THE QUACK AND THE LAND. 37 



likely to be profitable, should be kept near the 

 ports and centres of population. 



One can see now how easily " the land for 

 the people " could have been an achieved ideal 

 in Australia, if common sense had ruled, and 

 the voice of the demagogue, crying out for 

 votes and refusing to be comforted with any 

 counsels of wisdom, had been silent. The 

 ' back country," remote from cities and the 

 coast, somewhat harsh in climate, economically 

 the most profitable if its wealth were gathered 

 in with the least expenditure possible of popula- 

 tion — since the more population the more need 

 of schools, courts, post offices, and other ap- 

 paratus of civilization (very expensive in scat- 

 tered settlements) — this back country would 

 have been left to the sheep-man and the cattle- 

 man on lease with good security of tenure. 

 The agricultural population would have been 

 gradually spread out from the coast ; a rich 

 valley, a fine tableland here and there settled, 

 and settled thicklv, before a move forward was 

 made to another area. 



Clearly that was the desirable system — as 

 clearly then as now : for it is no discovery 



. 3 



