Explorations in Australia - John Forrest
3. At the earliest possible moment I commenced work by travelling over as
much as possible of the settled and partially settled districts of the
colony; an old colonist bushman and explorer myself, travelling on
horseback and camping out were but natural to me, and I wished to judge
for myself of the capabilities of the colony; and before I had been six
months in the country I had ridden considerably over two thousand miles,
some part of the distance unfortunately, owing to an accident, with a
fractured rib and other injuries. I had made acquaintance with settlers
of all classes, and was able to form an opinion so accurate, both of the
people and of the country I have since had to deal with, and of their
capabilities, that I have never altered that opinion, nor have my many
subsequent journeys done more than supplement the knowledge I then
gained.
4. My first political aim was to promote local self-government in local
affairs by establishing or giving real power to road boards and
municipalities (a policy I afterwards carried into effect with school
boards also); and, so soon as I had obtained the sanction of her
Majesty's Government, I introduced that modified form of representative
institutions provided by 13 and 14 Vic., chap. 59, and then passed the
Municipal Acts I have mentioned above. This policy has fulfilled not only
my expectations but my hopes, and should the Council that is about to
meet wish to take the ultimate step of entering into complete
self-government by adopting the responsible system, the preparation
afforded by the last five years will admittedly be of the greatest value.
5. It fell to me to carry into effect the ecclesiastical policy indicated
by Lord Granville in a despatch, Number 80, of July 10, 1869, held over
for my arrival, in which his lordship suggested that grants (regard being
had to the number in the community of each denomination) should be equal
in substance and alike in form, and asked if there were any difficulties
in applying to Western Australia "that principle of religious equality
which had long been recognized in the Australian Colonies." Lord
Kimberley, in an enclosure to his despatch, Number 78, of December 19,
1870, expressed similar views. To this on March 1, 1871, in my despatch,
Number 37, I was enabled to reply that I had already carried the policy
recommended into practice, that the grants had been equalized by
"levelling up," that the vote for the Church of England was "now handed
over to the Bishop of Perth, the Government reserving the right to
satisfy itself that it is applied to those purposes of religious
ministration and instruction for which it is voted, and that all vested
interests are maintained intact and claims on the Government respected."
Since then I have supported such measures as were thought desirable to
promote self-organization, and I have moreover made liberal grants of
land for glebes, churches, schools, and institutions to the various
religious bodies in proportion to their numbers. I have reason to know
that on all sides satisfaction is felt at the position in which I shall
leave ecclesiastical affairs so far as the action of Government may
effect them.
6. The elementary educational question, on my arrival, was a source of
much contention and ill-feeling, which came prominently into play, when
in the second session of 1871 I caused a Bill, drafted by myself, and the
general provisions of which I was subsequently informed were "entirely
approved of" by your lordship's predecessor, to be introduced into the
Legislature, and carried it--not, however, quite in its original form.
Though the alterations are unquestionably defects, and may somewhat mar
its success, it has hitherto worked very well, and has proved itself not
only effective but economical: it has received praise from its former
opponents and from the most opposite quarters, and old bitternesses are
now (I hope for ever) things of the past.
7. I have not failed to give the utmost support in my power--a support
unfortunately much needed in a colony like this--to the Chief Justice,
and it has been a great gratification to me that, on my recommendation,
the long and valuable services of Sir Archibald Paull Burt have been
recognized by her Majesty, and that he has received the honour of
knighthood--a rank which none of her Majesty's servants will more fitly
adorn. I have suggested to the Legislature that a small increase of
salary should be given to uphold the dignity of the Supreme Court; and
the question, to which I have already drawn the attention of the
Legislature, of the appointment of two Puisne Judges and constitution of
a Court of Appeal ought to be taken into consideration at no distant
period. One new resident magistracy has been established in a district
where it was very much needed, and two Local Courts have been
constituted. There is some difficulty in finding a sufficiency of fit
persons for the commission of the peace who are willing to exert
themselves, and the pay of the resident magistrates is in too many cases
insufficient to enable them properly to support their position as
representatives of the Government in their districts.
