QUEENSLAND.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18925, 20 April 1933, Page 9

QUEENSLAND.

— PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME. IMPORTANT PROPOSALS. (Empire Press Union-). BRISBANE, April 12. A number of fairly important public works have been tentatively approved during the month, and others arc under consideration. The most important is the provision of an outer harbour at Mackay, a coastal city in ! the North. For many years an agitation has been in progress, for better i harbour facilities, and a few months i ago a scheme costing approximately £1.000,000 was advocated, but the Government declined io guarantee the money on the ground that the scheme i would lie unremunerative. Another 1 and less ambitious scheme is now in . course of preparation. The Governi meat, has approved of £42,000 being i raised to provide a water supply for . the township of Goolangatla, on the ' Mew South Wales border. The [ Government has also approved of ' £17,000 being raised for the provision i of filtration works for the water sup- ’ ply of Maryborough, a Northern city, i which is I lie centre of a large rural and sugar-growing district. New Industries. On March 0, Shand's Gull' Mealworks Limited was registered at I lie Supreme Court, Brisbane. The new company' lias a nominal capital of £BO,OOO, and proposes to carry out .

slaughtering, treating and freezing of ■cattle In the Gulf of Carpentaria. Suggestions have been put forward to expand the ply-wood Industry, and it Is proposed,to form a Plywood Pool for the purpose of exporting surplus products. It Is hoped to securo a portion of the £2,000,000 odd which Great Britain annually expends on plywood imported from foreign counSplendld Production. Owing to the bountiful rains which fell last month Queensland’s primary industries are in a splendid position from a production point of view. Full supplies of fodder for the winter are assured. Butter shipments to overseas markets have been satisfactory and some heavy shipments have been made. The present low prices are occasioning some anxiety together with the proposed restriction on exports. There has been some slight improvement in the frozen meat trade. Unemployment. Unemploj inenL slid remains the most vexed problem to be dealt, with. In order lo alleviate the position to some extent, the Government lias decided to make a further fund of £25,000 available to the Land Administration Board for advances to landholders for ring-barking and clearing, conditionally upon the work being given to the unemployed.