64 



AUSTRALASIA. 



with the British Australian cable, forming 

 telegraphic communication with all parts of 

 the world. This line was constructed at the 

 expense of the South Australian Government. 

 In 1884 there were 555 post-offices in the colo- 

 ny ; and during 1883 there passed through them 

 12,679,142 letters and packets, and 6,890,810 

 newspapers. 



Tasmania. The ministry of Tasmania is com- 

 posed as follows : Premier and Chief Secretary, 

 Adye Douglas; Treasurer, W. H. Burgess ; At- 

 torney-General, J. S. Dodds ; Minister of Lands 

 and Works, N. J. Brown. Sir G. C. Strahan 

 was appointed Governor, Dec. 1, 1881. 



The area of the colony is estimated at 16,- 

 778,000 acres. The estimated population on 

 Dec. 31, 1884, was 130,541. During 1884 

 there were 4,578 births, 1,990 deaths, and 

 1,003 marriages. The immigrants in 1884 

 numbered 14,257; emigrants, 12,524. 



The total revenue in 1884 was 549,262; 

 expenditure, 584,047 ; estimated revenue for 

 1886, 582,825 ; expenditure, 586,766. 



The total exports in 1884 were valued at 

 1,475,857, made up of the following items: 

 Wool, 453,567; gold, 132.010; tin, 301,- 

 423; timber and bark, 137,586; hops, 35,- 

 975; fruits, green and preserved, 170,985. 

 The value of the imports was 1,656,118. 

 Of the total area of the colony, 4,403,888 

 acres have been sold or granted to settlers, 

 while 1,778,977 acres have been leased as- 

 sheep-runs. In 1885 there were 425,845 acres 

 under cultivation. The principal crops are 

 wheat, oats, and barley ; hops are also largely 

 grown, and great quantities of fruit, much of 

 which is preserved and exported. 



At the end of 1884 there were 215 miles of 

 railway open for traffic, and 159 miles in course 

 of construction. In the same year there was 

 1,313 miles of telegraph lines in operation. 



Queensland. The Governor, Sir Anthony 

 Musgrave, was appointed in April, 1883. The 

 Executive Council of seven ministers is com- 

 posed as follows: Premier and Vice-President 

 of the Executive Council, Samuel Walker Grif- 

 fith ; Colonial Treasurer, James Robert Dick- 

 son ; Postmaster-General, Thomas Macdonald- 

 Paterson ; Attorney-General, Arthur Rutledge; 

 Secretary for Public Works, William Miles; 

 Secretary for Public Instruction and Colonial 

 Secretary, Berkeley B. Moreton ; Secretary for 

 Public Lands, Charles B. Dutton. 



The law making education compulsory is a 

 dead letter. In 1884 there were 558 schools 

 of all grades, employing 1,552 teachers, and 

 having an average attendance of 46,588 schol- 

 ars. Education cost the Government 1,395,- 

 082 in 1884. At the census of 1881, 29'44 per 

 cent, of the population could not read or write. 



The public income of the colony in 1884-'85 

 was 2,720,656, derived chiefly from the fol- 

 lowing sources : Customs, 937,225 ; land-rent 

 258,909 ; other rents and sale of lands, 328,- 

 422; from railways, 664,535; posts and tele- 

 graphs, 169,195. The public expenditure was 



2,819,854, the chief items of which were: 

 Interest on the public debt, 732,135 ; public 

 instruction, 187,257; administration of pub- 

 lic lands, 282,755 ; cost of working railways, 

 408,236; posts and telegraphs department, 

 282,755. The total expenditure on public 

 works was 1,565,028. The estimated reve- 

 nue for 1885-'86 is 2,982,500 ; the estimated 

 expenditure, 3,006,214. For 1886-'87 the 

 revenue is estimated at 3,000,000, and the 

 expenditure at 3,069,000. The public debt 

 of the colony amounted, on July 30, 1885, to 

 the sum of 19,070,850. 



The area of Queensland is estimated at 668,- 

 497 square miles. The population in 1881 was 

 213,525125,325 males and 88,200 females. 

 On June 30, 1885, the estimated population 

 was 318,606. In 1884 there were 36,883 im- 

 migrants and 18,263 emigrants, showing a net 

 gain of 18,620. There were 10,679 births, 

 6,861 deaths, and 2,661 marriages in 1884. 



The total value of exports in 1884 was 4,- 

 673,864, the chief of which were wool, valued 

 at 1,889,504; hides and skins, 109,291; 

 sugar, 454,995. The value of imports into 

 the colony for the same year was 6,381,976. 



In 1884, 316,113,920 acres were rented for 

 cattle-runs, and yielded a rental of 254,874; 

 the number of runs was 9,542. The live-stock 

 in 1884 numberered 253,116 horses, 4,266,172 

 cattle, 9,308,911 sheep, and 51,796 pigs. The 

 total area under cultivation in 1884 was 199,- 

 588 acres. The leading grain-crop is maize. 

 The growth of sugar-cane is quite successful, 

 57,687 acres being under this crop in 1884. 

 There was a sugar-crop in 1886 of over 50,000 

 tons. A rise in the price of wool helped great- 

 ly to revive languishing trade in Queensland, 

 as well as in the other colonies. 



The gold product of 1884 was 4,529,280 

 ounces, valued at 15,852,480. 



At the end of 1884 there were 1,207 miles of 

 railway open for traffic, and 746 miles more in 

 course of construction. The railways are in 

 the hands of the Government, and the cost of 

 construction, up to the end of 1884, was 8,- 

 631,835. The revenue from railways during 

 1884 was 630,631, and the expenditure in 

 working them 357,535. 



The post-office of the colony in 1884 carried 

 8,929,835 letters, 7,502,759 newspapers, and 

 807,177 packets. 



There were, at the end of 1884, 6,979 miles 

 of telegraph lines, and 11,300 miles of wire. 

 The number of messages sent in 1884 was 

 1,012,255. The receipts were 77,118, and 

 the working expenses 85,297. 



The Militia. Under the defense act of 1885 a 

 very complete system of territorial militia has 

 been organized on a plan drawn up by Col. 

 French, who formerly served in the North- 

 west Provinces of Canada. All the male in- 

 habitants capable of bearing arms, excepting 

 only sons of widows, may be called out in four 

 classes. In the first line come unmarried men 

 and widowers, without children, between the 



