AN AUSTRALIAN TOUR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11719, 20 July 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN AUSTRALIAN TOUR.

I Continued from last week \

■ The sugar industry in Queensland is a' large one. In 1899 there was 11 0,65 7 acres under sugar cane, and the value of the output for the year £1,388,972. There '. were 69 factories working. The Bingera plantation, which we wee about to visit, is tbe property of Messrs Gibson Bros ; " A Gibson," M.L.C., about 12 miles from Bundaberg. On arriving we were met by Mr Gibson, junr., who gave us a courttous reception, and at once started to show us over Che mill, which is the larges* and most up-to-date mill in the district. I forget bow many tons v is capable of turning out in a "day. The mill was not working, it If ing some time be r ore cutting time or harvest. After seeng over the rafllwe were introducedto Mr Gibson, sent., and accepted bia invitation to lnnch. After doing justice to tl>e_good * things provided, we were shown over a great part, of the estate, Mr Gibson ar.sweringonr questions arid explaining th« rou tine work. I will endeavour to explain, what I saw.. Tne estate has a frontage of about, seven miles on t^e Burnett River,- and compasses ;over 3.000 acre?, •boot 1800 being under cane irop3. TSex Messis Gibson purchased the estate •bout 17 years^ ago. Tbe soil v is red Tolcanic." Tb(T lowtr lying lands' Lave been tilled anH drained, and, judging from the number, of implements and machinery, the eetate must be well managed. Tbe heavy plonghing is. done by traction engine. The plough turns up the soil to a depth of 12'igebes. The land is then subsoiled, and the sugar cane is planted in rows of- about sft apart. The best time, for "■♦plan ting cane is considered to be in February ,- We were shown some that had J>een planted in December. It was then* about five feet high and strong, 'stoat, healthy-looking cane. It was grown on land that had been irrigated^ At the time of our visit it would be about four months old. We were sV'^n a- other field that had not been irrigattJ, and the cane was more spindley, moch thinner. Re irrigation, Mr Gibson has just erected a pumping plant to lift 10,000,000 gallons of water in 24 hours. Tbe plant coat him LI B, OOO, while the cost of erecting and distributing the water will bring* tbe total cost up to L 30.000. Tbe crop 3 yield about 36 tons to the acre, but owing t> the drought it had not reached those Mr. Gibson informed us tbat irrigation would have to give at least 15-to 20 tons niore per acre to pay the co.st. He showed us some cane that would yield 50 tons to the acre (we did hear of heavier yields.) The improvement on the estate consists of 18 miles of permanent railway, and 10 miles of .portable tramlines running throagb the cane fields. On tbe tramlines there are employed 3 locomotives and 500 trucks. When harvesting, the cane is placed oa the track's and taken to the mill. The cane is thrown from the track on to an elevator, which conrtjß it to the crusher. The tram lines, being portable, can always be kept moved close to the harvesters or cutter?. The permanent lines are used for carrying tbe produce to the railway fetation. There are large workshops, in which j all repairs to mil), engines, and im- ! plements are executed on the estate. A large staff of carpenter?, blacksmith?, j engine-fitters, etc., is employed. The Messrs Girson have spent L 200,000 on the estate. Harvesting usually takes place in July and August. We were too early too see anything of the work, but trashing was going on. There are aboat '400 Kanakas employed on the estate, and they were mostly engeged in ti ashing. I did not understand the term. I could see no trashing going on. Well, trashing simply means the removal of tbe superfluous flag or leaves which adhere to the canesralk. I think the work of trashing a field of high cane is warm work. I don't mean hard work in the sense f the navvy's work or tbat of a coal lumper ; but even to walk through a dense cane field on a hot day is a sore trial. No breath of wind gets intj tbe tangled mass of cane. In fact the cane does not all grow straight or upright. Mach of it sboots forth from what. I may call the plant stem at an angle of only 20 to 30 degrees with the ground,

