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Justice and Crime.

The following table gives the number of offences, apprehensions, and convictions for four years :

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On December 31, 1903, there were 79 prisoners undergoing penal servitude in the State. The total number of persons committed to prison in 1903 was 3,912-viz.: male adults, 3,387, adult females, 466, juveniles, 59.

Pauperism.

There are four charitable institutions, two situated in Perth, one at Fremantle, and one at Geraldton, all supported by public funds, with 487 inmates on December 31, 1903. Twenty-eight Government hospitals, two public hospitals, and three lunatic asylums are supported by public funds, whilst there are fourteen assisted hospitals and numerous private hospitals; two Protestant and two Roman Catholic orphanages are partly supported by private subscriptions and partly out of public money. There are also five native and half-caste institutions, three Industrial Schools supported in a similar manner, and one entirely a Government Institution. During 1903 a total of 1,750 persons in the State received outdoor relief.

Finance.

The revenue and expenditure of Western Australia (on account of the State and Commonwealth combined) in the last five years, ended June 30, were as follows:

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Nearly 32 per cent. of the public income is derived from customs and excise duties (1,261,9907. in 1904), nearly 41 per cent. (1,612,6087. in 1904) from railways, and the rest mainly from the Post Office, mining, leases of Crown lands and various forms of taxation. The Customs and Excise, and Postal Revenue, are now collected by the Commonwealth, which retains a portion of these revenue moneys; the actual State revenue of Western Australia for the year ended 30th June, 1904, was 3,550,016. Western Australia had a public debt of 16,090,2887. on June 30, 1904; the annual charge for which was 714,6347. The amount of accrued sinking fund at same date was 864,7527,

For defence, see under Commonwealth of Australia.

Production and Industry.

In Western Australia, in 1901, there were 35,572 persons engaged in various forms of primary production. Of these, 8,607 were directly engaged in agriculture; 2,179 in pastoral pursuits; 2,177 in forestry, and 19,838 in mining and quarrying.

Up to December 31, 1903, of the entire acreage of the State, 3,646,139 acres had been alienated; on that date, 6,901,918 acres were in process of alienation; the area alienated and in process of alienation thus amounting to 10,548,057 acres. At the same date there were in force leases comprising an area of 135,678,028 acres, of which 134,687,972 acres were pastoral, and 904,260 acres were timber, while 63,256 acres were under mining leases, and 17,503 acres were Miners' Homestead leases. The cultivated area in 1903 was 229,992 acres, and in the following year 283,752 acres, on which the chief crops for the two years were as follows:

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The areas occupied by the principal trees of Western Australia and the quantity cut in 1903 were as follows:

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Jarrah (with blackbutt and red gum)... 8,000,000

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Acres.

Sq. feet cut. 115,309,208

1,200,000

10,294,625

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York gum, yate, sandalwood, and jam

Total

The live stock in 1903, consisted of 82,747 horses; 497,617 cattle; 2,599,633 sheep; 50,209 pigs; 14, 120 goats; and 2,031 camels. The wool export, which is taken to be identical with the wool clip, was, during 1902, valued at 458,0781.. and during 1903, at 443,7431., these values representing respectively 12,932, 2717., and 12,501,804 lbs. of wool.

Gold was first obtained in Western Australia in 1886. The total quantity and value of the output to the end of 1903 was as follows:

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There were in the State, in 1903, 2,328 leases of gold mines; men employed in the mines, 17,329, viz., 7,980 above and 9,349 underground; output of gold, 2,436,311 oz., value, 8,770,7201. In 1903, the export of silver from the State was 210,100 oz., valued at 23,7017. (of this total only 168,113 ozs., valued at 19,1531., was locally produced); of copper ore, 346 tons, value 4,5277.; of copper, ingot and matte, 1,075 tons, value 33,2887.; of tin ore, 292 tons, value 22,8567.; of tin, ingot, 235 tons, value 29,2771.; output of coal, 133,427 tons, value 69,1287.; of ironstone, 220 tons, value 887.; of limestone, 1,279 tons, value 1787. The number of coal-leases was 94; of tin-leases, 41. Gold exported (exclusive of gold received at the Mint and subsepuently exported) during 1895, 231,513 oz., valued at 879,7487.; in 1896, 281,265 oz., value 1,068,8087.; in 1897, 674,994 oz., 2,564,9777.; in 1898, 1,050,184 oz., value 3,990,6987.; in 1899, 1,434,570 oz., value 5,451,3687.; in 1900, 999,767 oz., value 3,799,1247.; in 1901, 1,019,109 oz., value 3,923,5737.; in 1902, 822,827 oz., value 3,003,3147.; in 1903, 983,687 oz., value 3,541,2737.

value

Along the river-courses of the north of the State are about 20,000,000 acres of fairly well-watered country, affording good pasturage.

Commerce, Shipping, and Railways.

The external commerce of Western Australia, exclusive of inter-State trade, is comprised in the statement of the commerce of Australia, given under the heading of the Commonwealth.

The total value of the imports and exports, including inter-State trade, in the last six years is shown in the subjoined statement :

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Imports. 5,241,965 4,473,532 5,962,178 6,454,171 7,218,352 6,769,922 Exports. 4,960,006 6,985,642 6,852,054 8,515,623 9,051,358 10,324,732

By far the most important of the exports is gold, others being timber, wool, pearls and shell, hides and skins, copper and tin.

