Ixiii 



ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS, NOVEMBER, 1905. 



TROPICAL AUSTRALIA AND OLD- 

 AGE PENSIONS. 



His Excellency the Governor, Sir 

 Gerald Strickland, K.C.M.G., preedded 

 at the monthly meeting of the Royal 

 Society of Tasmania last evening. 



In apologising for his absence. Colonel 

 L€gge wrote, calling attention to the 

 death of Captain Button, F.R.S.E., and 

 €iiggesting that some steps should be 

 taken to perpetuate his memory. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston feelingly referred 

 to Captain Hutton's death on his way 

 back from a trip to England, and who, 

 he said, was one of the most industrious 

 and eminent of Australasian scientists. 

 Captain Hntton was president of the Ausf- 

 tralasian Association of Science at its 

 Hobart meeting. He moved,— "That the 

 news of Captain Hntton's death be re- 

 corded on the minutes with deep regret; 

 that a letter of condolence be sent to 

 Mrs. Hutton; and that kindred societies 

 in Australia be communicated with, ad- 

 vocating steps being taken to perpetuate 

 his memory.'' 



Mr. A. G. "Webster seconded the mo- 

 tion, which was passed. 



Old- Age Pensions. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston read a paper on 

 file subject of old-age pensions, apart 

 from political aspects of the question, 

 dealing with the ethical and economic 

 aspects of it. He claimed that it was 

 purely an economic question in relation 

 to the State. The present breadwinners 

 supported the rising generation, who 

 would be the future breadwinners, and 

 were therefore ethically, economically, 

 and justly entitled to an old-age pension 

 where required. He gave a mass of 

 figrures. showing how the proposal would 

 work in relation to both the Common- 

 wealth and Tasmania as one of the 

 States. He er=.timated that about 1.38 per 

 ■cent, of the population of Tasmania, of 

 the age of 65 years and upwards, would 

 require the pent^ion. He showed that 

 there are at present in the Common- 

 wealth of Australia a population (exclu- 

 sive of aborigines) of 3,984,376 persons, of 

 whom it is estimated that 159,375, or 4 

 per cent., are of the age of 65 years and 

 over. By the seven years' experience of 

 New Zealaud, it might be safely i^eckon- 

 ed, under the conditions prescribed there 

 for old-age pensions, that about 55,781 

 persons, or about 35 per cent, of the old- 

 age group (65 years and over), would be- 

 come penr>ioners. This, at the average 

 pension of c£17 per annum, would repre- 

 •<ient a cost to the Commonwealth States 



of i:948,177 per annum, and a tax of 4s. 

 9d. per head. The burden and efTect of 

 such a pension to each State on the baisis 

 of population was then given, that for 

 Tasmania being estimated as follows: — 

 Percentage of persons, 65 years and up-^ 

 wards, to the total population, 4.52; old- 

 age pension c-otst, =£42,858. Mr. Johnston 

 then proceeded to show that the proposal 

 was practicable and workable. New 

 Zealand had indicated it where only 

 1.38 of the population had needed it, or 

 3 per cent, of the old-age group. Last 

 vear it cost the New Zealand Govern- 

 ment ^195,000. 



Mr. Ogiivy very warmly commended the 

 paper, but time did not permit of dis- 

 cussing it. 



Tropical Australia. 



Dr. Elkington read an exceedingly in- 

 tereisting and instructive paper on "Tropi- 

 cal Australia — Is it fitted for a working 

 white race?" He first answered the 

 question, "What is tropical Australia.^" 

 It comprised rather more than one-third 

 the entire Commonwealth territory. One- 

 half of Queensland, 523.620 square miles 

 of the northern territory of South Aus^ 

 tralia, and the north-western divisions of 

 West Australia are included, totalling in 

 all some 1,145,0^0 square miles. Much 

 yet remained to be opened up, but enough 

 was known to JTistify bi-ight anticipations 

 of its commercial future. The mines of 

 Chillagoe and Charters Towers testified to 

 the existence of mineral wealth in the 

 east, and mineral deposits are known to 

 exist in the northern territory of South 

 Australia, while the Kimberley districts 

 have not yet been fairly investigated. 

 The presence of so many streams pointed 

 to an economic and profitable source of 

 power for the development of mining and 

 electric-metallurgical industries. The 

 sugar industry of the eastern part of 

 North Queensland formed a valuable ad- 

 dition to the rct-ources of that State, but 

 it did not comprise more than a small 

 part of the agricultural possibilities of 

 tropical Australia. The country ranges 

 from the Pacific to the Indian Oceans, 

 included practically all ordinary varieties 

 of tropical climate, and was dominated by 

 the monsoon.al Avrnds. The greater part 

 of it lie« between 600ft. and 1,500ft. above 

 sea level ; but extensive plateaus exist, 

 covering many hundreds of square miles, 

 at an elevation of over l,500it., and rang- 

 ing in Arnheim Land to 3.000ft. and over. 

 Elevation materially modified climate, 

 and the breezy table-lands of eastern 

 North Queensland at least aiford, for 

 many months of the year, as bracing an 

 atmosphere as could be found anywhere in 

 the world. Drought is a rare phenomena 



