NEW AUSTRALIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4817, 4 December 1893, Page 1

NEW AUSTRALIA.

Ai rival of tlie Pfoneerß. A Second Detp^ctimaiit. Mr W. \V. Head, the Sydney Secretary «of the New Australia Qc-operativo Settlement Association, haa received a letter from s£r Jameß Hcoaey, one of the pioneers, snd w-all known aa one of tho officials of the "Wegga branch of the Shearers' Union and other bush organisations of labour, 'describing tho voyage of tho Royal Tar. Tiie letter was written from Monta Video, 'tnder date Sept. 16. Tho voyage ia described aa a pleasure trip. Owing to the organisation in stewarding, &c, among the emigrants the usual inconveniences entirely disappeared. Various games were indulged in, and a pleasant time was spent. Not once was it necessary to order the passengers below, and only three times were the children prohibited from being on deck. The officials at Monte Video rendered every assistance and were coiu--teous in the extreme. Tho Paraguayan Consul th§re gave the ".few Austia'ians a formal official welcome, and promised, on behalf of his Government, the treatment of the settlers as brothers. Paraguay was ready to defend the livts and the interests of the settlers with ber life if nedd be. She was glad to have them, and would not regard them aa foreigners. She wanted settlers, and believed that "the land was made by God for the use of man." . The transhipment from the Royal Tar to the steamer Rio Parana, took ten hours only, and the ea^y-going Monte Video people stood .aghast at tho way the Australians shifted things. There were two hundred and twenty-four passengers with lurfpge, and two hundred tins of cargo. The Sydney Morning Herald of N«y. 21 has the following: — Active arrangements are being made by the Sydney officers of the New Australia Co-operative Settlement Association for the- early despatch of another contingent of 200 emigrants to Paraguay. The pioneers who left Sydney by the Eoyal Tar on July 16 arrived at Moate Video on Sept. 12, and at tho settlement on Oct. 4; and beyond a cablegram announcing their safe arrival published some weeks ago, no information as to the voyage or the settlement has so far reached Sydney. The Royal Tar, which left Monte Video on Oct. 1. is due at Adelaide within a week," and lengthy letters regarding the voyage over are anticipated. The communications, however, will probably be confined to a description of the voyage, as the settlers left the Royal Tar at Monte Video and had no opportunity of sending farther letters after their arrival at the settlement. The cablegram received from the settlement on Oct. 4>, although brief, is satisfactory, and has removed any anxiety which might have existed in the minds of the relatives and friends of the pioneers. The cable, it will be remembered, simply notified that .possession of the land had been taken, tbat tbe pioneers were delighted with the country, and that; they were perfectly satisfied. A further cable reading " Delay all women for six months ; send bushmen with all possible despatch," was received by MrW. W. Head, the Sydney Secretary, from Mr W. Lane, Chairman of the Association, on Oct. 26. The reason for the cable, it is thought, is that the trustees have found it too rough a life for the women, and wish to carry oub a portion of pioneering work before the women arrive. Women landing in a densely-timbered country without houseß would doubtless find the life a very hard ono at first, but judging from the description of the women whs left they would put up with almost any hardship in order to assist in tuccessf ully establishing communistic settlement. It is, however, evidently the deßire of the male settlers, before any more women are despat-hed, that houses should be erected for their reception, and that at any rate the roughest portion of the ' pioneer work should be completed. It waß intended, prior to the receipt of the cable, to have forwarded, a batch of 200 married couples and single girls by steamer, and, although the women, who have beenanxiously looking forward to their departure, were somewhat disappointed at first, they are cheerfully facing the situation, and doing all in their power to assist the movement. A batch of 200 single men, mostly sturdy bushmen, were then selected from the 3000 members waiting to leave, and it was at first decided to forward them by steamer on Nov. 15. In view of the fact, however, that the Royal Tar is almost due, that Bhe will take only three weeks longer than a steamer in making the trip, and that nearly £2000 would be thus Bayed, it was finally resolved that the second detach, ment should leave by the Royal Tar as coon after her arrival as possible. The single men will probably leave on Dec. 1. They will ba shipped in Adelaide, where the Royal Tar will terminate her voyage, and will arrive at the settlement early in the new year. They are at present residents of the whole of the •colonies, and the movement is taking root ■equally in New Zealand, New 'South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia as in Queensland, where it originated. It is proposed that tho third party shall leave in March next. The Royal Tar, upon her arrival with the second batch, will sail direct for New Zealand, where a full complement of passengers are awaiting chip-

ment, and consequently the tbird party from the mainland will have to be sent by another vessel. The Association proposes to shortly purchase either another sailing vessel or a Bteamer, or probably two.. The officers confidently anticipate that ere the •end of next year there will be a thousand settlers at Paraguay, and that the Association will possess three ves3els. The shearers and other bushmen have from tbe outaet Manifested greater interest in the scheme than any other body of men, and are still •doing their utmost in preaching the communistic or share-iand-share-ahke doctrine. The following question is to be disoussed at tbe February conference of the Shearers' Union i — "That in view of the great importance of the New Australia movement to Australian bush unionists, a ballot of members be taken as to the desirability of sending a competent official of the A.S.'U. to the site of the settlement in Paraguay to make a full and independent report on tho prospects of the venture being a success or otherwise; the cost of the report not to exceed £100, same to be submitted within four months of the delegate's departure, and published for the guidance of intend- . ing emigrant?. And that in the event of : such report being favourable, a certain sum per member to be set aside for the purpose of sending out unioniets, who are to be selected by ballot from those desirous of joining."