▁Company ▁Limited ▁was ▁by ▁far ▁the ▁biggest ▁operation ▁in ▁the ▁district ▁and ▁was ▁the ▁stim ulus ▁for ▁the ▁found ing ▁of ▁the ▁town ▁of ▁Howard . ▁The ▁man aging ▁Rank in ▁family ▁had ▁instit uted ▁a ▁rule ▁of ▁" pat ernal ▁desp ot ism " ▁and ▁the ▁fine ▁house ▁" Bro ok lyn " ▁that ▁the ▁company ▁built ▁for ▁them ▁in ▁Howard ▁stands ▁in ▁stark ▁contrast ▁to ▁the ▁hand - built ▁tim ber ▁h ut ▁of ▁the ▁All an ▁family . ▁ ▁The ▁B urr um ▁coal ▁mines ▁were ▁the ▁last ▁to ▁be ▁union ised ▁in ▁Queensland , ▁conditions ▁were ▁not or iously ▁bad ▁and ▁average ▁w ages ▁were ▁a ▁sh illing ▁a ▁day . ▁Min ers ▁were ▁paid ▁by ▁the ▁ton , ▁used ▁pick ▁and ▁sh ov el ▁and ▁were ▁never ▁certain ▁that ▁they ▁would ▁have ▁work ▁the ▁next ▁day . ▁M ining ▁was ▁the ▁only ▁local ▁source ▁of ▁employ ment ▁and ▁the ▁mine ▁operators ▁dict ated ▁the ▁terms ▁of ▁employ ment . ▁A ▁small ▁number ▁of ▁fav oured ▁permanent ▁min ers ▁were ▁provided ▁with ▁a ▁min er ' s ▁h ut , ▁a ▁four - room ed ▁string y b ark ▁c ott age , ▁of ▁which ▁there ▁were ▁four teen ▁in ▁Tor ban lea . ▁Famil ies ▁had ▁an ▁average ▁of ▁eleven ▁children ▁and ▁whilst ▁most ▁min ers ▁usually ▁had ▁only ▁one ▁me al ▁a ▁day , ▁they ▁endeav oured ▁to ▁provide ▁two ▁me als ▁a ▁day ▁for ▁their ▁children . ▁ ▁In ▁this ▁context , ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁the