^o\. 2, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
315 
NOTES FROM NORTH QUEENSLAND. 
AUSTRALIA, TROPICAL AGRICULTURE ON THE 
JOH.VSTONE RIVER, GERALDTO.V — THE SUGAR 
INDUSTRY AND WHITE L \BOUR— KAN AKAS AND 
ABORIGINALS— CHINESE AND EXTENSIVE BAN- 
ANA CULTURE— SWAG MEN LOOKING Fi>K 
EMPLOYMENT— THE FRUIT-SUPPLY GREATER 
THAN THE DEM \N0 -CUTTON BROTHERS' FRUIT 
FARM AND COFFEE PLANTATION. CLUMP POINT- 
DUNK ISLAND— THE ST. BERNARD GROUP AND 
LIVERPOOL CREEK— ROUGH LIVING IN QUEENS- 
LAND AND HIGH PRICE OF PROVISIONS —TH E 
GOONDI SUGAR MILL— SPORT AND GAME IN THE 
GRASS COUNTRIES -ABANDONED FRUIT FARMS 
AND BUILDINGS— BAD ROADS AND CORDUROY- 
BRIDGES— THE PAST SEASON'S FLOODS AND 
HURKICANE — THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA. 
Gui'radunga, near Geraldton, N.Q , Aug. 18. 
—There are millions of acres of rich choco- 
late-brown loamy soil going begging in 
Queensland and alluvial river banks— occa- 
sionally inundated at flood times — still 
uncultivated, save and except patches 
of bananas belonging to enterprising Uhinese. 
What is the cause of this dead-and-alive 
state of things in Australia ? The question 
is soon answered : ioa7it of population. From 
the mouth of the Johnstone River or from 
Geraldton to the Mulgrave and Russell 
Rivers into Cairns, the land is well suited 
to the growth of every kind of Tropical 
product — coffee, tea, sugar, arrowroot, 
cassava, coconut palms, mangoes, oranges* 
bananas, pineapples, guavas, yams, sweet 
potatoes andmanyother useful foodprovisions. 
And yet, how far apart all the selections 
are and how little land now under cultiva- 
tion for want of labour! In the face of this, 
the outcry for a "White Australia " is still 
at its height and the Government has given 
notice for the returning of Kanakas to their 
Island homes in Polynesia. 
On the Johnstone River, Geraldton, there 
are many still 
WORKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH INDIANS AND 
CHINESE, JAPANESE AND HALF-CASTES, 
especially on the sugar pUacations between 
Geraldton and Alligator Point. All the sugar- 
cane cut is carried to the (loondi Mill and 
quite a little town has sprung up at Goondi, 
inhabited by theemployees of theSugar Relin- 
iug Company who run the mill and crush the 
cane of the sugar planters, assisted by the 
CS.R.C. Sundown also contributes sugar-cane 
to Goondi Mill. (" .Sundown ' is the name of 
a, portion of the river-flats near Geraldtons.) 
There are some large banana garden 
there, owned by Chinamen. It is strange 
that the Chinese monopolise banana culti- 
vation and ship from the Johnstone River 
about 30,0J0 bunches every week. The prices 
vary from Is. to 33, 6i. per bunch— accofding 
to the Sydney and Melbourne markets, 
which are sometimes glutted with fruit from 
the South Sea Islands and the prices come 
down at once. 
White men believe only in sugar cultiva- 
tion and a few years ago a central mill was 
to have been constructed at Dard^i near 
Alligator Pouit and Alligator Creek. Many 
selectors were waiting to see whether the 
mill would be built before embarking in the 
cane cultivation on our side of the Joiinstone 
River, but only the houses of the offi';ers 
and a store and wh irf were put up and 
they are now unoccupied, the reason being 
no doubt the uncertauity of things working 
out rigiit with this "White Australi;' " 
reform. 
Supposing the Kanakas are all driven out 
of Australia, we have still a black native 
and some half-castes. These people are now 
well-protected and well-fed by their em- 
ployers and are increasing, and multiplying 
exceedingly. They dress in European fashion 
and smoke a large quantity of tobacco, 
talk English fairly well and will most un- 
doubtedly develope into something superior 
to what they are at present, Then what about 
White Australia ? We have also wealthy 
Chinamen married to English women, and 
Japanese, Hindus. Malays and other Orientals 
flourishing in Australia, so that, I fear, 
we shall 
never have a perfectly white 
'austr.vlia, 
and if the present Government do not 
rescind some of their existing laws and restric- 
tions regarding emigrants, the population of 
Australia will not increase in comparison 
with other British Colonies and the United 
States of America and Canada in particular. 
Here on the Johnstone River may be seen 
Chinamen on horseback riding to town like 
gentlemen, and white men humping their 
swags on their backs— on foot, many of them — 
without a penny to bless themselves with. 
On the selection on which I am now living 
there are half-a-dozen a day calling and ask- 
ing for flour, tea, sugar, and potatoes. They 
are hungry and tramped all the way from 
the Russell River about 15 miles from 
Alligator Point and they are tired and, want 
to camp. Most of them are Irishmen and 
always have a yarn ready to get what they 
want, but my experience has been that 
after giving them provisions and allowing 
them to burn all my dried firewood to bake 
their " Johnny Cakes " and boil the " Billy 
Can " of tea they go away without saying 
thank you. The mounted ones are the best 
because they must look after the horse and 
do not hang about in wet weather, waiting for 
the rain to stop, before resuming their journey. 
Last X'nias I visited the extensive 
FRUIT FARM AND COFFEE PLANTATIONS OF 
MESSRS. CUTTON BROTHERS 
at Clump Point, thirty miles to the South 
of Geraldton. The ss. "Ellen" called at 
Liverpool Creek to land Chinese and their 
Banana plants and provisions, &c. The soil 
of Liverpool Creek is very rich and will no 
doubt put good crops of fruit into the 
markets of Australia, we anchored near the 
St. Bernard Group of Small Islands — on one of 
which is built a lighthouse. At Clump Point 
the Cutton's cutter came off to us and 
shipped a large quantity of mango and 
pineapples. I landed with Mr. James Cutton 
and commenced work next morning, pruning 
coffee and showing the natives how to prune 
and open out the centres of the bushes. 
On this estate there are hundreds of mango 
and orange trees— pineapple patches, lime 