8. In the Military Department I have enabled successive commandments to
make reductions in the enrolled Pensioner Force. By withdrawing the guard
from Rottnest Island, and by concurring in the reductions at
out-stations, a very considerable saving has thus been effected. I have
given all the encouragement in my power to the Volunteer movement, and I
may confidently state that the Volunteer Force was never before in so
good a state, either so far as regards numbers or efficiency. To this
result the efforts of successive commandants and liberality of the
Legislature have mainly contributed.
9. It has been for me to preside over the latter stages of the existence
of the Imperial convict establishment in Western Australia, as a large
and important department; henceforth it will be confined in narrow
limits, and I may state with confidence that the great reductions and
concentrations that it has been my duty to effect have not been attended
with those disastrous effects to the colony that were so confidently
predicted, and also that although the residue of convicts are, many of
them, men of the doubly reconvicted class and long-sentence men,
discipline is well kept, serious prison offences are rare, the health of
the men is excellent, whilst severe punishments are seldom needful. I
here beg leave to make favourable mention of Mr. W.R. Fauntleroy, Acting
Comptroller-General of Convicts, who has proved himself to be my most
valuable officer.
10. Much remains to be done in the Survey and Lands Department. When Mr.
Fraser in December, 1870, took charge of the department, the greatest
economy was needed to make the revenue of the colony meet the
expenditure, and consequently it was necessary to reduce and lay upon our
oars; Mr. Fraser reorganized his department, putting it on a new system,
letting out work by contract instead of keeping up a large permanent
staff, and thereby effected a considerable annual saving; at the same
time he has been steadily working, as time and means have permitted,
towards certain definite objects, namely, in the direction of a
trigonometrical survey, by fixing points, by making sketch and
reconnaissance surveys of new and important districts, and by accurately
fixing by survey main lines of road: this will give a connexion to the
records in the Survey Office which has been hitherto wanting, and will
contribute to enable him to construct that great desideratum--a large and
accurate map of Western Australia, so far as it is settled or partially
settled. I concur with Mr. Fraser in thinking that, so soon as means will
admit, a considerably increased annual expenditure should be devoted to
surveys.
11. The joint survey of the coast will also aid in this work. The
Admiralty, in assenting to my proposal to undertake a joint coast survey,
which has been placed under a highly meritorious officer, Navigating
Lieutenant Archdeacon, R.N., have conferred a great benefit on this
colony, and promoted the interests of British commerce and navigation,
much valuable work having already been done.
12. In close connexion with the Survey and Lands Department is the topic
of exploration. So soon as possible after my first arrival, I took upon
myself to send Mr. John Forrest overland to Adelaide, along the shores of
the Great Bight, nearly on the line of Mr. Eyre's route in 1841. I did
this before the introduction of representative government, and it is
right to say that I knew that I could not have got a vote for it. I felt
that this was the last act of an expiring autocratic regime, and I
believe it was one of the least popular of my acts; but certainly no
small sum of public money has been expended with greater results--for, as
I hoped, Mr. Forrest's expedition has bridged the gap that separated West
Australia from the other colonies, has led to settlement on the shores of
the Great Bight, and to the connexion of this colony with the rest of the
world by electric telegraph. I never doubted of the future of West
Australia from the day when the news of Mr. Forrest's success reached
Perth. Since then more interest has been taken in exploration. A second
expedition was sent out to the eastward under Mr. Alexander Forrest in
1871, with the support of the Legislature and some of the settlers, and
at present under the same auspices Mr. John Forrest is again exploring to
the northward and eastward. His route will be guided by circumstances,
but it is not improbable that he may aim for the Central Australian
telegraph line, and I am already anxiously expecting tidings of him.
13. In 1870, with a vote I obtained from the Council, I engaged Mr. Henry
Y. Brown as Government Geologist. His geological sketch map and his
researches, which he pushed in one instance far into the interior, have
been of the greatest value; and it was with much regret that in 1872,
owing to the disinclination evinced in the Legislature in the then
straitened circumstances of the colony to expend money on a scientific
department, that I was obliged to forego my desire of making it a
permanent part of the establishment.
