6g8 AUSTRALIA 



Alone of all the Australian states, Victoria has never yet been governed by the Labour 

 party. At the end of 1912 the Premier was Mr. W. A. Watt. His ministry is the successor 

 of Mr. W. H. Irvine's (1902) which was very strongly opposed to the Labour party. After 

 Mr. Irvine, Mr. Bent, then Mr. Murray, then (1912) Mr. Watt led this Government. AS 

 temporary seat of the Commonwealth Government, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, 

 has been also the political capital of Australia, and the housing of the chief of the Federal 

 departments there has given some impetus to the city's growth. Since the inauguration of 

 the Federation it has been improved greatly in appearance by a scheme of tree decoration 

 applied to the river banks and the chief streets. 



The Governor in 1912 was Sir John Michael Fleetwood Fuller. 



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SOUTH AUSTRALIA 



South Australia has now an area of 380,070 square miles and a population of 408,558, 

 having been relieved of the care of the Northern Territory. The state is facing the develop- 

 ment of its "dry-belt" where wheat-growing has been found to be possible with a very low 

 average rainfall. In 1901 the area under wheat was 1,743,452, in 1910-11 2,104,719 acres, 

 in 1911-12 (estimated) 2,190,782 acres with an average yield of 9.29 bushels to the acre. 

 A great access of prosperity is expected in South Australia as a result of the new trans- 

 continental railway to Perth (W.A.). 



In politics South Australia has always been very progressive in spirit. It was the first 

 state to enfranchise women, and most of the "social reform" legislation of Australia orig- 

 inated here. The Labour party has often formed the Government. But since a strike of 

 transport workers in 1910 there has been a reaction against that party in -the state. 



At the end of 1912 the Governor was Admiral Sir Day Hort Bosanquet, and the Premier 

 the Hon. A. H. Peake. 



QUEENSLAND 



The population of Queensland is now 505,813; the state has progressed greatly since 

 Federation, the population having increased in the last decade by 21.62%. The state is 

 committed to a vigorous policy of railway development and immigration. Alone among 

 the Australian states it develops its railways from several maritime centres instead of from 

 the one capital city. .The sugar industry is a great source of Queensland wealth, and some 

 anxiety was formerly felt as to whether the "white labour" policy of the Commonwealth 

 would not ruin this industry. That anxiety no longer exists. In 1910-11 there were 108,535 

 acres under sugar in Queensland, in 1910-11 141,779 acres, and the estimates for 1911-12 

 were extremely favourable. The sugar produced in 1910 was 1,840,447 tons. Agricultural 

 farm applications in 1901 were 661, in 1910 1,733, showing the rapid progress of land settle- 

 ment. Under all forms of settlement there were applications for 364,766 acres in 1901 and 

 for 1,951,170 acres in 1910. The figures in each case represent new settlement. 



Politically, the state was for long one of the strongholds of the Labour party, which 

 shared the Government under a coalition system. Since 1907 (when woman suffrage was 

 adopted) there has been a drift in the other direction. The Philip ministry (1907-8) was 

 hostile to the Labour party. The Kidston ministry (1908) was, as regards its head, strongly 

 pro-Labour at one time, but became more Conservative as a tortuous and troubled political 

 situation developed. The Denham ministry (1911) was quite opposed to the Labour party. 

 It had to face in 1912 a fierce "Syndicalist" labour strike; and, following the defeat of the 

 strike, appealed to the countrv for a renewal of confidence. The General Election resulted 

 in the decisive defeat of the Labour party. An Industrial Peace Bill was then brought 

 forward to limit the right to strike, and was passed by the Legislative Assembly In September 

 1912. At the end of that year the Governor was Sir William MacGregor, and the Premier the 

 Hon. Digby Frank Denham. 



WEST AUSTRALIA 



The population (282,114) shows an increase since Federation of 53%. The state has 

 kept for many years a system of state-aided immigration, and in 1910, the number of im- 

 migrants was 6,655. 



The backwardness in development of this, the largest of the states, is now being met by 

 a vigorous land settlement policy and the pushing on of the trans-continental railway to 

 connect the state by land with the eastern states. The wheat-growing industry has 

 developed very greatly of recent years. In 1901 there were 94,710 acres under wheat, in 

 1910-11 581,862 acres, and the estimated area for 1911-12 is 559,195 acres. The gold 

 yield is decreasing. In 1911 it was 1,370,868 oz. 



West Australia with its large population has a strong Labour party, which was in power 

 at the end of 1912 with the Hon. F. Scaddan as Premier. The Governor in 1912 was Sir 

 Gerald Strickland, whose successor in 1913 was designated in November in Sir H. Barren. 



TASMANIA 



With a very mild climate, in which drought is unknown, Tasmania (pop. 191,211) is 

 destined to be the garden orchard and small-culture farm of the mainland. But it has not 



