QUEENSLAND FARMERS’ LABOUR DIFFICULTIES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 1175, 19 February 1919, Page 7

QUEENSLAND FARMERS’ LABOUR DIFFICULTIES.

Speaking afe a representative meeting of farmers at Palmerston North, on Saturday Mr Poison of Wanganui brieflv described his experiences in order that the farmers in this district might understand the conditions under which the farmers of Queensland laboured, conditions bv which they were severely handicapped and which rendered the proper development of the country an absolute impossibility. He describ ed the districts he had visited, the richness of the soil in many parts audits productiveness despite the fact that sometimes they were without rain for as long a year at a stretch. One large area he mentioned as being good country, some of the best pasture in the States, and yet wholly given up to prickly pear, which was at the rate of about a million acres a year. No attempt was being made to cope with the pest, simply because the people had not tbe heart or any inclination to do it. One disadvantage the settlers bad to labour under that there were absolutely no metalled roads in Queensland, only tracks which in wet weather were practically impassable. Referring to the country known as tbe Great Barrier, he said it was covered with some of the best pastures in the State. He had visited one man’s bolding of 20,000 acres which had carried one sheep to the acre although it had not had a drop of rain probsbly for years, artesian water being alone available. This artesian water was hot but fbe stock took it, and the f idder was excellent. It was impossible to get this country out up as it should? be simply because ot tbe .labour conditions. Fires had been tried, hut as it had been imposible to get the necessary labour, they had spread uchecked over large areas of country and great quantities of stock bad been destroyed. At first a visitor to Queensland would not realise that the labour conditions were much different to those existing in New Zealand, but a little experience would enlighten him.

The waees were not materially different from those in New Zealand - but the gc-slow policy was more largely in force. The workers of ; Queensland understood that policy I very thoroughly. He had visited freezing works, probably the greatest in the world, and had been surprised at the extraordinary number of men in place so splendidly equipped with machinery and every modern appliance. The manager told him that it could not be helped ; the whole trouble was tbit the union delegate visited the works about once a week and ordered a man should be placed here and another one there asd SO on.

Tbere was really no patriotism in the whole Stats of QneensUnd, and no public spirit in the development of industry. The people would not have the freefaaold tenure; they preferred the leasehold, because, whan times were good and they made money, they could stick to the land, and when bad times came they could throw it up. They made as few improvements as they could, never attempted to convert their leaseholds into freeholds, and the land remained in large blocks. He maintained that tb® salvation of this country had been the catting up of the large blockajnto small holdings, and a continuation of that policy was essential if they were to aooceßsfally fight Bolshevism. Bo knew the Bolshevik policy well; it had come under his notice often enough. It denied the right of voting to employers of labour, managers for or agents of employers, clergymen, lunatics, murderers and those convicted of crimes of violence against the person —offences against property did not seriously count. Ttee only individuals to be allowed to vote were workers and those who had been workers but were no longer lit. That was the paltform of the Bolsheviks—the Government of the fit by the unfit, and it was coming to New Zealand if they did not take care. It would indeed be a calamity if we had here the same sort of modified Labor Government as in Queensland. So far it was only a modified form tbere,but it was to develop, and become more extreme as time went on. Care must be taken in NdW Zealand, and wisa statesmanship would be needed to prevent the growth of the evil with which it was menaced. (Load applause)