Book Review

IN “Australia’s Backyards,” Mr. R. H.

Milford sets out to tell the truth, ex actly as he saw it during his wanderings through the inland districts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Northern Territory.

Here, for example, are the first words in the book: “The adultresses of Darwin— A sweating, soaking day in December, Many of the living corpses of Darwin in a comatose condition of alcoholism. Blacks, half-castes, pearl-shellers, government offi cials (mentioned in their order of merit) and others —all stagger or lurch unevenly about in the poisoned air, as if each move ment of their bloated, beer-soaked bodies was going to be their ultimate. . .

Chapter 11. opens with these words: “One of the greatest surprises for the husband in certain tropical regions is to find out that his children are his own.”

There is much more similar, indescrib able rubbish. The author attempts to deal with social conditions and politics economic subjects, but merely makes him self ridiculous. The opinions and argu ments of the tap-room look very silly, when transported to the printed page. That such a crudely-written, ill-balanced and badly-spelled manuscript should have achieved the distinction of print does not reflect much credit upon the publisher.

Our copy from the publishers, Macquarie Head Press, Sydney. Price, 7/6.