——————— — and is born 3 to the earth by its own weight. A «sne field of six-month", fair growth is a mere jungle, yet the roots are in regular rows, the canes having fallen over each other and are interlocked. The field is topped with a dense m&ss of green, and anaidot all is the trash, that, is to say, a great mass of dead leaves which the cane sheds in progress of its growth. These cover the r«ots and hang between the canes, obstructing the air and sunlight. Ho who trashes has to enter this jungle, tear away the clinging leaves, and remove the fallen oaei, so that all parts- of the - growing cane may be opened to the influence of the son and heat. The trash Has to be removed by the hands, which often come in contact with the soil. Then there is a yell. The Kaoakas don't like snakes. Who dors ? Not I ! Every planter has to pay L3O a head for every Kanaka- That i 3 tho recruiting fee, and L 5 for his return passage money. The planter engages the Kanaka for a I term of three years, paying the above j sam to the recreating agent. The L 5 is also deposited that in case the Kanaka wishes to return hia passage is always paid tor him. The planter Eas r to feed and lodge him. The cost, Mr Gibson &ajd, waf, in all, abopt fifteen shillings' per week. The -Messrs have bnilt omfortatle quarter's for the boys* j They call them all boys. There are two lots of cottages, one' for the single and the other for the married. There is a large cook-house and fresh bread is baked daily. The boys get a liberal allowance of bread and' meat. A hospital 13 a?so provided 'for^them with., medical requisites. A medioal man visits occasionally, while a dispensary is constantly kept. There is also a place of worship, so their spiritual welfare is not neglected. The planter is held responsible for the Kanaka until he gets his written release Mr Gibson told me that one of the boys lrft and went - over the N S. W. border, an'i fifi-ht years afterwards turned up at the Ma'yborongh hospital. Oa enquiring the hospital management Tonnd out that Mr Gibson was the man who recruited him and the release had not been signed by the Kanaka. Consequently Mr Gibson had to pay the hospital account.: This was eight years after the man had' left his employ. I saw the Kanakas working. Some were nsbg the hoe ; well, I think I could do as much as, two of them. We* also saw some, Assyrians and Hindoos working. They wrre sinking post holes. ' One chspj loosened the earth with a bar of iron,' then another chap got into the hole and removed the loose earth with bis ham's How would that suit New Zealand f<tr-

THE COLOURED LA BOOR QUESTION.

The great quesnon is Kanaka versus white labour. The employment of coloured alien labonr in the sugar industry tias long been a controversy amongst oar legislators, the planters', maintaining that it is impossible to sugar successfully without the Kanaka. Well, I am not going to solve tie question. I will give jou my opinion, which is formed on what I saw, and on answers to questions pat by me. I tell yon that the industry is an important one. Well, the labonr question is also of the greatest importance. Not the Kanaka, tie is restricted to certain labour. Under the Queensland Act be can only be legally employed at tropical or semi-tropical agriculture. This is defined to nuai fi Id work in. connection with the cultivation of sagarcane, cotton, tea, coffee, bat cot, here I quote the law, (a) the business of engineers, engine-drivers, engine fitters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, farriers, sawyer?, splitters, fencers, bollockdrivers or mechanics ; (b) the business of grooms or coachmen ; (c) the biiiness of horse driving, or carting, except in field wor& ; (d) domestic or household service. That was the definition of the Act of 1884, but under the 1892 Extension Act. the Kanaka is forbidden to do labom in connection with the cultivation cf maize, oi engage in ploughing, or to do work within a sugar mill. Observe then how restricted is the area into which he comes legally into competition with white labour. At the time of my visit I saw Kanakas driving horses and carfs. But the Chinaman and Jap are the ones to

