AUSTRALASIA. 

 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



POPULATION. 



Population considered, the consumption of paper in New South 

 Wales must equal that of any country on the globe. 



Approximately, there is a population of 1,250,000 in this colony, 

 and, as the people are purely white and almost purely "British," 

 they have a fairly liberal public-school system ; further, as the 

 country is new, wealthy, and progressive, the people are almost 

 universally educated. 



PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. 



This is indeed a country of books and newspapers, and the aver- 

 age citizen is a voracious reader. There are no special requirements 

 as to weight, quality, etc., as in this matter this colony might be 

 safely compared to one of our States of like population. 



While the people are industrious and ingenious and readily adapt 

 themselves to mechanical trades and manufactures, the meagerness 

 of the population will not justify the building and equipment of 

 factories suitable for turning out the many classes and varieties of 

 paper used. There are but two paper factories in this colony, with 

 a total output of about 700 tons per annum. The product is only 

 wrapping paper of rather common grade, and the material used is 

 waste paper, with a limited quantity of rags and jute. The price, 

 wholesale, is from ^11 to .13, or, approximately, $55 to $65 per 

 ton. I doubt if these paper mills are prosperous. 



Paper can not be manufactured cheaply in this country ; for, while 

 fuel is reasonable in price, there is no water power and practically 

 no material, save waste paper and a very limited supply of rags. 

 Railway transportation and labor are high, and skilled labor is 

 scarce at any price. 



There are 12 daily newspapers published in New South Wales, 

 at least 2 of which claim over 50,000 daily circulation; then there 

 are 229 weeklies and 45 monthly publications. 



Considering the population and the number of publications, the 

 size of the newspapers in New South Wales surprises every ob- 

 servant American at all acquainted with such affairs. The weekly 

 journal, with colored cover and from forty to sixty i2-by-i8-inch 

 pages, is not unusual. The enterprise of business men in advertising 



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