ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS, JUNE, 1903. 



A meeting of the Royal Society of Tas- 

 mania was held at the society's room at 

 the Museum on Tuesday evening. His 

 Excellency the Governor presided^ 



Exhibits. 

 Amongst the exhibits laid on the table 

 was a memorial volume of the late J. B. 

 Walker, published under tho auspices of 

 the Eoyal Society of Tasmania. The vol- 

 ume contained all the papers read by the 

 late J. B. Walker before the society. Ano- 

 ther volume on view was "Notes on Early 

 Life in New Zealand/'' by the Eev. Geo. 

 Clarke, presented to the society by tJie 

 author. 



New Members. 



The following Avere elected members of 

 the society :— Messrs. E. D. Dobbie, E. H. 

 W. Wolfhagen, M. M. Ansell, E. Hawson. 

 and N. Oldham. 



Discussion. 



A paper previously read by Mir. A. O. 

 Green on ''Tasmania from a Manufactur- 

 ing and Immigration Point of View, and 

 her Natural Advantages/" was discussed. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston said he was in ac- 

 cord with Mr. Green in his view of the 

 possibilities and natural advantages of 

 Tasmania, and approved of his caution 

 with respect to the class of immigration 

 that should be encouraged. Great caution 

 must be exercised in the numbetr of immi- 

 grants introduced at any one time, and 

 attention must also be pa.id to the class af 

 immigrants. Although a very large num- 

 ber of persons emigrated annually to the 

 United States, it formed a very moderate 

 proportion in comparison with her popu- 

 lation of 64. millions. If the sau;e propor- 

 tion came annually to Tasmania, it would 

 mean only 1,132 persons a year. He agireed 

 with Mr. Green that unless the immi- 

 grants were drawn from the agricultural 

 class, the annual introduction of such a 

 number Avould have a bad effect on the 

 local labour market. The standard of liv- 

 ing in Australia was higher than in the 

 United Kingdom, France, Germany, Unit- 

 ed States, etc., and still a smaller number 

 of da^'s was absorbed in Australia in earn- 

 ing thai higher standard of living. The 

 purchase of power in Australia Avas, there- 

 fore, greater, but the cost of living was 

 high. Mr. Johnston then quoted the chief 

 articles of food used in each country, and 

 gave the prices of each article. The success 

 of a young colonj^ depended largely on the 

 extent of land opened for settlement, and 

 success also depended to a great extent on 

 such things as the agricultural, pastoral, 

 and mineral industries. A young country 

 passed through three great successive pre- 



dominating stages. The first was the pas- 

 toral stage, the second Avas the agricultur- 

 al industry, and the last the manufactur- 

 ing stage. This last stage was still far off, 

 as far as Australia Avas concerned. The- 

 pastoral and agricultural industries could 

 not support many people to the square 

 mile. For every 1,000 additional labour- 

 ers that could be placed on the land, near- 

 ly 7,000 additional persons could be kept 

 in the State. Referring to the question 

 of population, Mr. Johnston said in the 

 last century the United Kingdom could 

 only double its population in 71 years, 

 Australia in 11 years, and Tasmania in 

 16 years. During the last decade the in- 

 crease of population was such that i: 

 would take S3 years for the United King- 

 dom to double its population; it would 

 take Australia 39 years instead of 11, and 

 Tasmania 42 years instead of 16 years. 

 The serious decline in the increase of 

 population was a strong reason for cau- 

 tion being exercised in forming any es- 

 timate of the likely growth of population 

 m the present century. If the present 

 increase of population was m-cdntained, 

 Tasmania, that now had a population of 

 177,000, would in 2002 have a population 

 of SOO,S10 persons. It was pos:isible that 

 such a growth Avould be maintained, hav- 

 ing regard to the fact that America in 30 

 or 40 years time would, instead of ab- 

 sorbing the surplus population of the 

 United Kingdom and Europe, be really 

 augmenting the immigration to Aus- 

 tralasia. Supposing that the present rate 

 of increase in population in Ausitra.lia 

 was maintained, there \vould be in the 

 Commonwealth in 2002 a population of 

 21,585,000. The masis of the people in 

 Tasmania lived in a better condition than 

 in the United Kingdom, and the fact 

 that fewer families lived in one room 

 conduced to a healthier life.. 



Mr. T. Stephens also offered a few 

 remarks on Mr. Greene's paper, and point- 

 ed out that the suitableness of the soil 

 in Tasmania for potato-growing applied 

 only to certain districts. It was as- 

 tonishing in a country like Tasmania, 

 Avhere hundreds of tons of apples wasted 

 every year, that more cider was not made. 

 Ho thought lecturers should go throirgh 

 the United Kingdom, giving the people 

 accurate information of the prospects 

 tha-t awaited them in Tasmania. 



His Excellency, in calling upon Mr. 

 Green to reply, said he had understood 

 that gentleman to state that in England 

 mutton could be obtained at 2kd. per lb. 

 That was quite contrarj- to any ex- 

 perience of his, and he would be glad to- 

 hear Iioav Mr. Green had been so for- 

 tunate as to obtain his mutton in Eng:- 

 land at so low a price. (Laughter.) 



