Vol. VIII. No. 85. 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
[January, 1902.] 17 
Large areas of the country were soon pegged out under the Mining Laws, which permitted 
such, in blocks of not more than 24 acres, at an annual rental to the Government of £1 
per acre. 
On this wave had come the ubiquitous company promoter, and the mining expert from 
London. Good properties were discovered, although many of them had been retarded in 
their produce by over-capitalization, while some mines, placed in London and elsewhere, 
had never had an ounce of gold in them. People had thus lost their money and anathe- 
matized the country, although it really possessed great wealth and was capable, under fair 
and economic treatment, of yielding profitable returns to those who invested their money 
there in the gold-mining industry. 
In the year following the discovery of the Coolgardie goldfields those of Kargoorlie, 
23 miles further east, commenced their existence. The Kalgoorlie group of mines — the 
Golden Mile — had proved itself to be the richest known spot on earth. At the present time 
Kalgoorlie was as up-to-date a town as any of its size in the world, and possessed fine 
buildings, well-laid-out streets, excellent hotels, and all the comforts of civilization ; besides 
being connected, by an excellent train service, with the capital, Perth. 
The value of the gold already extracted from the mines in this neighbourhood was over 
£ r 2,000,000, the value of the machinery employed was estimated at over £ 1,000,000, and 
during last year dividends to the amount of £1,167,441 had been paid. These mines, which 
employed nearly 8,000 men and were responsible for a population of from 30,000 to 40,000, 
at depth continued to prove their richness, although the ores beneath the oxidised zone were 
more difficult of treatment. The processes of dealing with the sulphide ores were being 
gradually perfected, and splendid ore reduction plants had been erected. The Government 
Geologist, who had recently made a geological survey of the main Kalgoorlie belt, had stated 
that, geologically, there was nothing to prevent the lodes within the “ Golden Mile ” going 
down to any depth that man had ever mined. 
Reference was made to several other districts where discoveries had been made, and 
auriferous country in various parts of Western Australia was now being prospected and in 
many cases payable mines opened up. Most of the holdings embraced in the large area of 
nearly 40,000 acres under lease throughout the colony for gold-mining were at present in the 
hands of small men, who, for the most part, were making a living and awaiting that capital 
which was so necessary for successful mining. 
The country had produced, up to the present time, gold to the value of £28,000,000, 
and as yet the industry was only in its infancy. 
Besides gold the country was rich in tin, copper and coal. These minerals were found 
in several localities ; tin chiefly at Greenbushes in the south, and Marble Bar in the north ; 
copper in the Mount Margaret and West Pilbarra goldfields ; and coal at Collie, where the 
output for last year had been 1 18,000 tons, as against 54,000 tons for the previous year. 
The coal was being largely used on the railways and had proved also a valuable domestic 
fuel. 
The progress of mining had been the progress of Western Australia. The population 
was now nearly six times what it had been in 1885 ; the revenue then had been £323,000, 
while for the current year it was estimated at .£3,400,000. During the same period the 
value of the exports had increased from £446,692 to £6,852,059, and the imports from 
,£650,391 to £5,962,178. 
Although, however, Western Australia had achieved her present position mainly through 
the fascinating influence of gold, it must not be thought, said Mr. Lefroy, that her future 
was to depend upon it alone, as she possessed other and varied resources. Her forests, for 
instance, constituted a material asset of great magnitude, and covered an area of over 
twenty-four million acres, with a marketable timber said, a few years ago by a late Con- 
servator of Forests, to be worth no less a sum than £124,000,000 after deducting one-third 
for waste in sawing. 
The jarrah was the principal tree of the country, predominating in the extent of its 
forests and the various uses of its timber, the chief characteristic of which was adaptability 
for constructions necessitating contact with soil and water. The wood was practically 
indestructible and not attacked by the borings of the cheluria, teredo, or termite. Its 
resistance to white ants was remarkable, and houses built of it had been known to exist in 
perfect preservation for nearly 100 years. With age it became extremely hard and almost 
unworkable. When freshly cut its weight was a little over 70 lb. per cubic foot, but this 
lessened to 60 lb. when thoroughly seasoned. It was red in colour, comparatively easily 
worked when fresh, and polished splendidly. Some of the purposes for which it had been 
used were wood-blocking, piles, jetties, bridges, boat -building, posts, furniture and railway 
sleepers. Its remarkable suitability for piles, or any works requiring immersion in salt 01- 
fresh water, was well known in Western Australia. In the offiae of the Woods and Forests 
Department there were specimens obtained from piles and girders, which had been in use in 
local harbours and bridges for 60 years and were still perfectly sound and free from any sign 
of decay ; if anything, indeed, the timber seemed more durable and solid than freshly cut 
wood. There were also instances of railway sleepers which, although laid down 18 years ago, 
seemed as sound as ever, and the records of fence-posts having lasted long periods in the 
ground were numerous. 
