Life in the Cities 109 



tenement. A garden in front of the cottage, and 

 a plot of ground of respectable dimensions behind 

 it, belong as a matter of course to the Australian 

 workman's dwelling. It has been said that the 

 workman is able, if he wishes, to live within 

 comfortable walking distance of his work. The 

 tendency of the Australian middle class .is still to 

 occupy the more distant suburbs, so that the sub- 

 urbs of an Australian city nearest to the actual 

 city area will usually be found in the occupation 

 of the humbler classes. 



But should the workman choose to rent a cot- 

 tage a few miles out of the city, he is admirably 

 served by tram and train, or by a cheap and rapid 

 ferry-boat service. The convenience and cheap- 

 ness of the State-owned suburban railway lines 

 can only be appreciated by those who have ac- 

 quired a wide experience of profit-earning rail- 

 ways in other lands. The Australian suburban 

 lines, as the property of the people, are adminis- 

 tered in the interests of the traveller rather than 

 with the object of earning the highest possible 

 profit. The trains are run frequently and punc- 

 tually, and a special scale of fares within certain 

 hours enables the workman to travel at an ex- 

 pense that is almost nominal. Thus the ten 

 shillings a week he pays for a cottage near town 

 will pay the rent of an even more comfortable 

 dwelling six or seven miles away, as well as the 

 additional cost of his railway fares. There he 

 will have a plot of land, perhaps half an acre in 



