THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3116, 3 December 1913, Page 40

THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

AN INTERESTING GROUP. Mr W. L. Allardyce, C.M.G., Governor of the Falkland islands, visiting Melbourne on furlough, has given some interesting information in regard to the islands. Mr Allardyce is a native of Scotland. For many years Ire was connected with Fiji, of which island he was Colonial Secretary until 1904, when he was appointed by the British Government to bus present position of Governor of the Falkland Islands. The islands are a group in the South Atlantic Ocean. There are two large and 200 small islands, having an area of 4741 square miles. They were discovered by Davis in 1592, colonised by the French in 1763, taken by the Spaniards in 1767, and ceded to Britain in 1771. Since 1883 Britain has had uninterrupted possession of them. The Government fs administered by a Governor, .an Executive, and a Legislative Council. “ Of course, the area of the islands is not very great,” said Mr Allardyce when seen, “ but all our land now is taken up with sheep farming. We have got all the sheep on the land now that we can carry. Last year we shore about 800,000 sheep. They averaged about 7-jlb of wool. Of course it is entirely different from your Australian woo], being a coarse variety, as suited to tho climate. And then we have our whaling—the most remunerative whaling in the world. This is carried on at the South Shetlauds, South Orkneys, Graham’s Land, and South Georgia, there being about 1000 men engaged in it at South Georgia and more at the other stations.

“The whaling now is carried on under entirely different methods from those of the old days. Now we have a great floating factory, and the accompanying whale boats are fitted with a gun in the bow. For some reason the Norwegians seem particularly well adapted to this class of work, and most of it is carried out by them. The gun which is used was invented by Beii Fozeii, and, without disparaging the Britishers, it may be fairly said that the Norwegians are extremely successful. The season, is very short, because in the winter the whales cannot get down owing to the pack-ice. The season lasts from three and a-half to six months during the summer.” Have these industries then brought prosperity to the inhabitants?” Air Allardyce was asked.

The Governor smiled. “ Are they prosperous?” he said. “Well, I think I arn light in saying that in the local Savings Bank at the capital there are a little over 300 depositors, and they have to their credit a little over £70,000. These are not the big people; for none of the big people have their money there. These depositors are mostly the . artisans and shepherds of the islands. A peculiar feature of the Falklauds is that none of the landowners are resident, and their estates are managed by local managers. That would seem to indicate how extremely prosperous they must lie.

“ As 1 have sa-'d, all our land is taken up with sheep farming. 'The climate is rigorous, and high winds and low barometer are the prevailing features. .Scotchmen, of whom there are a good many on the islands, seem to stand the climate well. It is no uncommon thing in midsummer to see the ground covered with hailstones.

“We do not trouble grcatlv about politics.” continued Mr Allardyce.

“ Stanley is the seat of government. It possesses a town hall and a cathedral. We have lately established a wireless station to connect with Montevideo, “ The groat port of call for the Falkland Islanders, of course, is Punta Arenas, on the Strait of Magellan, which is only a. day and a-half’a sail from the islands. It is there that they usually go for holidays. As a matter of fact, the Falkland shepherds have gone to Patagonia, and are really responsible in a great measure for the sheep farming industry which has been established there. “ You will understand the scale on which this sheep farming is carried on when I say that one run alone in Terra Del Fuego has one and a-half million

sheep on it. Most of the land now right up as far as the lower ranges of the Andes has been taken up by sheep, and the new settlers have to go farther and farther out. The trduble there is the severe winter. Last season they lost 50 per cent, of their sheep.”