The karri, the giant tree of Western Australia, and without doubt the finest and most 
graceful tree in the Australian continent, was the next most important commercial tree in Lhe 
country. It was almost always straight in growth, and towered skywards for great heights 
without having even the semblance of a branch. The tree grew very rapidly, and its average 
height might be put down at 200 feet, with a diameter of 14 feet. This tree was the source 
of great wealth to the country and, owing to its lateral strength, which was greater than 
that of the jarrah, it was specially adapted for works which were required to bear considerable 
weight and strain. For street-paving it was said to be equal to, if not better than, jarrah. 
Both of these timbers were largely imported into London, and were also finding a market 
in South Africa, India, and elsewhere. Mr. Lefroy was of opinion that, where timber was 
required for street-paving, no other available for such purpose would be found, when properly 
laid, to surpass these indigenous woods of Western Australia for durability and usefulness. 
The exportation of timber generally was on the increase, and he considered that the forests 
would play a very important part in the future welfare of the country. 
Pearl-fishing was another industry which, on the north-west coast, was being actively 
prosecuted, and had a distinctly bright future before it. 
Besides these natural resources, Western Australia possessed large tracts of country 
suitable for the cultivation of all the food necessary to make the country self-sustaining, 
In the south-west were to be found large areas of rich fertile land winch could be acquired on 
the very easiest of terms. F ree farms of 1 60 acres were given away by the Government to persons 
owning not more than 100 acres, on condition that certain improvements were effected 
within given periods. The settler could turn his attention to either the growth of cereals, 
the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, or the raising of stock, for all of which the land was 
eminently suited. 
Agricultural settlement had increased largely during the last decade. The area under 
crop, which had more than doubled, was said to be over 200,000 acres. For bona fide 
agriculturists there was ample room in Western Australia, where the question “who will 
buy my produce after I have grown it ” could be more satisfactorily answered than in any 
other country. On the rich goldfields, where the limited rainfall would not permit the growth 
of agricultural produce except by the use of water artificially applied, there was engaged 
an ever-increasing population entirely dependent on outside sources for all their food supplies ; 
and thus, linked by rail to the producing centres, was a large consuming population. 
The production from the soil in Western Australia had not as yet been able to meet lhe 
demand, so that during last year the country had had to import from the Eastern States pro- 
duce amounting to nearly £700,000 in value — less however by £200,000 than that of three 
years previous. The supply was now gradually catching up to the demand, although the 
latter was yearly increasing. 
Western Australia, too, was noted for its fruit. Grapes, stone-fruits of every kind, 
oranges, lemons, apples, pears and many other fruits, with proper attention, grew as well 
there as in their native countries. The future of the wine industry especially was one of great 
opportunities, the soil and climate being particularly favourable for its successful prosecu- 
tion. Practically the whole of the south-west division of the colony was adapted for 
viticulture, and already 100,000 gallons of wine had been manufactured locally in a year. 
The position of the country as the nearest portion of Australia to the old world 
must, Mr. Lefroy contended, ultimately be an advantage to the intending vigneron, orchardist, 
or farmer. 
The Government was doing everything in its power to assist settlement and open up the 
country. One thousand four hundred miles of railway had already been constructed in 
different directions. Telegraph lines had followed the prospectors even to the remotest mining 
camps. The face of the whole country was dotted with schools, wells, and dams ; and tanks 
have been provided everywhere to supply the goldfields and other places with water. 
A large reservoir had been constructed in the Darling Range, 23 miles from Perth, con- 
taining sufficient water to pump five million gallons daily to the Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie 
districts, a distance of nearly 350 miles. When the necessary connections were completed it was 
estimated that water could be supplied to these goldfields at 3s. 6d. per thousand gallons, or 
about 5 per cent, of the present cost of condensing water in those localities. All this had not 
been done without the expenditure of borrowed money, but such money had, Mr. Lefroy 
contended, been well laid out. A country with such unbounded resources warranted the 
outlay ; and her railways, her large tracts of unoccupied country waiting settlement, and 
her increasing revenue, were noble assets to set against her small indebtedness of £ 14,000,000. 
Mr. Lefroy, in his concluding remarks, said that he hoped bis lecture might be the 
means of encouraging some of those present to take an interest in Western Australia, his 
country by birth, and one of which he felt he had every reason to be proud. 
I le showed some excellent slides illustrative of the mineral and agricultural resources of 
the country ; and Mr. E. T. Scammel, the official lecturer on the resources of the colony, 
described, with the aid of photographic views, some beautiful stalagmite- and stalactite-caves 
recently discovered by Mr. C. Congrave near Cape Leuwin. 
“THE COMMERCIAL ROUTES OF SIBERIA.” 
By Captain Wiggins, F.R.H.S., etc. 
(ANGLO-RUSSIAN LITERARY SOCIETY). 
