FLOURISHING AUSTRAILIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3004, 11 October 1911, Page 41

FLOURISHING AUSTRAILIA.

I BOOM IN SYDNEY. (Fitoii Oub Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, October 2. : The Mayor of Auckland (Mr C. J. Parr), who has been spending a five weeks’ holiday in Australia, returned by | the Victoria from Sydney last evening, j Although Mr Parr undertook the trip j mainly as a rest, he devoted a good deal ' of time while in Australia to investigating municipal matters. “ said Mr Parr in reply to a question, “ is very prosperous juet now. Everywhere there is plenty of money, and business is wonderfully brisk. Sydney is booming. , Another 10 years must see its population | reach 1,000,000. Nothing • can prevent ! Sydney from being the London of the ! Pacific. Already the evidence, of its I wealth and prosperit- meet the eye j everywhere. : Imagine a huge, theatre like ! His Majesty’s in Pitt street crowded every night at 15s a head to hear Madame Melba and her: wonderful company ingrand opera. One night after “Carmen” I counted nearly 200 motor cars, representing perhaps £150,000 in value, outside the theatre, all waiting for their owners. Besides this, Ethel Irving, perhaps the greatest living actress, and seme six other companies were playing to crowded houses. Such is the wealth of Sydney. It is, moreover’, the holiday place in Australia, just as Auckland is j going to be the great “picnic” spot of I New Zealand. One cannot but notice that ! the ready money of tourists and travellers contributes in great measure to Sydney’s prosperity. Auckland must be wise too and cater for these people, i QUEENSLAND. I “It being five years since I was in Queensland I could not help remarking the wonderful progress made by that State during the last five years. Under a strong Liberal Government,” proceeded Mr Parr, “immigrants are arriving in thousands every month, amd are encouraged to come. Railways are being pushed right through the interior, and land settlement proceeds apace. They have a real immigration policy, and alive railway and settlement administration. The land seeker can get grazing land in almost any areas. Twelve thousand acres (at an annual rent ranging from J*d to 5d an acre) is regarded as a moderate holding. The large settled runs near the big centres are being resumed for small farms, only a small fringe being taken every few years. For a young farmer with, say, I £2OOO capital, Queensland, I regret to say, offers much better inducements than New Zealand. The small raaa with a family, however,': had better stay in New Zealand. He will be more comfortable here than roughing it out there. ■ “I found many New Zealailders settled there for some time past. Thousands of our people have bean leaving to go to Australia, attracted, no doubt, by good times and a wider scope of employment. There were over 150 of these people on the Maheno, the steamer in which I went across, and I had of chatting with many of them, and ascertaining their viewpoint. I found they were working people of a good type, whom we can ill afford to lose. lam afraid that a drift of population has set in from New Zealand, more particularly from Wellington, to Australia. Just now it is not the mere ebb and flow of itinerant workers. Already this year Australia has gained nearly 5000 of our people, and when this is so, it surely requires the attention of the Government.”