There were on the West Australian register on December 31, 1903, 36 steamers of 13,548 tons, and 288 sailing vessels of 8,064 tons; total, 324 vessels of 21,612 tons. In 1903, 708 vessels of 1,673,154 tons entered, and 703 of 1,662,741 tons cleared, the ports of the State.

There were 2,161 miles of railway open for traffic on June 30, 1904 (including 620 miles of private line). The railways have a gauge off 3 ft. 6in. The construction cost ef the Government railways up to June 30 1904, amounted to 8,955,9291. For the year 1903-04 the receipts amounted to 1,588,0847., and the working expenses to 1,179,6247.

Money and Credit.

There are six banks in Western Australia besides the Post Office Saving Bank. The following statement relates to the quarter ended June 30, 1904 :

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Australia, Ltd. 1,500,000 93,555 1,261,651 1,362, 892 1,496, 806 1,100,066
Bank of New
South Wales.
Commercial
Bank of Aus-
tralia, Ltd.
Bank of Aus-
tralasia.

2,000,000 23,543 552,513 581,736 648,135 1,350,000

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95,2741 2,117,2902

12,431 224,057 237,592 311,022 31,792

1,600,000 73,491 565,130 643,745 592,927 1,146,951

Total of average 8,935,784 354,715 4,726,158 5,186,193 6,375,836 3,953,020

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Government Savings Bank.-During the year ended 30th June, 1904, deposits of the value of 1,631,6877. were made. The amount withdrawn during that year was 1,596,1107. The amount due to depositors on June 30, 1904, including interest, was 2,079,7637.

Books of Reference.

Statistical Register, 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903.

Census of Western Australia, taken on March 31, 1901. Perth.

Geological Survey. Bulletins. Perth.

Government Year-Book.

Settler's Guide.

Perth.

Western Australia. Perth.

Monthly Statistical Abstract.

Votes and Proceedings. Perth, 1902. This includes all Departmental Reports. Calvert (A. F.), Western Australia: Its History and Progress. 8. London, 1894. Western Australia and its Gold Fields, 8, London, 1893. My Fourth Tour in Western Australia. London, 1897.

Carnegie (Hon. D. W.), Spinifex and Sand. London, 1898.

Chambers (T.), Western Australia, Position and Prospects. Perth.

Favenc (Ernest), Western Australia: its Past History, Present Trade and Resources. and its Future Position in the Australian Group. Sydney, 1887.

Forrest (Sir John), Explorations in Australia.

London, 1875.

Hart (F.), Western Australia in 1893, 8, London, 1894.

Mennell (P.), The Coming Colony. 2nd. ed. 8. London, 1894.

Notes on the Natural History, &c., of Western Australia. Perth, 1903.

Price (J. M.), The Land of Gold. 8. London, 1896.

Taunton (H.), Australind. London, 1903.

Tiele (C. P.), Western Australia according to the most recent discoveries. An address Translation]. 8. London, 1894.

Vivienne (May), Travels in Western Australia. London, 1901.

TASMANIA.

Constitution and Government.

The Constitution of Tasmania was established by Act 18 Vict. No. 17, supplemented by Act 49 Vict. No. 8, Act 1 Edwd. VII., No. 58, and Act 3 Edwd. VII., No. 2017. By these Acts a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly are constituted, called the Parliament of Tasmania. The Legislative Council is composed of eighteen members, elected by all naturalborn or naturalised subjects of the Crown who possess either a freehold worth 107. a year, or a leasehold of 30%., or are barristers or solicitors on roll of Supreme Court, medical practitioners duly qualified, and all subjects holding a commission or possessing a degree. Each member is elected for six years. Members of the Legislative Council, and also of the House of Assembly, are paid 1007. per annum, and have the right to free railway passes. The House of Assembly consists of thirty-five members, elected by all natural born or naturalised subjects who have continuously resided in Tasmania for over 12 months. The Assembly is elected for three years. The number of electors for the Legislative Council in 1904 was 19,509 (15,650 males, 3,159 females), or 10.37 per cent. of the total population, and for the House of Assembly 73,624 (44,616 males, 39,008 females), or 41.02 per cent. of the total population. The legislative authority vests in both Houses, while the executive is vested in a Governor or Administrator appointed by the Crown.

Governor. Sir Gerald Strickland, K.C.M.G. (2,5007.)
Lieut.-Governor and Chief Justice.-Sir J. S. Dodds, K.C.M.G.

(1,5007.).

The Governor is aided in the exercise of the executive by a cabinet of responsible ministers, consisting of five members, as follows:

Premier.-Hon. J. W. Evans, M.H.A.

Chief Secretary.-Hon. W. Moore, M. L. C.

Attorney General.—Hon. G. Crosby Gilmore, M. H. A.
Minister of Lands and Works -Hon. A. Kean, M. H. A.

:

Treasurer and Minister of Mines.-Hon. C. Lennox Stewart, M. H. A. Each of the ministers, has a salary of 600l. per annum. The Premier has 2001. a year in addition. The ministers must have a seat in either of the two Houses.

Agent-General in London.—Hon. Alfred Dobson, C. M.G.

Secretary.-Herbert W. Ely.

Offices.-5, Victoria Street, Westminster.

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