AUSTRALIA, COMMONWEALTH OF. 



45 



Near the coast rains have fallen during all this 

 period, but in the northwestern parts of New 

 South Wales and the interior districts of other 

 colonies there are great tracts rented to squat- 

 ters who have not a single animal left of their 

 flocks and herds. It is estimated that Australia 

 has lost up to 1902 over 30,000,000 sheep from 

 drought, and cattle and horses in proportion. 



Navigation. The number of vessels entered 

 at the ports of New South Wales during 1900 

 was 3,626, of 4,094,088 tons, of which 3,248, of 

 3,487,968 tons, were British and 378, of 606,120 

 tons, were foreign. The total number cleared 

 was 3,406, of 3,920,801 tons, of which 3,060, of 

 3,358,524 tons, were British and 346, of 562,277 

 tons, were foreign. The shipping registered in 

 the state comprised 509 sailing vessels, of 57,982 

 tons, and 499 steamers, of 73,801 tons. During 

 1900 there were registered 31 new sailing vessels, 

 of 4,289 tons, and 23 steamers, of 10,445 tons. 



The number of vessels entered at Victorian 

 ports in the course of 1900 was 2,101, of 2,929,389 

 tons, and there were cleared 2,134 vessels, of 

 2,944,192 tons. Of those entered 748, of 360,814 

 tons, were British, and 1,189, of 1,194,484 tons, 

 colonial, and of the total number cleared 807, of 

 1,470,710 tons, were British and 1,159, of 1,093,- 

 892 tons, colonial. 



The number of vessels entered at Queensland 

 ports was 713, of 835,355 tons, of which 54, of 

 85.470 tons, were entered from British ports and 

 457, of 557,669 tons, from colonial ports ; cleared, 

 716 vessels, of 819,662 tons, of which 45, of 116,- 

 993 tons, were cleared for British and 433, of 

 482,142 tons, for Australasian ports. The mer- 

 chant shipping of Queensland consisted in 1900 of 

 155 sailing vessels, of 10,285 tons, and 93 steam- 

 ers, of 10,798 tons. 



At the ports of South Australia 1,010 vessels, 

 of 1,780,383 tons, were entered and 1,003, of 

 1.772,253 tons, cleared during 1900. The shipping 

 of this state comprised 216 sailing vessels, of 

 19,140 tons, and 107 steamers, of 26,945 tons. 



There were 769 vessels, of 1,625,696 tons, en- 

 tered and 747, of 1,606,332 tons, cleared,- at West- 

 ern Australian ports during 1900. The number 

 of sailing vessels registered in Western Australia 

 was 150, of 7,268 tons; of steamers, 29, of 5,249 

 tons. 



At Tasmanian ports 741 vessels, of 618,963 

 tons, were entered and 743, of 613,955 tons, were 

 cleared during 1900. The shipping registered in 

 Tasmania consisted of 157 sailing vessels, of 

 8,983 tons, and 47 steamers, of 6,800 tons. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. New 

 South Wales on June 30, 1900, had 2.811 miles of 

 Government railroads, built at a cost of 38,477,- 

 269. The gross earnings for the year were 

 3,163,572, and the operating expenses were 

 1,769,520, 55.93 per cent, of the gross earnings. 

 There were 71 miles of Government tramways, 

 which cost 1,769,520; gross earnings, 409,- 

 724; operating expenses, 341,127, being 83.26 

 per cent, of the gross earnings. 



In Victoria the railroads, all of which belong 

 to the Government, had a total length on July 

 1, 1900, of 3,218 miles, built at a cost of 39,- 

 496,247, which was raised by loans, except 

 2,803,740 provided out of revenue. The gross 

 earnings in the fiscal year 1900 were 3,025,162, 

 and the expenses were 1,902,540, being 62 per 

 cent, of the receipts, leaving a profit of 2.86 per 

 cent, on the capital expended and 3.06 on the 

 borrowed capital, on which the mean rate of in- 

 terest is 3.86 per cent. The total deficiency be- 

 tween interest and net earnings has from the be- 

 ginning amounted to about 9,000,000. The num- 



ber of passengers in 1900 was 49,332,899; tons of 

 freight carried, 2,998,303. 



