tobacco

By 1931, many people were unemployed all over Queensland and the government decided to introduce a scheme to remedy this situation. In an attempt to create work for unemployed, the Queensland Minister for Agriculture, Mr Bulcock, introduced a Tobacco Settlement Scheme which would allow those unemployed to become tobacco growers on the abandoned Soldier Settlement pineapple farms. A state farm west of Beerburrum was set up to raise the tobacco plants in a nursery and the seedlings were then transported to the tobacco farmer’s plots. Preference was given to large families. Each family was supplied with a plot of land, a cow and a house. If homes from the original settlement were not available on plots selected, an interesting method of construction was used. Tobacco growing is known as a difficult crop to cultivate. Unfortunately due to inexperience and unfavourable weather conditions the farmers encountered many difficulties. The area received large catchments of rain during the period 1933 to 1934. Many tobacco curing barns dotted the landscape and there was also a community curing barn for small farms which may not have warranted their own curing barn. Sorting of cured leaf was done at the Soldier Settlement State farm at Beerburrum. By 1934 problems were again encountered and by the following year most curing barns had been demolished. Only a few tobacco farms still functioned. Source: www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Council/News-Centre/Backward...

Museum opened to show old tobacco growing industry ABC Rural Posted Fri 27 Jan 2012 A museum to the now defunct tobacco growing industry has opened at Mareeba on Queensland's Atherton Tablelands. It's now illegal to grow tobacco in Australia, after the Government elected to buyout and shut down the declining industry in 2006. For decades tobacco was the main produce grown on the tablelands, and at its peak was worth $50 million dollars a year. Ex-tobacco farmer Remzi Muller says it was hard to grow tobacco. "In the 1930s, 1933 there were about 4,000 people here growing small plots of tobacco," he says. "In that year, 3,000 went bankrupt. Because it was dry farmed, you put the crop in, you watered it with a cup until the rain came. If the rains didn't come, you didn't get a crop," Source; www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2012-01-27/museum-opened-to-sho...

How things have changed.

Janette Asche Indeed! The only lines we see like this today are for the latest iphone release.

To aid the war effort, rationing of essential commodities such as food, clothing, rubber and petrol was instituted in all Allied countries early in World War II. It became patriotic to ‘go without’ luxuries in support of troops overseas and industrial production of equipment and supplies for the forces. In Australia rationing regulations for food and clothing were strictly introduced in mid-1942 to manage shortages and control civilian consumption. It also aimed to curb inflation by reducing consumer spending, hopefully leading to a higher level of savings by the population and greater investment in the government war loans program. The ‘Austerity Campaign’ meant going without luxury items and involved living as simply as possible. The campaign was launched alongside the Austerity Loan program. The message was ‘Save’ and ‘Save Australia’. People were told to: Smoke less—burn less money. Drink less—satisfy a need not a habit. Plan meals for their food value. Give up cosmetics—it’s smart to be natural Source: www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/homefront/rationing