58 



AUSTRALASIA. 



The ionulation of Fiji, consisting of 66,571 males 

 and 53,029 females, comprises 3.21)2 Europeans, 1,201 

 half-castes, 10,433 East Indians, ^,:J10 Polynesians, 

 2 156 Rotumans, 100,321 Fijians, and 787 others. 

 The native Fijians at the present rate of decrease 

 will become extinct within a century. Their chil- 

 dren are instructed by Wesleyan missionaries with- 

 out Government aid. 



The vital statistics of the several colonies for 1896 

 were as follow : 



Net emigration. 



t Decrease. 



The Chinese are gradually leaving Australia in 

 consequence of the poll tax of 100 levied on their 

 immigrants. In 1896 the arrivals in New South 

 Wales were 99 and the departures 450 ; in Queens- 

 land 395 immigrated and 397 returned to China; in 

 Victoria there were 9,377 in 1891. and the number 

 has rapidly diminished since. 



Finances. The budgets of the several colonies 

 and the state of their debts for the fiscal year end- 

 ing June 30, 1897, in New South Wales. Victoria, 

 Queensland, and South Australia, and March 31, 

 1897, in Western Australia, Tasmania. New Zealand, 

 and Fiji are shown in the following table : 



Of the revenue of New South Wales 2,458,069 

 came from taxation, 1,953.348 from public lands, 

 .4,599,706 from public services, and 298,146 from 

 miscellaneous sources. Of the total expenditure 

 1,832,418 went to railways and tramways, 707,073 

 to posts and telegraphs. 2,285,100 to the service of 

 the public debt, 738,546 to public instruction, and 

 3,767.422 to other public works and services. The 

 average rate of interest on the debt is 3.71 per cent., 

 including the new loan of 4,000,000 raised in 

 October, 1895. Over four fifths of the debt was 

 expended on the construction of railroads, tele- 

 graphs, waterworks, and sewerage, from which a 

 net return of 3.15 per cent, is obtained. 



Of the revenue of Victoria 1,733,672 came from 

 customs, which average 13 percent, on all imports- 

 from excise, 287,060; from the land tax. 127,178; 

 from estate duties, 148,432; from the bank- 

 note duty, 19,317; from stamps. 162,500; from 

 business licenses. IM7.37H; from tmmaire dues, etc., 

 17,413; from the income tax. 108.088; from rail- 

 ways, f'2,394,475; from posts and telegraphs, 516,- 

 ">r,t; : from Crown lands, 411,407; from other 

 sources. 445,165. Of the expenditures 1,893.363 

 went for interest and expenses of the debt, 1,418.- 

 3 for working expenses of the railways, 279,680 

 for other public works, 588,575 for posts and tele- 

 graphs, 160,241 for Crown land>. 17)71.036 for pub- 

 lic instruction and the encouragement of science, 

 1.726 for charitable institutions. 154,155 for 

 courts of law, 244,054 for police and jails, 94,039 



for customs, harbors, etc., 52,620 for mining, 168,- 

 575 for defenses, and 659,625 for other purposes. 



In Queensland 1,1 99,187 of the re venue came from 

 customs, 71,676 from excise and export duties, 

 114,929 from the stamp duty, 57,318 from li- 

 censes, 57,234 from the dividend duty, 343,540 

 from pastoral rents, 170,899 from other rents and 

 sales, 239,335 from posts and telegraphs, and 1,- 

 136,861 from railways. The Government still owns 

 97 per cent, of the total land in the colony, and for 

 the portion already alienated has received 7,725,- 

 000, about 22 per cent, of the present assessed value. 

 The principal branches of expenditure in 1897 were 

 1,263,659 for interest on the debt, 62,858 for en- 

 dowments to municipalities and divisions, 232,733 

 for public instruction, 169,040 for the colonial 

 Treasurer's department, 58.893 for the Secretary 

 of Public Lands, 24,033 for the Agricultural De- 

 partment, 682,646 for operating railroads, and 

 309,839 for posts and telegraphs. The sum of 

 1,148,341 was expended from loans, mostly for 

 railroads and other public works. 



Customs yielded 996,812 of the revenue of West- 

 ern Australia in 1896, while the rest was derived 

 mainly from railroads, the postal service, and leases 

 of Crown lands. The income and expenditure have 

 increased nearly threefold in two years. 



Of the revenue of Tasmania 59 per cent, is de- 

 rived from customs duties and taxes, 32 per cent, 

 from railroads, telegraphs, and other services, and 9 

 per cent, from rents and sales of land ; of the ex- 

 penditure the public works consume 31 per cent, 

 and interest on the debt 44 per cent. The customs 

 revenue amounts to 27'6 per cent, of the total value 

 of imports. 



Of the New Zealand revenue 1,818,972 were 

 raised by customs duties, 730,237 by stamps, in- 

 cluding postage and telegraph receipts, 1,287,140 

 came from railways, 105,504 from the land tax, 

 and 109,521 from sales of land. The chief branches 

 of expenditure were 1.709.469 for the public debt, 

 776.748 for railways, 461,582 for education, 352,- 

 386 for the postal and telegraph service, and 189,- 

 143 for the constabulary and defense. 



In Fiji half the revenue is raised by customs du- 

 ties, and over a quarter by native taxes, and of the 

 expenditure more than half is paid in salaries. 



Commerce and Production. The following 

 table shows the foreign and intercolonial trade of 

 the several colonies for 1896 : 



New South Wales collected import duties in 1896 

 amounting to 1,406,969, an average of 6.84 per 

 cent, on all imports. The export of wool was 306,- 

 824,358 pounds, valued at 9.897.332. Other exports 

 were coal for 900,264. preserved and fro/en meat 

 for 605,973. tallow for 509,606. and hides and 

 skins for 038,398. The export of gold coin was 

 3,602,986. The production of gold for the year 

 was 296,072 ounces, valued at 1,073.360. The value 

 of silver-lead ore and metal raised was 1,758,933; 

 of copper. 197,814; of tin, 126.000; of coal, 1,- 

 125,281. Of the total imports 7,190,115 came from 

 ( ! reat Britain, 9.559,860 from Australasian colonies, 

 625,164 from other British possessions, 1,729.871 

 from the United States, and 1,456,500 from other 

 foreign countries. Of the total exports 8.375,883 

 went to Great Britain, 8,374,826 to Australasian 



