Separation for Federation : a Study of Sir John Waters Kirwan, K.C.M.G
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SEPARATION FOR FEDERATION : A STUDY OF SIR JOHN WATERS KIRWAN, K.C.M.G "Time past and time present can be expressed in time future." T.S. Eliot. B.F. Gatti, 3 Rathbone Road, Riverton, 6155 Optional thesis submitted to the Director-General of Education in partial fulfilment ofthe requirements ofthe Teachers' Higher Certificate ofWestern Australia. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Introduction. Chapter 1. The Discovery ofGold in Western Australia. 7 Chapter 2. The "Kalgoorlie Miner" and "Western Argus". 10 Chapter 3. Agitation for Federation. 16 Chapter 4. Grievances ofthe Goldfields People. 23 Chapter 5. Goldfields Reform. 31 Chapter 6. Federation. 37 Conclusion. 40 Appendices. 42 Bibliography. 46 - 11l - ABBREVIATIONS. W.A.P.D. Western Australian Parliamentary Debates. N.S. New Series. -I- INTRODUCTION. There has been, throughout history, associated with the discovery ofgold, more than with any other metal, a tremendous allure. Not the least alluring ofthese associations were the rich gold discoveries in the early 'nineties at Coo1gardie and Kalgoorlie, on the Western Australian goldfields. This was a period packed with romance and the spirit ofadventure, about which much has already been written. I propose to use this period as the backdrop for the thesis, highlighting the activities on the goldfields at this time immediately prior to federation, when there was a good deal ofunrest on the goldfields. This unrest culminated in the Separation for Federation Movement, largely initiated and fomented by John Waters Kirwan, who was at that time the Editor ofthe "Kalgoorlie Miner", the main newspaper on the goldfields. Prior to 1892, when gold was discovered at Coolgardie by Ford and Bayley, Western Australia was a struggling colony of little significance. After this find, and the discovery made at Hannans, or Kalgoorlie as it is now known, by Paddy Hannan in 1893, Western Australia entered a period ofrapid development, and in the words of Kirwan himself: "....it should not be forgotten that the rapid progress that then took place was entirely due to the gold discoveries at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie."(1). The recent nickel discoveries at Kambalda and around Kalgoorlie (1) Kirwan, Sir John, "Early Days ofthe Legislative Council", Early Days, New Series, Royal Western Australian Historical Society Journal, Vol. V, Dec. 1943, p.6. - 2 - could almost be described as a reflection ofthe "roaring nineties", as they were sometimes called, and indeed the results ofthese discoveries promise to be just as far reaching. Fluctuations on the stock exchanges throughout the world, particularly London and New York, have to some extent paralleled the events ofthe 1890's. Stockbrokers and speculators have shown as much enthusiasm as the 1890's provoked. The lure of gold in those years attracted men from many countries, all seeking a fortune, and anxious to make it quickly. It is not surprising that very soon the population ofthe goldfields became cosmopolitan, and many men, both famous and infamous, ultimately made their way there. Many ofthose who carne were from the eastern colonies and they were nicknamed "t'othersiders".(2) The modes oftravel were primitive by today's standards. Some pushed wheelbarrows, others rode bicycles, some swamped or walked "behind a wagon which carried their belongings"(3), from the ports ofFremantle, Albany or Esperance. Still others carne by camel, wagon or coach. Afghans supplied camel teams and there was a coach service between the railhead at Southern Cross and Coolgardie for those who could afford it. Later, in 1897, the railway was extended to Kalgoorlie. The toll ofhuman life in opening up the goldfields was very high. Men died from lack of food, thirst, and being lost in the bush. Typhoid, dysentery and scurvy were rife and took a heavy toll on the population. (2) Mossenson, D., "Separation Movement on the Eastern Goldfields, 1894-1904", Royal Western Australian Historical Society Journal, Vol.IV, Part V 1953, pA2. (3) Crowley, F.K., Australia's Western Third, London, Macmillan, 1960, p.86. - 3 - In 1894, eighty-four people (4) died from typhoid alone, and in 1895, two hundred and ninety-four perished from this disease. I was amazed to notice, on visiting the cemetery at Coolgardie, the number ofmen who had died at a young age during this period. Infant mortality was very high also. Lack ofreliable supplies of fresh water made conditions very trying. Intermittent rainfall throughout the year filled up the various waterholes and prospectors had to rely on these, and on tanks and dams provided by the government, for their water supplies. Geological opinion held no hope offinding supplies of artesian water on the goldfields. Later, water was condensed and sold at very high rates. It was not until the government's Goldfields Water Scheme was completed in 1903, however, that the water problem was solved. Yet there were many who, despite these set