14. As Colonel Warburton's journey from the Central South Australian
telegraph line to our north-west coast was set on foot and its expenses
defrayed by private colonists of South Australia, I only allude to it to
acknowledge the obligation that this colony lies under to those
public-spirited gentlemen and to the gallant leader and his followers.
Parties headed by Mr. Gosse, by Mr. Giles, and by Mr. Ross have all
within the last two years penetrated from the eastern colonies to within
the boundary of our unexplored territory, but, beyond a certain extension
of geographical knowledge, without effecting any material results.
15. Under the head of Survey and Lands Department, it will be proper to
glance at the alterations in the Land and Mineral Regulations, which have
offered increased inducements and facilities for cultivation and
occupation, and which have considerably promoted mining enterprise. Gold
Mining Regulations have been also prepared and are ready for issue,
should occasion, as is likely, render them requisite. I willingly
acknowledge the assistance I have received from Mr. M. Fraser, the
Surveyor-General and Commissioner of Crown Lands, who has had much
experience in New Zealand, for the services he has rendered in all these
matters.
16. The mineral riches of this colony are very great. I have never
doubted but that they would ultimately become a main source of its
advancement. All the different kinds of auriferous quartz known in other
colonies are found abundantly in various parts of this--the question of
payable gold is, as I have long since reported, simply a question of
time. After many efforts, I at last, in 1873, obtained a vote for
prospecting, and the results are most promising, the fact of the
existence of rich auriferous quartz being now established. We shall
immediately be in a position to crush specimen consignments of quartz by
a Government steam-crusher, and I doubt not but that, if followed up, the
results will be most important. But gold is not the only nor perhaps the
most important of the minerals possessed by West Australia. The colony is
extraordinarily rich in lead, silver, copper, iron, plumbago, and many
other minerals are found in various localities, and indications of coal
and petroleum are not wanting--what IS wanting, is energy and enterprise
to develop these riches, and that energy and enterprise is being
attracted chiefly from Victoria, first by means of concessions that I was
enabled to make, and now by the reports of the new comers to their
friends. I made a small concession to a smelting company: and another,
and also an iron mining company, is in the field.
17. When on my arrival I turned around me to see what was to be looked
for to supply the place of Imperial expenditure, only second to our
minerals, our forests attracted my attention. They could not fail to do
so, because just before I came there was an outcry for the development of
this industry by Government aid. With Lord Granville's assent I made
liberal concessions, and thereby induced a pioneer company, shortly
followed by others from Victoria, to embark capital in the enterprise.
The public ardour here had, however, cooled, and an ignorant cry was
raised against foreigners, and the prospects of the trade were
systematically decried. Several causes besides this militated against it,
but it is surmounting them, and at the present moment not only are the
companies largely employing labour and expending money, but their own
success is becoming an established fact, and the export is enormously
increasing, and with good management must continue to increase
indefinitely. Whilst on this subject I may allude to the question of the
preservation of our forests, but as I am treating it more fully in a
separate despatch I will only say that this and the kindred question of
planting ought, at no distant period, to occupy the attention of our
Legislature.
18. The pearl shell and pearl fishery may be said to have sprung into
existence within the last few years. It employs a fleet of cutters and
schooners, chiefly of small size, on the north-west coast, Port Cossack
being the head-quarters. At Sharks Bay also there are a number of smaller
boats. A licence fee on boats and a tax on shells has been imposed by the
Legislature; laws for the protection of aboriginal divers and Malays have
been enacted. I shall immediately have a Government cutter on the
north-west coast for police and customs purposes, which will also be
useful in cases of shipwreck amongst the islands and inlets, and in
searching for and reporting the position of reefs, of anchorages, and of
new banks of pearl oysters. It will probably hereafter become advisable
to let areas for pearling under certain regulations as in Ceylon, but
this could not well be done with our present means and knowledge.
