Where is Queensland?
The State of Queensland is situated in the northeast of the
island-continent of Australia, between latitude 29 deg. and 10 deg.
south; longitude 153-1/2 and 138 deg. east.
What is Queensland?
The richest State of the Commonwealth of Australia, with an
area of 429,120,000 acres, over 3,000 miles of coast line, and the
healthiest climate in the world.
How to get to Queensland.
By any of the great steamship companies’ boats that call at
Brisbane (the capital), or by any vessel sailing for Australian
ports.
Where to get Particulars re Passages.
At the Queensland Agent-General’s Office, Marble Hall, 409 and
410 Strand, London, W.C., and Immigration Depôt, Kangaroo Point,
Brisbane.
Free Passages.
These are granted from the United Kingdom to any port of
Queensland to agricultural labourers introduced under contract.
Conditions of Free Passages.
The employer must pay a fee of £7 for each labourer introduced,
provide him with suitable accommodation, and guarantee him a year’s
work at wages approved by the Government.
Approved Immigrants.
Approved immigrants can obtain a passage to any port in
Queensland at the following rates:—Males, 12 years and upwards,
£7; females, 12 years and upwards, £3; immigrants’ children (1 year
and under 12 years), £1 10s. Maximum age: Males, married women, and
widows, 45 years; single women, 35 years.
On What Conditions?
The sum of £1 must be deposited with the Agent-General,
in addition to the prescribed fees. This sum is refunded to the
immigrant on arrival. In the case of families applying for passages
as assisted immigrants, one deposit only covers the whole family.
Nominated Immigrants.
Residents of Queensland with a qualification of at least six
months’ permanent residence therein can obtain passages for their
friends and relatives in Great Britain and Europe =only= at
the rates already stated.
Assisted Passages.
Approved females (between the ages of 18 and 35 years),
prepared to accept domestic service for twelve months, may obtain
passages to Queensland on payment of £1 before sailing, the balance
of the fare (£2) to be paid by monthly instalments within six
months after their arrival in Queensland. Passages may also be
granted to farm lads (between 16 and 20 years of age) on payment of
£1 before sailing, the balance of the passage money (£6) to be paid
by monthly instalments within six months after their arrival in
Queensland. Employment is guaranteed in every case, and the lads
must consent to work on a farm for, at least, twelve months.
What Queensland Offers.
An easy living to any industrious man or woman in the
healthiest climate in the world.
What Queensland Wants.
Thousands of able-bodied men and women to fill up her empty
spaces and develop her resources.
Employment.
Agricultural labourers and domestic servants are in great
demand at good rates of wages. (See wages list at pages 3 to 5.)
Where to get Information in England.
At the office of the Agent-General, Marble Hall, 409 and 410
Strand, London, W.C.
What Population could Queensland Carry?
Queensland could easily carry a population of 50,000,000. At
present she has only about 680,000 people.
Where to get Advice about Work on Arrival.
At the Government Labour Bureau, Edward street, Brisbane, or
any of its branches throughout the State.
Where to get Information of Lands Available.
At the Land Settlement Inquiry Office, Lands Department,
Executive Buildings, George street, Brisbane, or any local
Government Land Agent throughout the State.
Where to get Information re Crops, Soils, etc.
At the Agricultural Department, William street, Brisbane.
Where to get Information about any Part of the Country, Travelling,
and Rate of Living.
At the Government Intelligence and Tourist Bureau, corner of
Queen and George streets, Brisbane.
Tourist Trips.
All information _re_ tourists’ trips—especially the Great
Northern coastal trip and magnificent scenery—can be obtained at
the Government Intelligence and Tourist Bureau.
What can Queensland Produce?
With her immense area and variety of soils and climates
Queensland can produce every crop that is found in the markets of
the world, from barley to cocoa. Her mineral wealth is very great
and scarcely tapped.
Crops.
Sugar-cane, wheat, oats, barley, rye, maize, lucerne, rape,
cotton, tobacco (cigar and pipe), coffee, potatoes, fibres, rubber,
ramie, pumpkins, sisal hemp, mangolds, sorghums, millet, rice,
turnips, cowpea, canary seed, cassava, peanuts, arrowroot, and
others.
Fruits.
Grapes, pineapples, bananas, oranges, lemons, mangoes, apples,
pears, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, figs, nectarines,
quinces, strawberries, persimmons, passion fruit, almonds,
blackberries, rosellas, custard apples, papaws, cocoanuts, Cape
gooseberries, melons, guavas, loquats, and others.
Vegetables.
Cabbages, cauliflowers, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes (English
and sweet), lettuce, cress, mustard, turnips, carrots, parsnips,
beetroot, asparagus, borecole, leeks, rhubarb, beans, chicory,
squashes, onions, capsicums, eschalots, peas, seakale, salsify,
yams, artichokes, choko, chillies, celery, and others, including
herbs of all sorts.
Products.
