54 



chambers of the Bureau of Agriculture, Perth, in April, by the 

 Brunswick Farmers' Club moving that, with a view to providing 

 agriculturists with a suitable class of labor, the Government should 

 facilitate the introduction into the colony of boys from the Bar- 

 nardo homes and similar institutions in England. In discussing 

 the motion, which was carried almost unanimously, several of the 

 delegates spoke highly of the work and conduct of Dr. Barnardo's 

 boys in Canada, and a suggestion was made that the proposal sub- 

 mitted to the conference might be improved upon by providing for 

 the immigration of girls as well as boys. The subject is introduced 

 here to show that able-bodied workers need not fear that they will 

 fail to obtain employment at good wages, and also to disclose one 

 of the difficulties which the settler has to face in not always being 

 able to get enough assistance at the outset for the clearing of land 

 to quickly get a very remunerative area under crop. 



The policy of the Government to assist the producer is ex- 

 hibited in the construction of the York-Greenhills line. This rail- 

 way is the first agricultural line which the colony has made out of 

 revenue. In moving in the Legislative Assembly, on the i6th 

 October last, the second reading of the bill authorising the making 

 of the line, the Premier, Sir John Forrest, said the railway would 

 pass through good country, the praises of which had been sung by 

 members of that House for years. It was a favored spot, from which 

 proprietary farmers produced a large quantity of cereals. 4i I do 

 not," he went on to say, " think that anyone who takes any interest 

 in the agriculture of the colony, and who desires to see it encouraged 

 in every possible way that it is possible to do so, will be able to 

 oppose the railway on the ground that it is not required. The ob- 

 jects the Government have in view in recommending hon. members 

 to build this line at the present time from York to Greenhills, is to 

 give facilities to agricultural producers in that part of the country ; 

 we have no other object in view." The line is estimated to cost 

 ;_j.o,ooo, without rolling stock. It was not undertaken by the go- 

 vernment, as Sir John Forrest owned in making his financial state- 

 ment on the 27th August last, without careful consideration and a 

 personal inspection of the neighborhood. The ministerial party in 

 making that inspection had occasion to express great regret that a 

 large portion of the land lying between York and Greenhills is com- 

 prised in large privately owned estates, which are only used for 

 grazing purposes. These estates were regarded by the Pre- 

 mier as an obstacle in the way of the close settlement 

 and extensive cultivation that are essential to the mak- 

 ing of a great agricultural district. In his financial statement, 

 speaking of the line, he said : " We know very well that this is an 

 agricultural railway, and that new railways have to be viewed 

 with very great care if there is nothing else but agriculture to 

 depend upon for traffic. We know very well that unless the land is 

 thickly settled and a large quantity is under cultivation, the chances 



