AUSTRALASIA. 



57 



Tasmania exported silver and silver ore in 

 of the value of f-.217.X44. This export has risen by 

 rapid bounds from 16.872 in 1890. The export of 

 tin. on the other hand, decreased from 296,761 in 

 ..'02.454 in 1894. The export of timber 

 and bark was 50.:;^6. having fallen from 125.43!) 

 in 1890. The exports of green fruits were 202.455 

 in value, again- . The apples of Tasma- 



nia, cultivated with the utmost care, are sent to the 

 other colonies and lately to England. The export 

 of hops in 1894 was 23,215. 



Fiji in 1894 exported 27.265 tons of sugar, valued 

 . 136.245: 5.833 tons of copra, value 57.201; 

 bananas of the value of 49,115 : and distilled spirit 

 of the value of 16.746. 



A Zealand in 1894 exported 1.025.243 hundred- 

 weight of frozen meat, valued at 1,194.545 : 60.771 

 hundredweight of butter and 55.655 hundredweight 

 of cheese, valued together at 366.483 : 8.338 tons of 

 Kauri gum. valued at 404,567 : grain, pulse, and 

 flour for 232.634: tallow. 204.499 : timber, 116,- 

 116: hides, skins, and leather, 347.041: live ani- 

 mals. .">::.u:^; preserved meat. 57.325 : bacon and 

 hams. 6.736: grass seed. 47.323; phormiura, or 

 Xew Zealand hemp. 66.256. 



Navigation. The number of vessels and the 

 tonnage entered and cleared at the ports of the sev- 

 eral colonies during 1894 are shown in the following 

 table : 



Communications. The length of the Govern- 

 ment railways in Xew South Wales on June 30, 

 1895, was 2.531, on which 36.611.336 had been ex- 

 pended. The gross earnings for the preceding year 

 amounted to 2,878,204. The working exp' 

 were 1.567,589, being 54'56 per cent, of the gross 

 earnings. There are 85 miles of private railroad-;. 

 The tramways, 61 miles in length, were built by the 

 Government at a cost of 1,428,518. 



Victoria had 3.020 miles of railroads at the close 

 of 1894, in the construction of which the Govern- 

 ment had expended 37.553,563. The gross receipts 

 for the year ending June 30, 1894, were 2.726.159, 

 and the" working expenses were 1.635.419. The 

 net profit was 2'90 per cent, of the capital expen- 

 diture, all but about 3,000,000 of which was bor- 

 rowed money bearing interest at the average rate of 

 3-93 per cent. 



The railroads open for traffic in Queensland at 

 the close of 1894 had an aggregate length of 2.37!) 

 miles, built by the Government at a cost of 16.469.- 

 721. Including the cost of floating loans, losses on 

 sales of stock, etc., the total cost w.-i- 1^.292.909. 

 The receipts during the year were 931,903. and the 

 working expenses 580.477. 



There were 1,867 miles of railroad open for traffic 

 in South Australia in the beginning of 1895, of 

 which 146 miles were in the northern territory. 

 This Government derives 5 per cent, profit from its 

 railroads. 



Tasmania has 475 miles of railroads. Western 

 Australia at the end of 1894 had 1.150 miles open 

 and 392 miles not yet completed. 



There were open for traffic in Xew Zealand on 

 March 31. 1895. on the Xorth Island 760 miles and 

 on the Middle Island 1.233 miles of Government 

 railroads. Including 175 miles of private lines, the 



total length was 2.168 miles. The receipts from 

 "iiment railways for the preceding year was 

 1.15oX)2. and the working expen- 

 160. The total expenditure on construction up to 

 that date was 16.142.W7. 



At the end of 1894 New South Wales had 12.201 

 miles of telegraph lines, with 28.085 miles of wire, 

 constructed at a cost of 831.471. The number of 

 telegrams sent during that year was 2.464.074. The 

 New South Wales postal traffic for 1894 included 

 67,993,400 letters. 963,400 postal cards. 41.667.300 

 newspapers. 13. 573. GOO packets and book pa 

 oil ? . S 90 parcels, and 431 .417 money orders for 1 .3 1 5.- 

 635. The revenue of the department was 62<i.Hi4. 

 and the expenditure 750.196. Of the total receipts. 

 269.217 came from telegrams, which yielded a net 

 revenue of 147.903. 



Victoria had 7.141 miles of telegraphs, with 14.420 

 miles of wire, at the close of 1894. There were 9.679 

 miles of telephone wires. The number of telegrams 

 sent during the year was 2.366.365, yielding a net 

 revenue of 93.655. The total postal revenue was 

 53(.i.700. while the expenditure was 687.377. 



The telegraphs of Queensland had a total length 

 of 9,986 miles, with 17.8(11 miles of wire. The num- 

 ber of messages dispatched was 803.076 : received 

 from places outside. 102.>*33: official messages. s -">.- 

 Mi !. The post office carried 17.7U4.d92 letters. 10.- 

 906.618 newspapers. 4.387.069 rackets, and 81.531 

 parcels. The revenue from the post office was 

 143.455 and from telegraphs 72.160; joint ex- 

 penses. 297.144. 



The length of telegraph and telephone lines of 

 South Australia at the close of 1894 was 5,580 miles, 

 with 13.170 miles of wire. This includes the over- 

 land line of 2.000 miles that connects with the 

 British Australian cable. The South Australian 

 lines yield a net profit to the Government after pay- 

 ing the interest charges. The post office in 18'.)4 

 carried 16.445,556 letters, 1,420,660 packets, and 

 8.016.400 newspapers. 



There were 4,403 miles of telegraph lines in West- 

 ern Australia, with 5.010 miles of wire. The num- 

 ber of messages in 1894 was 446.780. yielding a net 

 revenue of 25.665. The post office forwarded 11.- 

 368,906 ordinary letters and postal cards. 195.791 

 registered letters. 9.375.589 newspapers, and 3.143.- 

 008 packets. Expenditure for postal and telegraph 

 services was 77,449. 



The Government telegraphs of Tasmania have a 

 length of 2,155 miles, including 366 miles of cable, 

 with 3.004 miles of wire. There -were 260.423 mes- 

 sages sent in 1894. The revenue of the Government 

 telegraphs and telephones was 14,230, and the ex- 

 penses were 27.486. The postal traffic was 5.536.- 

 902 letters, 1.286.784 packets. 166.323 post cards, 

 and 4,447,619 newspapers. Post-office receipts were 

 4s.381. and expenses 46.974. 



The Xew Zealand post office in 1894 carried 53,- 

 168.336 letters. 2.546.713 postal cards. 13.906.399 

 books and parcels. 19.271.590 newspapers, and 222.- 

 678 money orders. The length of telegraphs on 

 Dec. 31. 1894. was 5.823 miles, with 14.647 miles of 

 wire. The receipts of the post-office department 

 were 247.438. and the working expenses 299,971. 



Australasian Federation. At" the suggest i-n 

 of Mr. Reid, Premier of Xew South Wales, a con- 

 ference of representatives of most of the colonies 

 met at Ilobart in January. 1895. and framed a 

 measure known as the Federal Enabling act. which 

 was intended to be submitted to the several co- 

 lonial parliaments. The outcome of the bill, if 

 adopted by the parliaments, was to be a federal 

 convention, which should frame a constitution for 

 the Australasian states, or for as many of them as 

 would consent to enter the confederation. The 

 Enabling bill was first introduced into the Xew 



