FIRST CENTURY OF DAIRYING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



According to our latest returns for New South Wales, 1908, there 

 were in this State 775,491 dairy cows and 2,175,454 head of cattle 

 under the miscellaneous heading " All Others." The returns show 

 that from those 775<49i dairy cows 6i,376,7oolb. of butter and 

 4,8i7.90olb. of cheese was produced. Apart from these figures there 

 were 9,486.522!^ bacon and hams which may to a great extent be 

 placed to the credit of the utilisation of the skim milk of the farms. 

 Unfortunately there is nothing definite regarding the pure milk trade 

 of the State. 



flt may not be out of place here to make reference to the social 

 conditions of our dairy farmers. Mr. Frank J. Donohue, writing in 

 a book published by authority, entitled " Xew South Wales, the 

 Mother Colony of Australia, says: "In considering the conditions 

 under which our population lives, the first fact to strike the observe -'s 

 attention is the decided preference shown for town life." This is 

 quite true, but the evil lies in the fact that life on the dairy farms 

 becomes very monotonous to the average boy or girl, who can see 

 nothing ahead from sunrise to sunset, or to use the common bush 

 phraseology, "from jackass to jackass," but constant plodding, with 

 little or no variety of occupation for either mind or body. They 

 are not slow to see that the boy or girl in an office working with 

 starched collar and cuffs eight hours a day only is better off at the 

 end of life in the majority of cases. 



Mr. Donohue also tells us : " There are no striking extremes of 

 wealth and poverty in New South Wales." In this he has been very 

 much mistaken. These extremes may not be so marked as in older 

 countries We have, however, in the rast laid the foundations firm 

 and deep to bring about social evils of the very worst kind in this 

 State. We have allowed the -few to grab all the best lands of this 

 country, and permitted the various Governments to protect these 

 gigantic landholders to such an extent that in every instance before 

 these estates are thrown open for closer settlement the prices have 

 been forced up till the smaller settlers, who are mostly dairy farmers, 

 can only exist by making partial' slaves of their families. 



X^o one can expect to dodge the law of rent or interest. As Mr. 

 Sidney Webb puts it : " Every development towards a freer in- 

 dividualism must, indeed, inevitably emphasise the power of the 

 owner of the superior instruments o-i wealth production to obtain 

 for himself all the advantages of their superiority." Again. Mr. 

 Bernard Shaw says : "As the agricultural industry is typical of all 

 industries, it will be seen that prices do not rise because worse land 

 is brought into cultivation, but that worse land is brought into cul- 

 tivation by the rise of prices." Now. this is practically the case 

 with the dairying industry. Prices have advanced, and those who 

 have rich tracts of land are reaping a rich reward, whereas others 

 have been force., by circumstances to attempt to carry on dairying 

 operations on lands altogether unsuitable for the purpose. Thus it 

 will be seen that those unfortunates who have to struggle on these 

 poor, ungenerous lands are doing but little to help themselves, whilst 

 at the same time they are forcing up the value of the land locked up 

 in big estates. 



\\V. of course, talk of the avarice which is so prevalent nowaday-. : 

 but look at the usurers of antiquity who sucked the blood of the 

 penple everywhere ; road the >atirical poets, and we at once see what 

 was the state of manners on thi- point ; consult, in fine, the annal- 

 ot history, and we will observe what pains our moral guides took 

 tii diminish these vices. If we read the history of ancient Roire 

 we will find the cursed thirst for gold, and lenders without n-.crcy. 

 \\lio. after having impudently robbed, carried in triumph the fruits 

 I" their rapine to live with scandal. nis o>tentation. and buy VOtCS 

 acain to raise them to command. However, it cannot be denied that, 



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