fear. They Imve taken op the white" ! man's burden with a vengeance. Ire \ ganl them the most dangerous competitors that the md as trial classes could have. The Asiatics, Chines*, and Japs must go if we are to have a White \ Australia. I regard them as being an undesirable clas?, keenly competing with tbe white population. Planters .generally teli yoa that it does not pay to employ white labour, and second thatj white labour is v 'reliable. Ifc gave me a shock to hear in Norch Queensland I men of almost every race are more rej liable than those of 'oar ow-i. Mr Gibsan sail that he has worked in the field trashing and cnltin? the cane. He paid white men e-tri 'Jo it tut don't.' Ha h) s employed white men who*have^ earned 1.0 3 a day an! then left, where' as tbe Kanaka was always On the spot, and, if kept from the influences cf fhtf white, who are ever ready to serve him with strong drink, a well- behaved and Hseful assistant in sugar fields. I hope I ba considered presumptuous in giving my opinion. Well, I am not convinced that tbe work cannot' be done' by white labour. The cane coa'd be planted with more space betwee 1 t.<e ' rows, thus allowing the sun and hen* to penetrate through tho cane^and 'hns do away with tb^ work of trashing. I n-,! proved'iaiplements are always coiui:^' I in, and it is possible one for cutting cane will be found. A mechanical contrivance is now being patented, and, if successful, will give a greater show for White latour. Why could not - the f o- 1 dastry be carried on by small farmers! on simHar lines to our co-operative; dairy factocy, with a thoroughly competent manager to take charge of the mill, the farmers growing and supplying the cine ? There must be money in sugar, or Mr Gilson wou'd cot have spent L20p,000 during the last seventeen years' In fact bettei for all the States of the" Commonwealth to pay another-half-penny per pound for su>ai and employ white labonr, than allow a piebald population to overinn the country. I am also of on opinion that the nonreturn of the Kanaka to bis home at the end of the t^rra is one of the chhf evils of the syoieiu. At present there are in Queensland aboat 9000, who in the first instance had been engaged for 3 years. Properly speaking, if these Kanakas had returned home at the end of the three year?, there ought not to be more than 4000 in Qaeenskud., On oar return to Bundaberg I bad the opportunity of going on r oard a recruiting schooner. I asked the cap<tain if the Kanaka knew where hi was going when he left the Island. He re plied, * Every boy knows where be is going, and what planter he is going to, work for, and the pay be i* going to get.' « Does tbe boy, as yon call him, come away frfely and voluntarily ?' 'Ob, well,' he replied, *we give their friends a few presents.' I suppose those presents were to influence fie bov'd friends to get him shipped away. Well, don't that sound like elaverj? The agent was on board and naturally agreed i with tbe captain that tbe sngar industry', could not be successfnllygrown without I tbe Kanaka. Tbere is a lot to be said on the moral side, there are lota of race r mixtures. The present- moral and f mate'ial < ffect of the A<»iatic3 aiid Polynesian factors upon our natural life, are mattars oa which a sounl public opinion should be enquired into. I am glad to have had the rpportnnity of visiting a Queensland sugar plantation, and getting a little insight into -the black labour questi >n. My friends and I enjoyed the trip to the sugar district and daring the three days made life as pit asant as possible.

BACK TO BRISBANE.

Returning to Brisbane I noticed our train picked up numbers of children and dropped them at the next station, and so on. On making enquiries I 'earned the school children i»re carried, free, so children living along tho line gat a free ride to school. Another enrioaity I noticed in travelling in Queensland was the nnmber of ant-bilh Yon see them fur miles. The mounds are almost tbe siza of a load of *»artb. I mast say the weather in Brisbane was rather on the warm side, although I saw lots of things to interest me, but could not think of settling in such a warm climate. Thanking my frionds for ths kindne33 shown u.e, and bidding them au rovoir,

I hooked by tbe Adelaide S.B. Com pany for Melbourne. The distance is about a thousand miles, and the saloon fare is L 3 12s. Coming down the Brisbane River, which is as crooked as a ram's horn, I noticed the dredges at work catting off the projecting point 3. The Government hare ju9t obtained two of the most powerful and up-to-date dredges in Australasia. A run of 38 hours landed us in Sydney, where the steamer remained three days, enabling us to have another fly round. Then another run of 58 hours landed na in Port Melbourne at 2 a.m., where we had to wait until sunrise to allow the doctor to come aboard to inspect us, having come from a plague-infected port. Inspection over, we were allowed to proceed up the Yarra at the rate of 4 miles an hoar, some points at dead slow. There has been an enormous a mount of money spent on improving the Yarra, yet it only resembles a gutter.

AT MELBOURNE.

Arriving at Melbourne I drova. to the Federal Coffee Palaca ; room on the 4th flat was six shillings ppr Might, bnfc I was informed that after the Ist May 123 per night would be charged,^ and I could only -secure a room at the? higher price by engaging* it. for a week . Isecared the room for one night, and' , during the day found r«ry comfortable! board and residence f>r self and Mrs Tisch for less than the price of the bedroom in -the coffee palace, oar lodging being at 70 Gipp Bt., East Melbourne, •just through Fitaroy Park. We were, in Melbourne just a week before the ar- ; rival of the Royal Party, so we had p'enty of time to see the poblfe building, Botanical Garden*, Zoological Gardens, visit the seaside resorts, ami, using tha. tram freely, we saw*- a good deal of the city arod subuib3. Great improvement has been made to the. Yarra. From Princes Bridge for a distance of 2 miles ap tbe river it has. been made wider and straightened. 1 banks are a nice slope, and on . the Botanical Gardens^side several chains wide have been nicely planted as walks/ and a carriage drive made the whole distance.

TO BB CONTINUED.