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Island,
north by west. There are five dwelling-houses on the island, and five
large stores. A sea-wall runs in front of these. There is a wharf 350
feet long from the shore to deep water, and a patent boat-slip, which
can take up a vessel of 30 toas. Two large paddocks for sheep are
securely fenced. Thirty thousand coconuts have been planted on the
island, and the planting is still going on at the rate of 250 a month.
S:venteen boats and one tender are employed in connexion with this
station. Once a fortnight the tender goes out to the boats fishing on
the reefs and collects the shell: 140 men of various
nationalties are employed. Mr. Pearson prefers the Malay and Manilla
men. The take of pearl-shell per year is about 160 tons, value in
Sydney about ,£140 a ton. Mr. Pearson says :—" Annexation will not
affect us at all in the Straits. New Guinea natives will not work away
from home, although I believe they will work well on their own coast.
Some have been tried in the fisheries, but the experiment did not
succeed."
When
one reads of the improvements carried out by private enterprize on
Goode Island, and sees that on Thursday Island absolutely nothing has
been done for the public good, one is apt to query the benefit derived
from the sway of the Queensland Government in Torres Straits. I have
given one sample of a station, but on the surrounding islands the
stores and habitations are, I am informed, all of a superior order. The
storing, sorting and packing of the pearl-shell is the principal work
on a station, which otherwise acts as a warehouse for provision and
grog. At most of the stations, stone or wooden wharfs have been
constructed, and in some instances tramways and slips have been built.
It is estimated that 170 boats are employed in the pearl-shell fishery
in the Straits. I am told " the vessels in use are probably the finest
and best found and fitted of their kind afloat; they range from 10 to
30 tons capacity, are excellently built, carefully equipped, splendidly
handled, and are a credit te the colonies." Sydney capital is mostly
employed in the pearl-fishery. The tax paid to the Queensland
Government for occupation of each station is £5 a year, £6 a year for each boat, and £ 1 a
year for each diver. This, with the indirect contributions to the
revenue through the consumption of spirits, &c, proves that the
pearl-fishery pays its fair proportion of Queensland taxation. There is
a difficulty now in obtaining good sites for stations. All the best
islands are occupied, and on many there is a great want of water. Good
anchorage and landing-places 'are required, and most of these are
pre-emptied. It is held to be essential that a station should be within
easy distance of the fishing-grounds and of Thursday Island, so that
the boats can be readily reached by tenders and the shell be despatched
to the port. I think it possible that a small Steamer visiting all the
fishing^grounds would be an improvement on the present system.
There
is no mistaking the importance of the pearl-fishing industry in Torres
Straits. It gives employment to some 1,200 persons, and supports the
commerce of Thursday Island. The beche-de-mer boats, between 60 and 70
in number, mainly belong to Cooktown. The Chinese merchants there buy
up this fish, and give a better price than can be obtained on
consignments sent to Singapore. It is some years since the practice of
diving for pearl-shell was abandoned. The resources of science have
simplified the mode of operation. Diving-dresses and air pumps are now
employed, which means that increased capital has to be expended; The
cost of working a pearl-fishing station now is double what it was ten
years ago. There are more stations and more boats employed, yet the
take of shell is no larger than it was years back. This means that some
men made very large fortunes in the early days, and that some are
losing money now, for with the present appliances there ought to be a
large increase in the returns. I read that " the shell can now be
traced from the shallow waters of the shores, where formerly it was
only possible to recover it by swimmers, to the deep waters of the
Straits. The bulk of the pearl shell is now recovered from 13 to 15
fathoms of water. The area of distribution has been found to be very
extensive. Pearl-shell has been traced all along the New
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