Rosewood History
From the Brisbane Courier (Qld), Saturday 30 May 1931, page 9
News and Notes of General Interest for the Man on the Land!
AT ROSEWOOD
FERTILE AND PROLIFIC DISTRICT.
OLD SETTLEMENT.
RICHES BELOW AND ABOVE SOIL.
By Our Special Representative.
Richly endowed with fertile lands of scrub and forest, the Rosewood district is additionally more fortunate than similarly situated districts in the State in that it also has abundant wealth underneath as well as on top of the soil.
UNLIKE Gympie whose first rise to fame was through the mineral wealth below, later on discovering and wisely developing her agricultural and pasture resources, Rosewood has for nearly a century been working her soils for the agricultural wealth given out in lavish quantities in seasons such as the present, but tardily dragged forth in adverse times. Now it would seem that the mineral wealth of Rosewood will be developed, not on boom lines such as made Gympie, but with a steady and progressive swing that will at least keep the township and its businesses from stagnation. For 20 years now coal deposits have been worked, eight mines being in production, while a ninth is in course of preparation, a new tunnel being driven at Lanefield by Mr. A. Laurie. Employment is found for about 150 miners, and the production approaches 30,000 tons annually, while the quality of the coal is considered high.
FRUCTIVE COUNTRY.
The surface wealth of the soil is derived through the channels of dairying and agriculture, which includes the production of maize, potatoes and tomatoes for market. This latter crop is grown on the higher country and has brought in some very good returns. Throughout the district one salient feature of pleasing aspect is the numerous patches of lucerne. They are found everywhere, advantage being taken of the soils generosity from the tops of the mountains to the edge of the scrub land and beyond into the forest soils. No doubt these small patches of the king of fodder crops are of wonderful benefit in any season and stored away during prolific times are of untold value when the periodical droughts assail the district.
When such years take up their running in the order of things it is possible for dairymen to keep up cream supplies to some extent, and where the small man is concerned it would be difficult for him to get along in the same comfortable way, even in a good season, were it not for the few acres of lucerne he grows. The district is not a straight-out dairying one, but there are 600 registered dairies, and the cream is sent to the Queensland Farmers’ factory at Booval. There is no factory in the Rosewood district, but a cream receiving depot is established at the railway station, where cream from all the outlying centres is brought in by motor lorry, weighed tested, and graded, put into factory cans and the farmers’ own cans are returned to him directly, already washed and clean. Cream sent from Rosewood during the past 12 months totalled 159,500 gallons, and milk supplied to milk runs and railed from Rosewood approximated 72,250 gallons. There is a distinct wish and tendency, among the younger men of the district at any rate, to improve their herds and so increase the production. Several very noteworthy attempts are being made that are well worth a few lines.
Five miles out of Rosewood, at the very end of a most atrocious piece of road Mr. T. Sheaf has established him-self with the nucleus of a Guernsey herd his first purchases being made in 1927. He secured a few prizes at Ipswich shows, and from the production records he quoted he should very soon have a herd around him that will make fair sized cream cheques.
His neighbour Mr. A. W. Johnston is a Jersey fancier, who is bound to make good his herd due is a very good specimen of the Island breed, and a study of his pedigree reveals a lineage of well performed ancestors.
Another beginner in tlhe district is Mr. W. J. Freeman who has purchased extensively at Brisbane Show A.I.S. sales, and who is using a local-bred bull from Mr. A. Waters’ stud.
Other breeders of pure-bred dairy cattle are Mr. J. Domrow and Mr. J. Nimmo, both Jersey fanciers, while among the A.I.S. men are Messrs. H . Embrey, T. Armstrong and J. A. Wells, each having made recent purchases.
Some of the offshoots of the dairying industry make interesting figures. The number of calves shipped during the past 12 months was 3,300, and during the same period 5,000 pigs were sent from Rosewood. A few sheep in the district were responsible for 20 tons of wool despatched as well as 3,600 head of fats. Cotton is grown in a small way, 35 tons being harvested last year. Maize is a very extensively cultivated crop but a great deal is used on the farm and the fact that 430 tons was shipped for markets is no indication of the wealth thus produced.
Nearly 250 tons of other agricultural produce was sent to market during the past 12 months while timber also featured in the district’s products. The past season has been very good indeed and, with an abundance of pasture supplemented by a great variety of fodder crops the winter will be faced confidently by all. In practically every case where farms were reviewed either from the inside or from the road there appeared to be a general striving towards reasonable conservation of fodder, but with only two exceptions within five miles of Rosewood at least, there is a lack of silos. These cost money, but if the cost is looked at in this way it is greatly minimised. Supposing a 100 ton silo cost £200, that outlay represents £2 per ton of fodder put into the silo, which would have to be bought in times of stress at a cost of anything from £8 to £12 per ton. The fact is not overlooked that it costs money to put the crop into the silo, but the aim is to point out that the actual cost of the silo is only £2 per ton capacity, and the first cost of erection is the last if the job is done correctly.
ROAD CONDITIONS.
The population of the Rosewood Shire is approximately 6,000, of which number there are 1,600 resident in the town itself. All the feeder roads to the township are still in the pioneering stage, the only road built to stay is that from Rosewood to Ipswich, constructed from Federal grant money by the Main Roads Commission, and the portion in the shire area of the Brisbane-Toowoomba road, which passes through Marburg. There is a further three miles on the Mount Walker road under construction. Many years ago there was a proposal to build a railway to tap the Mt. Walker area, but not having materialised, a good road will achieve the same objective.
The Rosewood Shire Council controls a big road mileage, 11,040 all told, the majority of which is anything but good. Two very good metal quarries exist in the area one at The Bluff about 5 miles from Rosewood township and the other at Ebenezer, while several good gravel quarries have been found and used to a certain extent. The total amount spent by the Council on Main Roads is £50,000, apart from £4,000 spent on main roads maintenance last year.
The Shire revenue is £13,000 per annum, from which a sum varying from £2,000 to £3,000 is spent on road maintenance and repairs. The big road mileage naturally eats into the revenue through its patchwork and repair requirements but a great deal could be done if the council as a body decided not to pander to the individual voter who wants a hole filled in front of his gate, and instead concentrated their capital energy on an annual 5 mile construction of real roadway.
Estimates are being prepared for the reconditioning of the town streets, the cost of which is anticipated to be in the vicinity of £10,000. This work will be carried out by the Main Roads Commission, and there is a rumour current that the main street will be of concrete. This coupled with the expectation of having electric light installed by the end of the present year tends to make the future for the township a great deal brighter.
Business in the town is solid, the road to Ipswich since its completion being responsible for a slight leakage, but of insufficient magnitude to make any material difference. The effect the road has had has been to make Rosewood prices competitive with those of Ipswich making it now a practically unpayable proposition to shop outside the town. Any likelihood of a further drift can be stopped by a general brightening up, and it must be left to the business people’s own good sense and duty to their town to keep pace in their business activities and shops appearance with the coming of the new conveniences.
It is surprising to find any community without a progressive institution such as a Chamber of Commerce or Progress Association. On two occasions a Chamber has been created in Rosewood but apathy has been the means of crushing any permanency of active life. The show society and poultry and kennel club do help to keep the town and district on the map and show visitors what can be grown in the district, but an institution to safeguard the interests of residents of both town and district, and business as well, is needed.