46 



AUSTRALASIA. 



ducing besides other crops 2,768,330 bushels 

 of wheat, 4,235,163 bushels of Indian corn, 

 41,359,360 pounds of sugar, and 555,470 gal- 

 lons of wine. The next most important ex- 

 ports after wool were coal of the value of 

 966,663, and tin of the value of 728,969. 

 The gold product in 1885 was 366,388. 



The length of the state railroads in 1885 was 

 1,732 miles. Their capital cost was 24,962,- 

 972, the earnings for the year 2,174,368, and 

 the expenses 1,458,153. There were 19,864 

 miles of telegraph-wires. The number of paid 

 messages was 2,625,992. The post-office trans- 

 mitted 39,351,200 letters. 



The public revenue in 1885 was 7,588,656 ; 

 the expenditure, 7,544,594; the debt on Dec. 

 31, 1886, 41,064,259. 



In the beginning of 1887 a difference on 

 financial questions arose in th% Cabinet, and 

 the Premier, Sir Patrick Jennings, taking ex- 

 ceptions to certain statements of the colonial 

 secretary, G. R. Dibbs, in connection with the 

 deficit of 1880, requested the latter to resign. 

 On his refusing, the entire ministry tendered 

 their resignations on January 10. After sev- 

 eral conferences with the Governor, a new min- 

 istry was formed under Sir Henry Parkes, who, 

 in explaining his policy to the Legislative As- 

 sembly, announced that the Government would 

 revert to the principle of pure free trade, and 

 undertake a thorough reformation of the dis- 

 organized finances of the colony, stating that 

 they would endeavor to obtain a larger reve- 

 nue from lands, better management of the rail- 

 roads, retrenchment in the civil service, and, 

 if necessary, would resort to an equitable prop- 

 erty tax. With this programme they appealed 

 to the electorate, and obtained a working ma- 

 jority in a new parliament. In the financial 

 statement the colonial treasurer proposed the 

 repeal of the customs act of the last session, 

 and announced a new tariff limited to twenty- 

 four articles selected for revenue purposes only, 

 including higher rates on spirits and an excise 

 duty on domestic ales. With no other new tax- 

 es, the ministry expected an increased revenue, 

 which, with the aid of savings, would enable 

 them to extinguish the accumulated deficits, 

 amounting to 2,600,000, within eight years. 

 The estimates showed a reduction of 450,000 

 on the appropriations of 1886, and the ministry 

 expected a surplus of 800,000 at the end of 

 the year. There were some stormy sittings 

 during the debates, and on May 21 a continu- 

 ous session of forty-eight hours was ended by 

 the application of the cloture. A bill was passed 

 for protecting the colony from the influx of for- 

 eign criminals whose sentences have expired, 

 containing, among other stringent provisions, 

 one making persons who harbor such criminals 

 liable to a year's imprisonment, and empower- 

 ing the Governor to proclaim foreign penal set- 

 tlements. Vessels bringing time-expired con- 

 victs are liable to forfeiture, and their captains 

 to a sentence of five years in the penitentiary. 



Victoria. The legislative power is vested in 



the Legislative Council, composed of eighty- 

 six members, elected under property and edu- 

 cational limitations, and the Legislative Assem- 

 bly, elected by universal suffrage. The Gov- 

 ernor is Sir Henry Brougham Loch, who as- 

 sumed the government on July 15, 1884. The 

 Cabinet is made up as follows: Premier, 

 Minister of Mines and of Railways, Sir Duncan 

 Gillies; Chief Secretary and Commissioner of 

 Water-Supply, Alfred Deakin ; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, H. J. Wrixon; Commissioner of Public 

 Works, J. Nimmo; Minister of Justice, Henry 

 Cuthbert; Commissioner of Trade and Cus- 

 toms, W. F. Walker ; Commissioner of Lands 

 and Survey, J. L. Dow ; Minister of Public 

 Instruction, Charles H. Pearson; Minister of 

 Defense, James Lorimer ; Postmaster-General, 

 F. T. Derham ; Ministers without office, M. H. 

 Davies and James Bell. 



The area of Victoria is 87,884 square miles. 

 The population was estimated on June 30, 

 1886. at 1,009,753, comprising 541,015 males 

 and 468,738 females. The number of births in 

 1885 was 29,975; of deaths, 14,360; of mar- 

 riages, 7,395. The capital city, Melbourne, 

 had in 1886 about 365,000 inhabitants. The 

 population was divided in respect to religion 

 in 1885 into 852,087 Episcopalians, 149,849 

 Presbyterians, 122,504 Methodists, 74,689 other 

 Protestants, 229,917 Roman Catholics, 4,894 

 Jews, 11,000 Pagans, and 30,100 others. There 

 were in 1885 1,826 state schools, with 224,685 

 enrolled pupils, and 3,650 teachers. The im- 

 migration by sea in 1885 was 76,976, and the 

 emigration 61,994. 



The total value of the imports in 1885 was 

 18,044,604, and of the exports, 15,551,758. 

 The export of wool was valued at 5,028,011 ; 

 of gold and specie, 4,309,535 ; of live-stock, 

 900,801; of breadstuffs, 772,432. Of the 

 wool export, amounting to 106,078,932 Ibs., 

 only about one half was the produce of the 

 colony. The quantity of gold produced in 

 1885 was 735,218 ounces, valued at 2,940,872. 

 There were 2,405,157 acres in cultivation in 

 March, 1886, of which 215,994 were under 

 wheat. The wheat-product was 9,170,538 

 bushels, or 9 bushels to the acre. The number 

 of sheep in the colony was 10,681,837 in 1886 ; 

 of cattle, 1,290,790 head. 



The government railroad system had in June, 

 1886, a total length of 1,743 miles, besides 267 

 miles in process of construction. There were 

 3,949 miles of telegraph lines and 9,617 miles 

 of wire at the close of 1885. The gross rail- 

 way receipts in 1885 -'86 were 2,329,126, and 

 the net receipts 1,018,589, being a profit of 

 4*36 per 'cent, on the capital investment of 

 23,380,000, all but 2,400,000 of which was 

 raised by loans. The number of letters for- 

 warded in 1885 was 36,061,880 ; of telegraph 

 dispatches in 1884, 1,594,296. The revenue 

 from telegraphs in 1885 was 87,802. A par- 

 cel post was introduced in 1887. 



The receipts of the treasury in the year 

 ended June 30, 1886, were 6,416,405 ; the 