Wool, leather, hides and skins, tallow, frozen meat, pork,
sugar, molasses, malt, butter, cheese, flour, bran, pollard,
cornflour, wine, condensed milk, jams and preserved fruits,
manufactured timber, biscuits, confectionery, clothing of all
kinds, mineral and aerated waters, &c.
Minerals.
Gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, iron, coal, wolfram, bitumen,
antimony, manganese, bismuth, molybdenite, limestone, ironstone,
scheelite, graphite, &c.
Gems.
Opal, topaz, sapphires, rubies, diamonds, agates, emeralds,
zircon, oriental chrysoberyl, olivines, rock crystal, tourmaline,
cornelian, amethyst, spinel, pleonaste, pyrope, cairngorm, white
and yellow jargoon, carbonado.
What is the Area of Queensland?
429,120,000 acres, or 670,500 square miles.
What Area is under Cultivation?
920,010 acres.
Under Crop, 1913.
Grain—Wheat 132,655 acres.
〃 Barley 8,826 〃
〃 Maize 156,775 〃
English Potatoes 10,085 〃
Sweet Potatoes 3,224 〃
Sugarcane 147,743 〃
Hay 76,469 〃
And various acreages in miscellaneous crops. Total area under
crops, 747,814 acres.
Fruit.
Both tropical, sub-tropical, and deciduous fruits do well.
Thirty years ago out of every 100 cases of oranges imported into
Queensland 95 came from New South Wales. Now the citrus fruit
industry has grown to such an extent that Queensland does not
import 5 per cent., but has become a big exporter to Southern
centres.
Pineapples.
Pineapples grow all the year round in Queensland.
Where are Fruits Principally Grown?
Deciduous fruits principally at Stanthorpe. Bananas, oranges,
mangoes, citrus fruits, tomatoes, &c., in the North. Pineapples,
oranges, and citrus fruit (in large quantities), peaches, bananas,
passion fruit, melons, custard apples, &c., in the South. The
Blackall Range and Cleveland have also become great
strawberry-producing districts.
Where are the Crops and Products Raised?
Cereals, root crops, fodder plants, tobacco, cotton, English
and sub-tropical fruits in the South. Sugar-cane, bananas, coffee,
tobacco, cotton, and tropical products in the North. Wool on the
Darling Downs and the great grazing districts west of the Main
Range.
What is the Mean Annual Rainfall?
It varies considerably. Along the Pacific slope it runs
approximately from 48 inches at Brisbane to 150 inches in the Far
North. West of the Great Dividing Range the rainfall diminishes
from 30 inches to about 10 inches, according to the distance from
the Main Range.
What is the Climate Like?
The climate of Queensland is the most perfect winter season in
the world.
But is not the Heat Great in Summer?
Although there are occasional hot days, the summer season is
not unpleasant. The mean summer temperatures are:—South
Queensland, from 66.5 to 76.7; Central, 80.5; South-western, 80.8;
North, 81.2; North-western, 84.3.
Is it Healthy?
The death-rate in Queensland in 1913 was only 10.39 per 1,000.
But does the Climate Suit English and European People?
Yes. They live to a great age in the genial atmosphere of
Queensland.
What Sort of People are already Settled in Queensland?
Scotch, Irish, English, Welsh, Germans, Danes, Italians,
Swedes, Russians, and other people of White nationalities.
Russians, Swedes, and Danes make splendid colonists, and are warmly
welcomed.
Do People Often Return after Leaving Queensland?
Yes. Men who go home with the intention of spending the rest of
their lives in England are constantly returning to Queensland.
What Openings are there in Queensland for the Investor?
There are numerous avenues of investment in sheep and cattle
stations, farming and dairying on a large scale, city and country
properties, mines and timber, in the development of secondary
industries, and in the growing of rubber.
For the Man with Small Capital on Government Land?
With £150 to £200 a man can start dairying in a small way, and
gradually increase his herd and operations. A good deal, of course,
depends on the man.
Suppose he had £250 or £300?
He could make a good start with that.
Suppose he tried Fruit Growing?
With about £100 he could make a start. He could grow vegetables
and minor crops until his trees grew old enough to bear, which
would be in about three years from planting.
What could a Man do without Capital?
He could work for a station-owner or farmer until he had made
enough to pay his deposit on the land he eventually selects.
Experienced Agricultural Labourers.
There is a great demand for this class.
Inexperienced Men.
Inexperienced men should take some employment and learn the
methods of work in Queensland before sinking their capital in land
or stock.
Domestic Servants.
Domestic servants, especially cooks, are in urgent demand at
wages ranging from 10s. to 30s. per week.
Where Can Government Land be Obtained?
There are fifty-eight Land Agents’ Districts in Queensland, in
all of which vacant Crown lands are still obtainable.
Agricultural Farms.
Agricultural farms vary from 10s. per acre upwards.
At what Age can a Person Select Land?
Over the age of 16 years.
