46 



AUSTRALASIA. 



926,000. The deficiency in the public revenue, 

 which six years ago amounted to 455,000, will 

 probably be extinguished by 1901. 



New Zealand. The Legislative Council has 

 48 members, appointed formerly for life but since 

 1891 for seven years. The House of Representa- 

 tives consists of 74 members, of whom 4 are 

 Maoris, elected for three years by the suffrage of 

 adult persons of both sexes who have resided a 

 year in the colony. There were 339,230 registered 

 electors in 1896, 'of whom 196,925 were men and 

 14-J.305 women. The Governor is the Earl of 

 Ranfurly. The ministry was composed at the 

 beginning of 1900 of the following members: 

 I'rt'inier. Colonial Treasurer, Commissioner of 

 Trade and Customs, Minister of Labor, and Min- 

 ister of Defense, R. J. Seldon; Minister of Lands, 

 Commissioner of Forests, and Minister in Charge 

 of the Advances to Settlers Office, J. Mackenzie; 

 Commissioner of Stamp Duties and Minister of 

 Native Affairs, J. Carroll; Minister of Immigra- 

 tion, Minister of Education, and Minister in 

 Charge of Hospitals and Charitable Aid, W. C. 

 Walker: Minister of Public Works, Minister of 

 Marine, and Minister in Charge of Printing Office, 

 W. Hall-Jones; Minister of Justice, J. Thompson; 

 Minister of Mines, A. J. Cadman; Colonial Secre- 

 tary, Postmaster-General, Telegraph Commission- 

 er, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Indus- 

 tries and Commerce, J. G. Ward. On Jan. 25 

 Mr. Thompson and Mr. Cadman retired and James 

 McGovern took both their portfolios. 



The session of Parliament began on June 22. 

 The general prosperity of the colony and the in- 

 creasing volume of its exports are attributed to 

 the policy of securing the acquisition of lands for 

 close settlement more than to any other cause. 

 The colonies of Australia are adopting the same 

 policy. The granting of pensions to deserving 

 aged persons is pronounced by the Government so 

 great a boon to old colonists requiring assistance 

 that there is no intention of repealing the law. 

 The buoyancy of trade has added largely to the 

 revenue raised by indirect taxation, but the min- 

 isters deem it advisable to reduce the customs 

 duties levied on necessaries of life. W T ith in- 

 creased revenues New Zealand is able to under- 

 take military expenditure on an unprecedented 

 scale. By such activity it is sought to impress the 

 mother country with its ability to aid in extend- 

 ing the British flag over the unclaimed islands 

 in the Pacific, and perhaps to take some of them 

 into its own jurisdiction. The New Zealand con- 

 tingent was the first of the colonial forces to 

 arrive in South Africa. Four other bodies of 

 trodps were sent, making in all the largest con- 

 tribution in proportion to population of any of 

 the British colonies. To meet the cost of these 

 contingents and of others measures designed to 

 place the defenses on a safer and more satisfactory 

 footing a large increase in the vote for defense 

 was necessary. The establishment of a fully 

 equipped reserve force for imperial and colonial 

 pur]K)ses was proposed to the Imperial Govern- 

 ment. Mining in New Zealand is more active 

 than it has been for a long time. The largest 

 yield of gold in a quarter of a century was ob- 

 tained in 1H99. The output of the coal mines is 

 also increasing. The improvement in machinery 

 for alluvial mining has been the means of giving 

 employment to a large number of men. On July 3 

 J. Mackenzie resigned the Ministry of Lands and 

 .Vjriciiltnic. lie was succeeded by Thomas Dun- 

 can. The Premier and Colonial Treasurer an- 

 nounced a surplus for 1900 of 605,000, exceeding 

 all previous records. The revenue amounted to 

 5,700,000, not including a balance of 45,000 



from the previous year, and expenditure was 

 5,140,000. Customs exceeded the estimate by 

 127,000, railroads by 146,000, stamps by 

 61,200, and territorial revenue by 24,200. 

 Large areas of land were acquired for settlement 

 during the year at a cost of 370,000, and 

 100,000 had been loaned to public bodies. The 

 land tax produced 294,000 and the income tax 

 128,000. The public debt increased 900,000 

 during the year, but two thirds of this yields 

 interest, making it no burden on the taxpayers. 

 The expenditures for 1901 were estimated at 

 5,441,000. Of the excess of 301,000 over ex- 

 penditures for the preceding year 95,000 were 

 required to pay for the troops in South Africa. 

 The cost of equipping the defense forces and 

 volunteers also largely increased the expenditure. 

 To extend the public schools into outlying dis- 

 tricts and to establish a system of technical edu- 

 cation it w T as necessary to augment the vote for 

 educational purposes, which would be 462,000. 

 The sum of 140,000 was required for surveys 

 in connection with the close settlement of lands. 

 Notwithstanding the large expenditures it was 

 decided to reduce the customs duties by making 

 mining, agricultural, dairy, and dredging ma- 

 chinery, engines, and boilers free, involving the 

 sacrifice of 157,000. Penny postage within and 

 without the colony was voted, to begin on Jan. 1, 

 1901, entailing a loss of 80,000 in revenue. 

 Concessions in freight and passenger rates on the 

 railroads cost 70,000 more. 



Fiji. The Fiji Islands, which have been a 

 British possession since 1874, are administered by 

 a Governor, who is also High Commissioner and 

 Consul General for the Western Pacific. Sir G. 

 T. M. O'Brien holds the office at present. The 

 Legislative Council is composed of the 6 principal 

 officials and 6 other members appointed by the 

 Crown. Five of the provinces into which the 

 colony is divided have European commissioners 

 and 12 others are left in charge of the native 

 chiefs. 



British. New Guinea. The southeastern part 

 of the island of New Guinea, with the D'Entre- 

 casteaux and Louisiade groups, was proclaimed a 

 British possession after the Germans had occupied 

 the northeastern part. Queensland guaranteed 

 15,000 a year to pay the cost of administration, 

 and subsequently New South Wales and Victoria 

 agreed to share the expense. The Lieutenant 

 Governor, who administers the Government, is 

 George Ruthven Le Hunte. The revenue, derived 

 mostly from customs, was 10,300 in 1898. For 

 1900 the revenue was estimated at 12,500 and 

 expenditure at 27.000. The area under British 

 rule is about 90,540 square miles, with 350,000 

 inhabitants. There are 250 European traders and 

 missionaries, besides 300 or more gold miners, on 

 the Louisiade Islands, Woodlark island, and the 

 mainland. The value of the imports in 1898 was 

 46,971. They consist of food and tobacco, cloth, 

 and hardware. Copra gathered by the natives 

 from natural cocoanut groves, trepang, pearls, 

 pearl shells, sandal wood, and gold are exported. 

 The total value of the exports in 1898 was 

 49,859. Gums, rattan, ebony, and other cab- 

 inet woods and the cocoanut and sago palms are 

 abundant. The acquisition of land by whites was 

 not permitted until in September. 189i), the British 

 Government made arrangements to grant large 

 tracts to a syndicate, which proposed to sell to 

 settlers at 2s. Gd. an acre for agricultural, and 

 l.s. for pastoral, Ismd. The colonial governments 

 objected strongly to this grant, and the arrange- 

 ment was consequently made conditional on their 

 approval. 



; 