backs, made their way to the fields in the hope of"striking it rich". One such person was John Kirwan, son ofan impoverished Irish landlord, who had been born in County Galway, Ireland, in December, 1869. He arrived in Kalgoorlie in 1895, having spent the years since 1889, when he arrived in Brisbane, wandering through the eastern colonies and New Zealand as a journalist. He had occupied the editorial position on many country newspapers and had done parliamentary reporting in Brisbane. He had, therefore, had considerable experience in this field and it is not surprising that on arriving in Kalgoorlie he was offered, and duly accepted, the position ofeditor ofthe "Kalgoorlie Miner", a paper recently started by the Hocking Bros. This post he held for thirty years. (4) Ibid., p.90. - 4- It was through opinions expressed in the "Kalgoorlie Miner" that John Kirwan was able to wield considerable political power on the goldfields. He points out himselfthat newspapers at the period were an integral and essential vehicle ofpublic opinion, "guiding public opinion to an extent hardly realized today".(5) This was particularly featured in the case ofthe eastern goldfields as theirs was an isolated community, by virtue ofdistance and basic activities, being situated hundreds ofmiles from the capital and thousands ofmiles from the eastern cities. In such an environment the most modern and effective communication medium to evolve was the "Kalgoorlie Miner", only rivalled today by the radio, telephone and television. It had capitalized on the use ofthe overland telegraph by installing cable facilities, and thus ensured a news service commensurate with any ofthose afforded in any region ofthe continent. In viewing the newspaper as a means of communication both within and outside the eastern goldfields community, one can see the singular unrivalled position that it assumed, compared to today when a variety of media vie with each other to disperse the impact ofpublic opinion. Kirwan was a conservative man and this is reflected in his book "My Life's Adventure". He neither drank nor gambled to excess, and it is a notable fact that he was always accorded a large amount ofrespect in the community. This is obvious, not in just one instance, but in most (5)Kirwan, Sir John, "The Story ofa Goldfields Newspaper", Royal Western Australian Historical Society Journal, Vol. IV Part I, 1949, p.l8. - 5 - communities where he stayed for any length oftime. This was possibly due to his family background where he had received the upbringing accorded to landed gentry. Kirwan was a severe critic ofthe Forrest government. He admits quite freely that he opposed Forrest more often than he supported him.(6) The government was situated over three hundred and fifty miles away on the coast and was most unsympathetic to the goldfields people. Forrest regarded the mining population as unstable and gave them little consideration, a factor to which goldfields people were very sensitive, particularly as they were the main source ofcolony revenue. John Kirwan figured prominently in much ofthe public life ofWestern Australia around the tum ofthe century, and later on also. In 1895 Sir John Forrest had appointed him a member ofthe Kalgoorlie Cemetery Board, a post which he reluctantly accepted, and in 1896 he was made a J.P. In December 1899 and January 1900 he was one ofthe leaders ofthe Eastern Goldfields Reform League, and in 1901 he was elected as a member ofthe House ofRepresentatives for Kalgoorlie in the First Federal Parliament, a seat which he subsequently lost in 1904. In 1908 he was elected to the Legislative Council ofWestern Australia, and in 1926 he was elected its President, a post which he held for twenty years. He was appointed as a foundation member ofthe University Senate in 1912, and also in that year he married the daughter ofT.F. Quinlan, an original University Endowment Trustee. In 1930 he received the title ofKnight Bachelor, and in 1947 the order ofKnight Commander of St Michael and George was conferred upon him. (6) Kirwan, Sir John, My Life's Adventure, London, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1936, p.143. - 6 - He travelled extensively throughout the Commonwealth and other countries during his life, attending Press or Parliamentary Conferences, often as a Western Australian or Australian delegate. On visits to England he attended functions given by British royalty and nobility. "Sir John Kirwan was a man with a tireless energy in making himself familiar with all the needs and aspirations ofthe community and he was unsparing in his advocacy ofwhat he believed to be right", wrote Sir Hal Colebatch on the death of Kirwan in 1949.(7) It was fortuitous for the people ofthe goldfields that they had a man ofhis calibre ready to fight for their grievances at a time when action was needed. (7) The West Australian, September 10th, 1949. - 7 - CHAPTER 1. The Discovery ofGold in Western Australia. When Bayley arrived at Southern Cross in 1892 to report a rich find ofalluvial gold at Coolgardie, a few people realized the significance ofthe announcement.