A White Australia 217 



The business is undoubtedly a remunerative 

 one. A clever diver will collect five tons of shells 

 in the course of a year, and the best quality of 

 shell is worth ^200 a ton. As already stated, the 

 value of the pearls is a secondary consideration, 

 but although it varies very greatly it is always 

 well worth taking into account. The initial out- 

 lay on the purchase, equipment, and provisioning 

 of a boat may be set down at from ^500 to ^1000, 

 and the extent of the fishing-grounds is so great 

 that, up to the present, there has been little talk 

 of overcrowding. 



Outside the pearling industry, the Japanese, 

 with his womenkind, is no stranger to Australia, 

 and the degraded lives of these visitors afford 

 sufficient reason for the stern embargo now placed 

 upon them by the authorities. 



The climate and soil of the eastern slopes of 

 tropical Queensland are well suited to the culti- 

 vation of the sugar-cane, and the industry has 

 obtained so firm a footing there that the most 

 active controversy is still maintained concerning 

 the probable effect of the exclusion of Kanaka 

 labour. The islanders, both men and women, 

 have in the past been introduced from all parts 

 of the South Seas, and have proved themselves 

 well fitted for the work in the cane-fields. The 

 methods employed to induce these people to leave 

 their island homes were carefully regulated by 

 the Government, each boat employed in the re- 

 cruiting work being forced to carry a Govern- 



