SOME JOTTINGS FROM TASMANIA.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLVIII, Issue 12362, 30 November 1904, Page 5

SOME JOTTINGS FROM TASMANIA.

The following extracts from a letterreceived by Mr. J. GL "Woon from his- ■ nephew, Mr. Herbert R. Woon, will not ■. . doubt bo interesting to many of ourr readers. The letter is dated—Launceston (Tasmania), 17th November, 1904 1 —'"It seems a long time since I h^ari from you, so I am writing a few lines, in the hope of getting a reply letting, me have some news of old associations - I have just completed another tour as-, 'advance agent' (for a concert company^ . going through Victoria/ N.S.W.,~* and right up into far Northern QueenslandI spent almost the whole of the winterin the latter State. It is a very big-, area arid takes fully six months to do> thoroughly. 'From April to October the weather is simply delightful; perpetual sunshine perhaps describes it. The whole time T hardly saw a drop o£" .■■ rain or. felt a puff of wind or cold, bleak_ weathei*. (But, of course^ they pay a. heavy penalty fo:: such a perfect winterclimate, when summer comes along* Afe Longreach! the terminus of the CentraL Railway 'line from Rockhampton, the--thermometer often reaches 130 degrees; in the shade, while 110 degrees to 120? degrees is almost a daily record. The? tropical vegetation which everywheregreets the eye —whole valleys of sugarcane, cocoanat and banana plantations^, orange and lemon groves, pine apples,, etc., everywhere abound. There is not" much 'White Australia', about Northern; Queensland: In parts there is jusfc as?nuch black, brown and yellow as white^ though as you have doubtlesj heard, thoy are endeavouring to banish blackr ; .;.■.■-■ labour from the sugar plantations. -Thes. .-■ Government give a bonus of 5s per^ t6iy > to''those who employ white labour. The* .V unreliability of the white labour, thbugh/V. is recognised by all cmplolyers. iTheyj ; seem to get little else but the,,sciimwhich in Australia is a very low;'typ» : indeed, and as soon as' they (the em-^ * ployees) draw their pay, generally about" ' every six weeks, -they go on the/spree' ' and as likely as not fail to put iruaii appearance at their work for several days-

"When passing .through Sydney a couple of months ago I met PercyHooper, a son of the old hairdresser of" that name in Wauganui. He is a bookbinder, and told me a good deal of Wangan.ui news. I learn, from him of thecleeease of several of old acquaintances,, amongst them being Mr. J. Day, and MrPaul." Then Dr. Saunders too, has, ~L tearnt, joined the great majority,' and I expect if I were -to d*-op! down -in: theeld i>laco now, even after, an absence of only a few '-years,: I should, find a good many changes, old faces; missing, and-., many new ones; .It's all iii a lifetime r but one "cannot help turning one's--t.holights sometimes at least, to _ whatsome one has called. the 'imperishabl& past.' .. Some.time a"go I ha^. lettexfrom anlold" friend &nd ex-edjtor; o£? '"Wanganui .Herald,! r : James Ken Worthy:,. who for some years -was a'unning a books ,and stationery Msiness; in Patea. • He>.. was a jgreaib frieiid'pf poor Jimmy Wilkihsoji^ who, I daresay, yon .remember as sub^editor'of the 'Herald.' He came* to a sad end, dying an Sydney Hospital nearly, two years ago.

"At tlhe breisent time I am enjoying a?, well-earaed rest, and am staying wittr some very kind friends. . "I am pleased to be ablfe to add thatr my finances are in. a healthy condition.^ mudh more so than when I filled billets in Now Zealand, and when, if an employer gave me £2 10s. per week, he, orr they, as the 'Oasei may be, seemed to* think the only time one ought to ex--pect to be at iLedsure was when they werev asleep. I may, perhaps, take a run over; at Christmas, and will, if. l do, run up= to Wanganui." ' .