold was found. Now ehe is forging ahead very fast, and w ill soon be the biggest gold-producing place in Australia. Apart from this, it is reported that they have recently discovered some very fine pastoral and agricultural country in well-watered districts. In the Sydney Morning Herald of February 25 it is stated that Wc-stern Australia has 2,195,-000 acres of first and second-class agricultural land available for settlement, and that outside of this classified area there are several million acres of good agricultural land for settlement. In discussing business with some of the leading firms in Perth, and with Perth residents who were fellow-passengers on the way to Adelaide, they reported a temporary dulness. Sti 1, they expressed the opinion that Perth had a future quite equal to that of any other Australian city, and that its climate was far superior to that in Victoria, New South Wales, or Queensland. It was terribly hot when I passed through — 95deg in the shade Fahrenheit, — but being a dry heat I did not find it at all oppressive.

j From Fremantle to Adelaide takes four days by steamer — no railway connection. On reaching Glenelg in large steamers passengers have to embark in small steam tenders to the railway jetty — a distance of several mile. 1 -. It is very unpleasant in moderate weather, but in a rough sea you are drenched with salt water. It takes about two hours to rerch Adelaide from the time you leave your steamer if you are fortunate in catching the train. I saw Adelaide for the first time. Some of the passengers who had previously been to Adelaide, and also some of the ship's officers, said : " What do you want to sro to Adelaide for ; there is nothing to be spen there. There is only one good street (King William street) — nothing more."' ■ "Well," I said. "I am going to see it: and if nioderately'observant I fancy I shall see more than you describe." I found it a beautiful city — broad streets, very large, well-kenf; reserves and gardens, good recreation grounds, splendid buildings, wide streetpaths, and all the streets strikingly clean, and traffic pyoparly regulated. Ths outskirts of Adelaide are attractive — residential houses with good gardens, and, near the foot of the hills, splendid^ vineyards, which 1 visited. As in Western Australia, it was hot iv Adelaide. Still, it was the same dry heat, and not oppressive. What a contrast to the Indian heat! It is noteworthy that in every Australian city you visit "the local residents consider their particular locality the best. This show;s residential contentment, which certainly ;s; s better than unrest. They have had a very good grain season in South Australia. The gross wheat return for 1904, iust published, chows a total of 137,017,500 bushels, as against 131,£65 000 bushels for 1903, or an average for 1904 of slightly over seven and three-quarter bushels to the acre, which is a good jump from the old year of about five bushels and under for the want of [ manuring. The present returns will in- ! crease, as they are now improving the land I by annual artificial manuring, and putting back into the land more than they are taking out — a policy which they have too | late discovered pays well. I From Adelaide I went by rail to Melbourne, taking two days, so as to see the country in daylight. In journeying through there is evidence that they have had a good pastoral season. The grass, although now bleached to straw colour, is still long and abundant, and the sheep and cattle you see along the track look fat and uncommonly well. Along the line at the various railway stations 3'Ou see huge stacks of grain piled up for removal. In some T>ortions of this long journey, however, there are immense tracks of poor couutry, with nothing on but bluegum trees. On nearinsr I Ballarat you get into better country. I I was pleased to see again many of the old 1 places over which I travelled nearly 50 years aac — Stawell or Pleasant Creek, Ararat, Ballarat, and all the other townships on to Melbourne. In comine: through, immense bush fires were visible, doing great damage. There is, of course, more dang-cr from the long withered grass than from the bush itself A great number of homesteads was destroyed, inflicting much misery. , I On nearing Ballaral it coinnienccg to ram

in torrents, and the rain continued all the way to Melbourne and throughout the night, fortunately putting out tho bush fires. On tho following- morning (Sunday, February 12) the sky was cloar, with a cool breeze. Tho streets had been washed beautifully clean, and when I dropped into 1< ltzroy Gardens before going to church it was heavenlj'- I went to the English Cathedral ( twice, the preacher in the morning- beng Canon Sadhcr, and in the evening tbe . Bishop of Melbourne. In the morning the ; cathedral was about one-third full, and in the- evening about two-thirds. Tha fine | morning doubtless drew a large number to j the beautiful gardens and reserves. The j tram service commances at midday on Sunday. This Melbourne cable tram service is splendidly handled^ and controlled— quite equal to any electric service I have seen. The cost of working may be greater; I do not know-. It is good enough for anything, and there are no unsightly poles disfiguring the streets. The trams go six or seven miles in all directions and every few minutes. The suburbs of Melbourne are beginning to "hum" again. Good houses of attractive designs suitable to the climate arc gomg up in all directions— all of brick, and with ornamental tile roofs and good gardens with each house.. The streets of Melbourne appear to me to be quic-ter than during my last visit of some 16 years ago. Yet there is an immense business doing, many making big fortunes. The oversea exports cf the Commonwealth for 1904- (just out) give on idea of the vast business done — £57,500,000, as against £4-9,700,000 for 1903. Wool and gold show about three-fifths of this export for 1904-. They are about equal — £17,251.000 each, or a total for these two lines of £34,500,000, out of £57,500,000. The 1 alance over, wool and gold consists of pastoral, agricultural, industrial, and miscellaneous. Tho street trariic of Melbourne is well ccnducted by the police, and there are trrmway servants at all crossing-places. I noticed also along the footpaths of streets notice signs, about 20yds apart, hung en the lampposts or verandah fixings, "Keep to the right," and "Do not spit on the footpaths." These aie iron signs, about 18in long and 6in deep, blue grounds and white letters on each side. The consequences of these intimations are that e\eiyone passing te-es them, the traffic is orderly and kept as instructed, and the paths are always clean.