19. To turn now to the more settled industries, first in importance is
that of agriculture. It is chiefly in the hands of men of little capital,
and is carried on in a very slovenly way by the greater part of them. Bad
seasons, an over-great reliance on cereals, which have for several
successive years been seriously affected by the red rust, and a neglect
of other products suitable to the soil and climate, added in too many
cases to careless and intemperate habits, have until lately rendered the
position of many of the small farmers a very precarious one. Last year,
however, was more favourable, and they to a great extent recovered
themselves. The lesson of the past has not been altogether lost; they
have also been much assisted by the new Land Regulations, and a few
prosperous seasons will, I sincerely trust, put this class, which ought
to be a mainstay of the colony, into a really prosperous condition.
20. The cultivation of the vine is a profitable pursuit, and the quantity
of land fitted for that purpose is very great; both soil and climate are
eminently favourable to the growth of the grape. Recent legislation has
given some encouragement to wine-growers by facilitating the sale of
home-grown pure wine. The quantity of land laid down in vineyards is
slightly increased, but the class of settlers that are most numerous in
Western Australia do not readily take to industries that are new to them,
however profitable they may be, nor can they afford to wait for returns,
nor have many of them the knowledge necessary to make good wine: still
this industry will become one of the most important in the colony.
21. The pastoral interest is the pioneer interest of a new colony.
Western Australia has been somewhat less favoured than some other parts
of Australia in its pastoral lands, but it has, nevertheless, a good deal
of very good pastoral country, and under the extremely liberal
concessions lately offered to those who will devote capital to the
eradication of poison plants much more may be made available, whilst
fresh country is being largely occupied inland.
The progress, however, of the pastoral interest, considering the age of
the colony, though latterly great, is not SO great as might have been
expected; the comparatively good prices obtainable and anticipated for
meat have kept down the increase of stock, and consequently the yield of
wool; and as yet very little or nothing has been done to supplement
natural resources by growing artificial grasses and fodder plants. No
country presents greater capabilities for horse breeding, and cattle do
exceeding well and are very profitable.
22. The sandal-wood trade is in a flourishing condition, and has brought
money into the colony, and enabled many of the poorer classes to obtain a
livelihood by cutting that aromatic wood for export. It is, however,
doubted by some whether the labour employed in this trade does not
withdraw many from more steady and permanently useful labour on their
farms and small holdings.
23. In the matter of minor industries, sericulture holds a first rank. I
look to it in the future as a source of employment for paupers on the
hands of the Government, and also for women and children. I have taken
much interest in this pursuit, and have caused a mulberry plantation to
be made and plants distributed, and have published much information on
the subject. The Report of the Chamber of Commerce of Como (Italy),
alluded to in my despatch, Number 61, of 20th May, 1873, conclusively
shows that this colony is remarkably well adapted for the cultivation of
silk. The cultivation of the olive and the castor-oil plant are
industries for which this soil and climate are extraordinarily well
adapted. Tobacco, hops, and dried and preserved fruits might largely add
to the riches of the colony. In great part at my own expense, I have
introduced and distributed hop plants and various kinds of fruits of
great utility, and have, in fact, in the absence of any botanic garden
(in which I have vainly endeavoured to get the settlers to take an active
interest), made my own garden a kind of nursery for acclimatization and
distribution of useful and ornamental plants, and I have also given a
small concession for the cultivation of the cocoa-nut on the north-west
coast, where, in the absence of vegetables, it would be invaluable. And,
thanks to the Government of the Mauritius, I have been able to introduce
various kinds of sugar-cane, for which part of this territory is well
adapted. The growth of coffee has been also attempted on a Government
plantation, but without success. Cotton had already been proved to thrive
admirably, and to be excellent in quality, but is not considered likely
to pay without cheap labour. I may here note that, with an eye to the
future, I have made reserves for the purposes of public parks and
recreation grounds in several places.
Deer, Angora goats, hares, and trout have been also introduced.
24. I will now proceed to another branch of my subject--public works and
undertakings; and first in the category of public works and undertakings
I put those which relate to communications, and under that subdivision
immeasurably the most important are such means of communication as, by
terminating the isolation which has been the great bar to the advancement
of this colony, may make it a living part of the system of life and
progress which has been growing and prospering around it.
