AUSTRALASIA. 



59 



was 29,457,134. Queensland adopted in 1892 a 

 new system of estate duties, which range from 

 2 per' cent, on property under 1,000 to 10 per 

 cent, on legacies or inheritances exceeding 

 10,000. 



The Government has taken in from sales of 

 land, amounting to 11,033,887 acres already 

 alienated and 2,470,750 in process of alienation, 

 the sum of 6.967,010, and still owns 414,333,943 

 acres, of which 277,298,853 are leased to 4,222 

 sheep growers. Half the total area of the colony 

 is forest. The live stock in 1892 consisted of 

 21,708,310 sheep, 6,591,416 cattle, 422,769 horses, 

 and 116,930 hogs. The cultivated area was 260,- 

 828 acres, of which 92,172 were under Indian 

 corn and 55,520 under sugar cane. The coal 

 produced in 1892 was valued at 123,308 ; tin, 

 123,098 ; silver and lead, 36,436. There are 

 also mines of copper, bismuth, and antimony ; 

 but the principal mineral product is gold, the 

 yield of which has increased from 307,808 ounces 

 in 1884 to 615,558 in 1892. 



The imports in 1892 were valued at 4,382,- 

 657, and the exports at 9,170,408. The tariff 

 averages over 25 per cent, on all imports. The 

 chief exports in 1892 were the following : Gold, 

 2,072,870; sugar, 589,753; wool, 426,247; 

 frozen meat, 276,113 ; hides and skins, 252,- 

 330 ; tallow, 252,308. 



The registered shipping in 1893 consisted of 

 209 vessels, of 23,173 tons, of which 93, of 12,667 

 tons, were steamers. The entrances at the ports ' 

 in 1892 numbered 566 ; tonnage 490.869. 



The railroads in the beginning of 1893 had a 

 total length of 2,353 miles, on which the Gov- 

 ernment had expended 16,258,993. The post 

 office in 1892 forwarded 15,779,569 letters, 11,405- 



number of messages transmitted in 1892 was 

 905,124, exclusive of 109,871 foreign and 89,316 

 official messages. 



The Queensland Parliament, which was opened 

 on July 17, 1894, was occupied chiefly with a 

 project for facilitating settlement on the land, 

 especially with a view to the men employed in 

 pastoral and agricultural industries acquiring 

 residential holdings. The Labor party increased 

 the number of its members to 18 in the by- 

 elections. 



South Australia. The Legislative Council 

 is composed of 24 members elected by restricted 

 household suffrage, one third retiring every three 

 years. The House of Assembly has 54 members, 

 elected by universal suffrage in 27 districts. 

 Members of both houses receive 200 per an- 

 num and free transportation. The Earl of Kin- 

 tore has been Governor since April 11, 1889. 

 The ministers at the beginning of 1894 were as 

 follow : Chief Secretary, J. H. Gordon ; Premier 

 and Attorney-General,' C. C. Kingston; Treas- 

 urer, T. Playford ; Commissioner of Lands, 

 P. P. Gillen; Commissioner of Public Works, 

 F. W. Holder; Minister of Education and Agri- 

 culture, J. A. Cockburn. 



The area of the colony is estimated at 903,690 

 square miles. The population in 1891 was 320,- 

 431 persons, of whom 136,776 resided in Adelaide, 

 the capital. There were 3.848 Chinese and 3,369 

 aborigines living in settled districts. The num- 



ber of marriages in 1892 was 2,119; of births, 

 10,544; of deaths, 3,711 ; surplus of births, 6,833. 

 The net immigration was 1,189. 



The revenue for 1893 was 2,459,905, and the 

 expenditure 2,660,993. The revenue is ob- 

 tained from customs, excise, public works, and 

 land sales, and is expended mainly in operating 

 the railroads, etc., and in paying the interest on 

 the public debt, which amounted at the end of 

 1892 to 21,230,700. The railroads, water works, 

 and telegraphs, for which 75 per cent, of the 

 debt was incurred, bring in more than the inter- 

 est. The succession tax enacted in 1893 is 3 per 

 cent, on inheritances between 1,000 and 2.000 

 passing in direct line or between consorts, and is 

 graduated up to 10 per cent, on estates of 200,- 

 000. Collateral inheritances pay higher rates 

 than direct successions on smaller amounts, and 

 10 per cent, on all over 20,000. The mineral 

 products are copper and silver. Of the former, 

 132,040 worth was produced in 1892, besides 

 43,485 worth of ore. Since the opening of the 

 rich mine at Kapunda station still more valuable 

 deposits of ore have been discovered at Moonta 

 and Wallaroo. The agricultural resources of 

 the colony are much greater than was formerly 

 supposed. Many of the rivers that flow into 

 the Gulf of Carpentaria are bordered by alluvial 

 flats that are suitable for sugar and cotton 

 planting. The interior, which was once believed 

 to be absolutely sterile, contains many sections 

 capable of pasturing stock. In South Australia 

 was first introduced the Torrens system of state 

 registration and insurance of land titles, after- 

 ward adopted by other colonies. 



Out of a total area of 578,361,600 acres only 

 9,115,158 acres have been alienated. There were 

 2,625,741 acres under cultivation in 1893, of 

 which 1,520,580 were under wheat, yielding 

 9,240,108 bushels. The wine crop was 594.038 

 gallons. The live stock numbered 7.152,047 

 sheep, 411,793 cattle, and 186,726 horses. The 

 mineral product, chiefly copper and silver, was 

 valued at 204,418 in 1892. 



The total value of imports for 1892 was 

 7,395,178, and of exports 7,819,539. The ex- 

 ports of wool were 1,954,403 in value ; of 

 wheat, 326,613 ; of flour, 599,022. 



The colony has 305 vessels, of 39,761 tons, 

 of which 90. of 15,852 tons, are steamers. There 

 were 1,006 vessels, of 1,202,268 tons, entered in 

 1892. The railroads at the beginning of 1893 

 had a length of 1,810 miles. There were 5,493 

 miles of telegraphs and telephones, with 12,911 

 miles of wire. The post office in 1892 forward- 

 ed 17,409,769 letters, 8,733,718 newspapers, and 

 1,297,327 packets. 



The Government by effecting economies se- 

 cured a small surplus in the accounts for 1893- 

 '94. There were 600 employees discharged in 

 the railroads and other establishments, but these 

 were settled on the land. The system of village 

 settlements has recently been introduced. T. 

 Playford, on being appointed Agent-General in 

 London in April, 1894, was succeeded as Treas- 

 urer by F. W. Holder, who was replaced as Com- 

 missioner of Public Works by J. J. Jenkins. 

 Parliament, which met June 7, considered a 

 taxation bill, a plan for establishing an irriga- 

 tion colony, and bills for issuing treasury notes 

 and the control of savings banks. 