I travelled from Melbourne by railway express night train to Sydney. The sleeping apartments are well fitted up ,and made as comfortable as possible; still, there is not much comfort or likelihood of sleep with the continuous noise and wobbling about over the rails. A sea passage, on average, is more comfortable and enjoyable. Tne time occupied by the night express railway journey from Melbourne to Sydney is 18 hours. Sydney looks busier than Melbourne. Tho streets are narrower, thus partly accounting for this appearance. The great heavy electrical trams make a fearful noise, rushing through within a few yaids of each ether from, early morning to midnight. The Melbourne cable trams are not nearly so noisy as the Sydney thunderers, but cable trams would not answer in S3'dney — too much uphill and too many corners. Here in Sydney, as in Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne, you hear 'from day to day the same wail about labour troubles and the insecurity cl -. c-n-turing capital in any industrial pursuit. There is much unrest. In these splendid cities, however, which completely command, within easy distance by railway and coast, all the centres of population, there are opportunities of money-making- to people well set up in business that are quite unknown and unrealisable in the small, scattered chief cities and supply areas c-onneotcd therewith in New Zealand. Our chief cities, in comparison to Melbourne and Sydney, are mere villages. There are numbers in business here making huge fortunes — possibly not much good to them when they are so distressed about future prospects and worries which, you are constantly hearing, are directly ahead. I daresay they will got more philosophical as they ripen in experience, when travelling along in the midst of these real or imaginary woes.

The>re is no doubt our colonial legislators do tome vnlovely things. The Immigration Restriction Act re coloured 'abour for instance. TJi is is the moat pernicious thing of all. A cruel thing to the world's humanity — what a horror and "i nfathomablo wrong, — excluding men whose skins are not white from British to-rritory. when the Brit:sh Empire has hundreds of millions of loyal subjects whose skins are not white. Untees they promptly cancel this restrictive law retributive justice will some day square this erookod bxismess. Let m& change this horrible thing- and get on to the weather in Sydney, which is simply delightful. Parks, gardens, harbour, md city surroundings all look beautiful, and are indeed attractive. In Melbourne and Sydney I met many old friends and members of their families who were most kind. In Adelaide. Melbourne, and in Sydney you find a number of people who go in for the best up-to-date motor cars, and in each city I have been taken round for a good spin by my friends. In these swiftly travelling carriers you can see niore in a clay than you can in a week with en ordinary conveyance. The last spin I had here was with a Dunedin native, Mr Hugh MacNeil (of Briscoe and Co.), who is now numbered among Sydney's leading business men. I find in talking to many New Zealanders settled in Australia that they are now Australians, and do not want to go back even to beautiful MaorilanJ.

I have ib? theatres since reaching Australia, and find them all well attended, which is one indication of prosperous life. I like to see good theatres well patronised. Ir is a good sign — keeps off worry and fits you " for work. I have also visited the churches twice on a Sunday— rather an unusual thing for me. as I am as a rule what they call a "oncer." On Sunday last here I heard two delightful services at the English Cathedral — " Harvest festival ; preacher in th** morning the Rev. Mr Flower, and in the evening the Bishop of Newcastle. The moi'ning text was : " While tho earth remaineth .seed time and harvest shall not cease." The preacher 13 possessed of a glorious voice, perfect enunciation, every word uttered sweetly ringing throughout the large building. It was indeed a pleasure to lisfcoa to his eloquent earnestness, every sentence exalting mu«ic. Ths cathedral was about two-thirds full. In tho evoniug it was crowded, 'i he Bkhop of Newcastle is an aged man, whose- voice is still strong and clear, but not strong enough to reach throughout the building. Kis was also an eloquent sermon. His attitude in the pn'pit i-J unusual. He dolivers his te-xt — which on this occasion was : " They have multiplied the nation, and fio£ intreajcd, the joys; they joy before

Thee, according to the joy in hanest"— the.n throws his head back, looking skywards, never referring to notes or book, but maintaining this etrik-ng position from beginning to end of his «rn:oii. He ne\er sights his congregation from start to finish of his discourse. He ie a remarkably impres^ne man. I shall shortly leave this for Auckland and Rotorua, and I may go to San Francisco from Auckland if the home ma net is r-ot tco «trong when I rea?h that i ort. I have oinittod to mention the vast quantities of delicious fruit yo.t see at tihs tune everywhere in Australia. Tho peaches arc of groat size and bewitching flavour— something to dwell ever