AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. 



59 





ander Stuart, who succeeded Sir Henry Parkes 

 in January, 1883. 



Finance, The estimates for 1885 make the 

 total revenue 8,480,000, and the expenditure 

 8,420,000, leaving a surplus of 270,000. 



Legislation. Throughout the year 1884 par- 

 liament was occupied with the elaboration of 

 the land laws that are to take the place of the 

 Kobertson system, which, after twenty-two 

 years of trial, was condemned by an over- 

 whelming popular majority in the election of 

 1882. The session of 1883 was prolonged into 

 1884, and did not close till November 1st, a full 

 year from the time of meeting. The reason 

 for this unprecedentedly long session was to 

 reach a settlement of the land question, be- 

 cause farming operations and land transactions 

 remained in suspense pending that issue. The 

 bill introduced by the Government was a sym- 

 metrical and simple measure, which aimed to 

 strike a balance between the interests of the 

 squatters, or lessees of state lands, whose enor- 

 mous flocks constitute a large portion of the 

 public wealth, and those of the small graziers 

 or agriculturists who desire to obtain farms 

 by free-selection and purchase. Under the 

 Robertson laws the tenant could only acquire 

 a freehold title to the maximum of 640 acres, 

 and lands on which he made improvements. 

 For every pound's worth of improvements he 

 could purchase at an appraised price a pound's 

 worth of land. This provision, intended to 

 preserve to the tenant his improvements, en- 

 abled the squatters to practice one of the worst 

 abuses of the leasehold system. They secured 

 not only the sites on which they placed the 

 dams and wells for their present needs, but 

 hy the expedient of putting up movable huts 

 they monopolized all similar spots in advance 

 of their increasing flocks over a wide area. 

 These great runs were thus rendered secure 

 against the encroachments of other squatters 

 and the entrance of free-selectors, and when 

 the rent- appraiser came at the end of five years 

 he had to fix the rent on land, the value of 

 which was destroyed by the abstraction of the 

 watering facilities. The ministerial bill pro- 

 posed to divide all the runs into two parts. 

 One half of each was to be left open to free- 

 selectors, and the other half secured to the 

 tenant, on a long lease at a low rental, without 

 compensation for improvements. The public 

 domains cover 160,000,000 acres, a large por- 

 tion of which are leased to squatters. Of the 

 40,000,000 acres that have been sold the largest 

 part is not fully paid for. 



The Legislature authorized the construction 

 of 1,278 miles of railroad. There were on No- 

 vember 1st about 1,600 miles open to traffic, 

 300 miles having been completed during the 

 year, and 400 miles authorized in previous 

 sessions were in process of construction. The 

 total capital invested was nearly 18,000,000. 

 The railroads returned a profit of 4 per cent, 

 per annum, and during the previous year left 

 the Government a gain of about 72,000 after 



providing for working expenses, maintenance, 

 and interest. The new railroads will entail an 

 expenditure of about 14,000,000. Several of 

 them are to be of a lighter and cheaper char- 

 acter than the old lines. The Northern Rail- 

 way, to connect Sydney with Queensland, has 

 been opened as far as Glen Innes, and will 

 reach the Queensland line within two years. 



The Drought, and Industrial Depression. New 

 South Wales was the greatest sufferer from 

 the drought that has afflicted Australia for 

 the past three years. The colony lost by the 

 water-famine not less than 12,000,000 sheep 

 and a proportionate number of cattle. The 

 squatters, embarrassed by their losses, and un- 

 certain about the pending land legislation, 

 ceased making improvements. The conse- 

 quence was a large influx of labor into Sydney. 

 The Australian Governments are the largest 

 employers of labor. In consequence of their 

 relation to the labor market, they have had the 

 duty imposed upon them of providing labor to 

 the unemployed and of sustaining the rate of 

 wages. The minimum rate of $2 a day has 

 been accepted as a political principle, together 

 with the eight-hour work-day, as expressed in 

 the cant couplet : 



" Eight hours for work, eight hours for play, 

 Eight hours to sleep, eight bob a day." 



On account of the stagnation in trade the in- 

 dustrial establishments reduced their force of 

 workmen; but the powers of the trades-un- 

 ions prevented them from lowering the rates 

 of mechanics' wages. The Minister of Public 

 Works made arrangements to employ all who 

 were out of work ; but, in order not to depart 

 too widely from the purpose of the Govern- 

 ment to economize expenditures, he offered 

 six shillings a day instead of the popularly 

 established standard, a resolution that ex- 

 cited much indignation among the working- 

 class. Two thousand men had to be dealt 

 with, an official labor exchange was opened, 

 and special relief-works were started in the 

 neighborhood of Sydney for married men. To 

 others who wished it, free passes were given 

 by railway into the country. 



Silver Discoveries. Australia has not hereto- 

 fore been classed among the silver-producing 

 countries. Ores have been worked in Vic- 

 toria, and to a larger extent in New South 

 Wales, with moderate success ; but the aggre- 

 gate yield down to 1883 was less than a million 

 ounces. The recent discovery of silver-bearing 

 rock of unexampled richness promises to place 

 Australia ahead of the United States in this 

 industry. Like the silver-mines of Nevada, 

 Australia's wealth of silver^ay hidden in a va- 

 cant and barren region in the Barrier Range, 

 a cluster of low, naked peaks in New South 

 Wales, on the South Australian border. The 

 stony stream-beds in the deep valleys are dry 

 for years together. A waterless, saline de- 

 pression separates the mountains from the hill- 

 country of South Australia. On the eastern 