At a meeting of the Anglo -Russian Literary Society on November 5, the president, 
Mr. E. A. Cazalet, in the chair, the well-known navigator and explorer Captain Wiggins, 
F.R.H.S., M.K.Y.G.S., etc., read an interesting paper entitled “The Commercial Routes 
of Siberia by Land, River and Sea,” followed by the exhibition of a series of curious photo- 
graphs. 
In his introductory remarks, Mr. Cazalet mentioned Captain Wiggins’ paper “The 
Kara Sea Route,” read before the Anglo-Russian Literary Society in July, 1896, spoke of the 
useful work which the lecturer had done in opening out this famous route, which put Great 
Britain in direct communication with the River Yenesei and the heart of Siberia. The late 
Emperor of Russia had fully appreciated Captain Wiggins’ exertions in this direction, and 
had presented him with a beautiful silver service in token of his approval. 
The lecturer began with a description of the longest and most ancient of all known 
routes, the famous Siberian overland route, which had existed for centuries, even before the 
advent of the mighty Genghis Khan. It was intersected at the many different trading stations 
by numerous bye-routes leading to the far-off territories of Mongolia, Turkestan, and Persia 
in the south, and the desolate, but valuable fish- and fur-trading and gold-mining districts of 
the far North. Along these ancient roadways might still be seen thousands of caravans of 
merchandise -laden sledges or carts. Some of them were a beautiful sight, drawn by the finest 
horses of the land, with their bright sledges and harness ; others on the southern roads, near 
the Mongolian or Kirgese Tartar countries, were more curious, being drawn by huge camels 
enveloped from head to stern in immense sacks or cloaks made of thick hair felt. Passing on 
to an account of the renow’ned trans-Siberian railway, the most triumphant engineering feat 
of our age, covering 8,000 miles, Captain Wiggins said that he had himself inspected the line 
and found all the most important work, such as the large bridges over the rivers, and the 
splendid cuttings through the gorges, and round the precipitous bends of the Oural Pass, of 
the most durable and efficient kind. Added to this the attendance and accommodation 
all along the line were more than adequate. 
Finally, the lecturer dwelt at some length on the riverine routes of Siberia, showing 
how the great Obi, Yenesei and Lena were intersected by numerous tributaries, all running 
nearly at right angles to the main river system, which completed a lace-like web of valuable 
commercial riverine-transit, capable of being navigated by steamers in summer and valuable 
as sledge roads in winter. A mammoth ice-breaker steamer kept Lake Baikal open during 
the winter, and as this lake was intersected by the Selenga river and the headwaters of the 
Amoor, which in its turn was in touch with the trans-Baikal portion of the railway, 
steamers and barges were able to supply goods or receive produce from the shores of the 
Pacific Ocean. Added to all these natural waterways, canals are being constructed in order 
to connect the larger rivers. 
In conclusion, the lecturer expressed the hope that before long the Russian Minister of 
Finance, M. Witte, would again tempt British merchants and mariners to make their voyages 
by the Kara Sea, by removing the embargo that he had lately placed upon goods entering 
Siberia by that route. The inhabitants would then once more enjoy the stimulating influence 
of cheap wares, etc., and would secure an easy transit for their own products to the European 
markets, instead of being subject to the expensive carriage earned by a powerful monopoly 
of Russia’s overland merchants. 
The exhibition of a series of excellent views followed the reading of the paper, and 
Mr. C. H. Moberly, c.e., who is well acquainted with Russia, sent some written remarks, 
giving a brief history of the attempts to develop communication between the European and 
Siberian waterways. In 1797, the first survey was undertaken of a line of water communica- 
tion between the Obi and Yenesei. And already in the 16th and 17th centuries, Russian 
sealing vessels from Archangel and Kola went to the Kara Sea and found their way to the 
Obi and Yenesei, either through the Kara Sea or round the North of Novoya Zembla. But 
the first properly recorded voyage through the Kara Sea was the one made by Captain 
Wiggins in 1874. Recent data seemed to show that the route round the north of the islands 
was perhaps better than the southern one through one of the Straits and the Kara Sea, the cold 
being always more intense near land than in the open ocean. Mr. Moberly had personally, how- 
ever, little faith in an Arctic route for regular trade. What was chiefly required to develop 
the resources of Siberia was to improve the waterways in the basins of the Obi and the 
Yenesei, and either to form an efficient canal route across the Ourals, or else to greatly increase 
the railway accommodation across these mountains so as to get the Siberian produce into 
Europe. 
The meeting was brought to a close by a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, proposed 
by Mr. J. Wilson Swan and seconded by the Rev. Mr. Arthur S. Thompson, formerly 
British Chaplain at St. Petersburg, both of whom dwelt upon the spirit of enterprise and 
patient power of endurance displayed by Captain Wiggins in his useful and important 
voyages and explorations. 