On Jan. 1, 1901, the length of completed rail- 

 roads in Queensland was 2,801 miles. The Gov- 

 ernment has expended in construction 19,526,- 

 370. The receipts in 1900 wore 1,312,856, and 

 operating expenses were 1,034,880. The total 

 capital expenditure was 21,335,071. 



South Australia had 1,883 miles of completed 

 railroads on Jan. 1, 1900, of which 146 miles were 

 in the northern territory. The net earnings aver- 

 age 3 per cent, on the capital. The projected 

 transcontinental line from Adelaide to Port Dar- 

 win will have a length of 1,896 miles. 



The railroads completed in Western Australia 

 on July 1, 1901, had a total length of 1,978 miles, 

 of which .623 miles belonged to companies. 



The length of railroads completed in Tasmania 

 up to Dec. 31, 1900, was 594 miles. 



The New South Wales post-office in 1900 han- 

 dled 78,129,384 letters, 1,473,410 postal cards, 

 51,500,920 newspapers, 13,846.737 packets, and 

 711-,717 parcels, and issued 435,768 money-orders, 

 for the aggregate amount of 1,541,535, and pos- 

 tal notes for 488,484. 



The postal traffic of Queensland was 22,681,798 

 letters, 12,091.809 newspapers, 6,518,215 packets, 

 and 284,154 parcels; revenue, 314,840. 



The mails in South Australia carried 20.387,- 

 301 letters, 9,956,351 newspapers, and 1,386,624 

 parcels. 



The number of letters forwarded through the 

 post-office of Western Australia during 1900 was 

 13,162,358; newspapers, 6,992,278; packets, 3,449,- 

 779. 



In Tasmania 10,590,454 letters, 6,636,880 news- 

 papers, 317,411 postal cards, and 1,899,870 pack- 

 ets passed through the post-office in 1900; re- 

 ceipts, 84,539; expenses of postal and telegraph 

 service, 99,864. 



The length of telegraph-lines in New South 

 Wales on Jan. 1, 1901, was 14,065 miles, with 

 41,494 miles of wire. The cost of construction 

 was 1,132,626. The number of telegrams sent 

 in 1900 was 3,219,907. Receipts were 518,401, 

 and the net earnings were 174,895. 



In Victoria there were 6,772 miles of tele- 

 graphs, with 15,533 miles of wire. The number 

 of messages in 1900 was 1,906,506; net revenue, 

 110,353. There were 16,748 miles of telephone 

 wires and 5,136 subscribers. 



The length of telegraph-lines in Queensland on 

 Dec. 31, 1900, was 10,221, with 19,308 miles of 

 wire. The number of messages during 1900 was 

 1,231,155, not including 132,992 official messages 

 and 194,136 foreign messages received; receipts 

 were 104,441, and the postal and telegraph ex- 

 penses were 370.17"). 



South Australia had 5,742 miles of telegraph 

 and telephone lines on Jan. 1, 1901, with 17.543 

 miles of wire, including the line of 2,000 miles 

 across the continent connecting Adelaide with the 

 British Australian cable at Port Darwin. The 

 Government derives a net profit from the tele- 

 graphs. 



Western Australia had 6,052 miles of telegraph- 

 line, with 8.872 miles of wire, on Jan. 1, 1901. 

 The number of messages sent during 1900 \va- 

 1,167,197 ; net revenue, 75.014 ; expenses of 

 posts and telegraphs, 248.S77. 



The telegraphs of Tasmania had a length of 

 2,090 miles, with 3.793 miles of wire, besides 438 

 miles of cable on Jan. 1, 1901. The number of 

 despatches in 1900 was 255.793. There were 

 1,193 miles of telephone wire; receipts from tele- 

 graphs and telephones, 22,819. 



The New Zealand section of the British Pacific 



