In the more thickly populated portions of the Old and New World, and, to
a certain extent, in the large cities of Australia, the question of how
to make a living has became one of vital importance to a large portion
of the population, and is the cause of considerable anxiety to fathers
of families who are endeavouring to find employment for their sons.
This difficulty of obtaining employment is a very serious question, and
one demanding the most earnest consideration. It is probably the result
of many different causes, but, in the writer's opinion, it is due mainly
to the fact that for years past the trend of population has been from
the country districts to the towns, with the result that many of the
great centres of population are now very badly congested, and profitable
employment of any kind is often extremely difficult to obtain. The
congested towns offer no possible outlet for surplus labour, hence it is
necessary that such labour must find an outlet in the less thickly
populated parts of the world where there is still plenty of room for
development and population is badly needed. Queensland is a country
possessing these qualifications; but is, unfortunately, a country that
is little known to the general mass of home-seekers, and, further, what
little is known of it is usually so inaccurate that a very erroneous
opinion of the capabilities of this really fine country exists. The
great flow of emigration is naturally to those countries that are
nearest to the Old World--viz., the United States of America and
Canada--and little attention is given to Australia, although we have
many advantages not possessed by either the United States or Canada, and
are not subject to the disadvantage of an intensely cold winter such as
that experienced throughout the greater portion of those countries for
several months yearly.
To those looking for homes the following pages are addressed, so that
before deciding to what part of the world they will go they may know
what sort of a country Queensland really is, what one of its industries
is like, the kind of life they may look forward to spending here, and
the possibility of their making a comfortable home amongst us. The life
of a fruit-grower is by no means a hard one in Queensland, the climate
of the fruit-growing districts is a healthy and by no means a trying
one, and is thoroughly adapted to the successful cultivation of many
fruits; and, finally, a living can be made under conditions that are
much more conducive to the well-being of our race than those existing in
the overcrowded centres of population. The writer has no wish to infer
that there are big profits to be made by growing fruit, but, at the same
time, he has no hesitation in saying that where the industry is
conducted in an up-to-date manner, on business lines, a good living can
be made, and that there is a good opening for many who are now badly in
want of employment. The illustrations represent various phases of the
industry, and have been specially prepared by H. W. Mobsby, the Artist
of the Intelligence and Tourist Bureau. Most of the Illustrations have
been taken at an exceptionally dry time, and at the close of one of the
coldest winters on record, so that they do not show the crops or trees
at their best; at the same time, they give a fair idea of some of our
fruits, orchards, and fruit lands.
ALBERT H. BENSON.
Brisbane, Queensland, January, 1906.