Can a Man with Little Capital acquire Land?
Yes. If he pays the first deposit, the Crown may defer payment
of the next three years’ rent.
When is this Payable?
It is divided over the fifth to the thirteenth year with
interest at 4 per cent. per annum.
Can a Single Woman hold Government Land?
Yes; with the exception of a homestead area, if she is over 16
years.
Can She hold a Homestead Area?
Yes; if she is over 21 years.
What Land may Married Women hold from the Crown?
She may hold any selection not subject to personal residence
conditions.
What Land a Married Woman cannot select from the Crown.
A married woman is not competent to select an agricultural
homestead, a grazing homestead, free homestead, perpetual lease
selection, agricultural farm, or prickly-pear selection, subject to
the conditions of personal residence, unless she has obtained an
order for judicial separation, or an order protecting her separate
property.
Married Women’s Property Act.
Under “_The Married Women’s Property Act, 1890_,” she can
hold any land, which she purchases absolutely, as if she were a
man.
What are the Modes of Tenure?
(1) Agricultural selection—i.e., agricultural farms,
agricultural homesteads, perpetual lease selections, and
free homesteads.
(2) Grazing selections—i.e., grazing farms and grazing
homesteads.
(3) Unconditional selections.
(4) Prickly-pear selections.
Twenty Years’ Purchase without Interest.
Twenty years are allowed in which to pay for an agricultural
farm. No interest is charged.
Annual Instalment.
The annual instalment is 6d. in the £1—that is, 2-1/2 per
cent., or 3d. per acre on 10s. land; 6d. per acre on £1 land; 1s.
per acre on £2 land. The whole of this goes to principal.
Completing the Purchase.
At above rate, in twenty years the farm is half paid for, and
during that time the farmer has had the use of the farm for much
less than a fair rental. At the end of the twenty-first year, he is
expected to pay the remaining half. Taking money as worth 5 per
cent., this is equivalent to selling the land at half the
proclaimed price.
Deposit Money.
On an agricultural farm, agricultural homestead, perpetual
lease selection, grazing selection, and unconditional selection
—one year’s rent, and 1/5th of survey fee; on free homestead—fee
of £1, and 1/5th of survey fee; on prickly-pear selection—full
amount of survey fee.
What is the Deposit on an Agricultural Farm of 160 Acres?
£3 16s., taking the price of the land at 10s. per acre.
When can such a Farm be made Freehold?
In five years.
Freehold Title.
Queensland offers an unencumbered freehold title. The deeds
for an agricultural farm may be obtained at any time after five
years by paying the outstanding balance.
Discount.
If such balance is paid off before it is due, a discount of
2-1/2 per cent. per annum is allowed.
Conditions for Agricultural Farms.
Maximum area, 2,560 acres (this, however, is allowed only in
remote districts); price, from 10s. per acre upwards. The land must
be fenced within five years, or other improvements effected equal
in value to the cost of fencing. Five years’ personal residence or
occupation as the case may require; thereafter, until made
freehold, the condition of occupation must be performed.
Negotiable Leases.
The lease may be obtained as soon as the improvements are
completed, and can be mortgaged, or, with the permission of the
Minister, the land may be subdivided, transferred, or sublet.
Exceptions.
Agricultural homesteads and free homesteads cannot be
mortgaged. Agricultural selections and prickly-pear selections
obtained under five years’ residence priority cannot be mortgaged
during the first five years.
Agricultural Homesteads.
The price for a homestead is 2s. 6d. per acre, the annual rent
3d. per acre, the terms ten years’ personal residence, and the
maximum area 320 acres.
Agricultural Homestead Conditions.
Land must be fenced within five years, or improvements made
equal to value of such fence. When five years of residence have
been performed and improvements effected, the selector may pay up
the remaining rent, so as to make his total payments equal to 2s.
6d. per acre, and obtain deed of grant.
Grazing Farms—Area.
The total area held by one person must not exceed 60,000 acres,
but when the area exceeds 20,000 acres the annual rental at the
notified rental must not exceed £200.
Grazing Farms—Rental, Term, Conditions, &c.
Rental from nil per acre per annum. Term up to twenty-eight
years. The holding must be continuously occupied by the selector or
manager or agent. Within three years the land must be fenced. In
cases where no rental is charged, the land is more or less infested
with prickly pear or noxious weeds.
Grazing Farms—Lease.
As soon as the holding is fenced the lease is issued, which may
be mortgaged or transferred, as stated in the case of agricultural
farms.
Group Residence.
If it is proved to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that
two or more selections, each of which is at a distance not
exceeding five miles from each of the others, are held by members
of one family, _bonâ fide_ in their own separate interests,
the Commissioner may issue a special license enabling the
conditions of personal residence or the conditions of occupation
required to be performed by them in respect of their selections to
be performed by their residence on one of the selections which is
itself held subject to the conditions of personal residence or
conditions of occupation.