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POOR QUEENSLAND

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 3, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 36.

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“POOR QUEENSLAND.”

Troublous times are being experienced in many parts of the world. While it is earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in some localities, storms in others, wars and rumors of wars in other parts, labor troubles in others, famine is also on the list. Pastor W. A. Colcord, writing to the Union Conference Record, of Sydney, N. S. W., says:—
The drought has been bearing down very heavily on poor Queensland now for a number of years, until the country begins to feel the calamity in earnest. The past summer has been a hot and dry one. Abundant rains last spring made things look bright and hopeful, and everything gave promise of a prosperous year and a change in affairs for the better, especially in southern Queensland. The famous Darling Downs looked a garden. But as warm weather came on the drought set in again, and for months and months at a time the country has seen hardly a drop of rain. While in some parts the wheat crop was pretty fair, many of the later crops were almost a complete failure. Passing through the country one could see the vast fields of corn in farm after farm burned into worthlessness.
The season getting late, and hoping there would soon be rain, many farmers planted large fields of potatoes, only to see the seed rot under the dry, hot clods. Some, seeing no rain come, to save total loss, dug up the potatoes which they had planted, while others have lost tons and tons of seed in the ground.
As in New South Wales, prayers for rain have been offered in many churches, in some places the prayers continuing till midnight; but up to the present little or no rain has come, tho Mr. Wragge, the weather prophet, predicts that we are likely to get some soon. The ground for the most part is dry, sun-cracked, and brown as a berry. The prolonged drought is thinning out the ranches and the flocks in the interior. Millions upon millions of sheep have died in the State during the past few years, and unless a change comes before long, inevitable want and suffering must come to many of the people. Stealthily the time of trouble and the day of the Lord are creeping upon the world. Few realize what all these things mean, so gradually evils multiply.
But all these things naturally have their effect. They produce hard times. We feel it in many ways.