On this end was my mind set when I was appointed to the Governorship, to
this end have I worked steadily ever since, and this end is partially
accomplished, and its complete fulfilment is not distant.
The vote for the construction of the telegraph line via Eucla to South
Australia, passed last session, and the proposal of Messrs. Siemens
Brothers regarding a submarine cable to Madras, fitly close an
administration which found Western Australia within twelve miles, and has
already placed her in possession of a complete telegraphic system,
consisting of about nine hundred miles of wire, worked at a remarkably
small cost, in efficient order, already remunerative, and affording the
greatest advantages both to the public service and to private business.
It is noteworthy that four or five years ago there was a strong feeling
that the construction of telegraph lines was a waste of public money, and
only a few months ago a prominent member of the Legislature publicly
objected to the line which is to connect this colony with the rest of the
world, that it would only benefit a few individuals! Such ideas, however,
are rapidly becoming obsolete even in Western Australia.
I will here note that, under a power given me by law to fix and alter
rates, I, in January, 1873, reduced the charges to a uniform rate of one
shilling per ten words, and one penny for each additional word (press
messages at quarter price), and was the first to do so in the Australian
colonies.
25. After much and persistent opposition, the Legislature was at length
induced to vote a subsidy for steam on the coast, connecting our western
ports and all this part of the colony with Albany, King George's Sound,
the port of call of the Royal mail steamers from Europe and the eastern
colonies. This has done much to throw open this colony, rendering access
to it no longer difficult and uncertain, and greatly facilitating
intercommunication. A very Chinese objection to steam communication has
been publicly made by the same gentleman to whose opinion on telegraphic
communication I have already alluded; namely, that it enabled people to
LEAVE the colony. I am, on the contrary, of opinion that it is certainly
conducing to progress and the promotion of commerce.
The steamer we have at present is, however, insufficient, but I doubt not
but that a second and more powerful boat will shortly be procured, as it
is already required: I understand, however, that no West Australian
capital is as yet forthcoming for the purpose, nor for steam
communication with India, than which nothing could be more important, as
it would render available the magnificent geographical position of the
colony, and open a market close at hand for its products. I have long ago
and frequently stated my willingness to give all possible Government
support to such an undertaking.
26. I am immediately about, by invitation, to proceed to Champion Bay,
and to cut the first sod of the first West Australian railway, on the
Geraldton and Northampton line. I have already fully indicated the
advantage that there is good reason to anticipate will result from the
opening of that line, which will, I do not hesitate to say, be the parent
of future and greater undertakings.
When the colony arrives at a position safely to borrow a million or a
million and a quarter, a railway from Fremantle and Perth, probably up
the Helena valley, into the York district, and thence down the country
eastward of the present Sound road, to the fine harbour of King George's
Sound, would do more than anything else to give an outlet to the
resources of the country and supply its wants; such a line would
ultimately be extended through the eastern districts and Victoria plains
northward to the Irwin, Greenough, and Geraldton.
But I will recall myself from these and other speculations of the yet
more distant future, and look back upon the modest past. Two tramways
with locomotives now bring timber to the coast from the Jarrah forests,
and there are also two other tramways for the same purpose, of less
extent, but still of some importance. I have made concessions to the
companies constructing them.
27. With regard to ordinary roads, I can very confidently say that,
considering the extent of the country and its scattered population, no
colony that I have ever seen is in a better position regarding roads.
Occasionally, owing to the loss of convict labour, the scarcity of free
labour, the disinclination of the people to tax themselves locally, and
the great extent of the roads themselves, parts of the roads already made
fall out of repair whilst other parts are being formed; but on the whole,
having perhaps traversed more of Western Australia than any one man in
the colony, I very confidently assert that, taking all in all throughout
the country, the roads are in a better condition than they have ever been
before. Large bridges have been constructed over the Upper Swan, Moore
River, Blackwood, Capel, and Preston, besides twelve smaller bridges, and
a large one completed at the Upper Canning.