Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Wednesday 16 April 1879, page 2


Melbourne.

[from our own correspondent. J

April 15.

The balloon accident yesterday was caused by the inexperience of the aeronaut in not allowing for the great expansion of gas in the balloon which naturally takes place at a great altitude. He had already clutched the valve-rope, upon seeing his danger, when he heard the explosion.

His first thought was to jump from the car, but. finding that the parachute came into play, he remained. The parachute doubtless saved his

life.

A formal invitation to the Prince of Wales to ~ open the Melbourne Exhibition next year will be despatched by the outgoing man.

At a meeting of the Society of Amalgamated i Engineers held on Saturday, the Minister for Railways, in the course of an address, stated that he intended shortly to invite tenders for the construction of other locomotives in addition to those already built in the colony. Since he had been in office the department had had its work done in the colony as far as possible, instead of sending home and during that period no less than £724,375 had been spent in the colony for the construction of rolling stock.

A Scotch agricultural paper, in noticing the death of Sir St. George Gore, remarks : " He has been known in the north of Scotland for many years. Thirty years ago he-rented Tulloch shootings in Ross-shire, and afterwards the shoots ings of the late Sir George Mackenzie, of Gairloch He also held shootings in. America, where he is believed to have killed more big game than any man living. Recently he returned to this country, and took a lease of Braham shootings."

In a thoughtful article upon the future prospects of farming in Queensland, the Toowoomba Chronicle says The question is a serious one. What can be grown to profitably export, for it must be clear to all that agriculture will make but little advance in Queensland, and occupy a very limited position, if its operations are entirely confined to supplying our own markets. They must look to a far wider and more unrestricted field and though there are many things, which can only be grown with profit for a local market, there are others which will pay for exportation to countries which require them and cannot produce them. There can be no question, that our farmers will have to devise new plans for the future, and not confine their attention solely to growing corn, for which the market is always uncertain from its tendency to be overdone. It seems rather an anomaly to be importing corn flour from America when corn is 30 cheap and abundant here. We are also of opinion Chatterton little maize and its preparations is used in this country for food, for nothing can be more wholesome and nutritious. Ground fine and used as food for infants, it is infinitely pro» ferable to the imported " cornflour." What a farmer can care should be as. seriously considered as what has- been made, and we are certain that farmers lose largely by not taking full advantage of their own resources. Besides boots, and clothes, they should want to buy very few other personal requirements. We have occasionally the pleasure of visiting homesteads in this districts at which nearly all the articles of consump-tion are home-produced hams, bacon, jams, eggs, butter, cheese, flour, bread, pickles, sauce, vegetables, and fruit, and in such homes the expenditure in trifling, all saved being really direct gain and income. If there were more co-operation among our farmers, more anxiety and interchange of ideas and experience, either by means of the Press or Granges on the Amen. can principle, the results would most certainly

be beneficial to all,"