and instruction made compulsory between the ages of 6 and 14 years; the children of the poor are educated free. There are not only primary public schools, but also high schools for both sexes. There were in 1889, 2,373 State schools, classified as follows:-High schools 5; primary schools 1,671; provisional schools 325; half-time schools 258; house-to-house 92; evening schools 22; total 2,373. During 1889 there were 191,215 children enrolled, and an average attendance of 114,569, with 4,002 teachers. The following table details the expenses incurred by the State on education since 1881 : In addition to State schools there are several educational institutions which receive subsidies from Government. Of private schools there are 700, with 41,625 pupils, of which 267 schools, 996 teachers, and 28,546 pupils are Roman Catholic. The University of Sydney was founded in 1858, and its degrees in art, law, and medicine are recognised as on an equality with those of the United Kingdom. Government grants a yearly subsidy of 12,000l. The total revenue for 1889 was 25,2741. There were 275 matriculated, and 327 nonmatriculated students attending lectures during 1889. There are 40 professors and lecturers. There is a technical college, comprising classes in agriculture, physics, applied mechanics, arts, elocution, chemistry, architecture, geology, commercial economy, mathematics, pharmacy, and domestic economy. The daily attendance averaged 1,194 for 1889. Branch schools are established in the country. There is a free public library at Sydney, with 81,631 volumes in 1889. The library was visited by 132,983 persons during 1889. Justice and Crime. There is a Supreme Court, with a chief justice and six puisne judges. All prisoners charged with capital crimes are tried by a jury of twelve persons. Circuit courts are held at the principal towns in the colony twice a year. District courts are established for the trial of civil causes in which the amount claimed does not exceed 2007. They are presided over by judges specially appointed, who also perform the duties of chairmen of quarter sessions, at which prisoners charged with other offences than capital crimes are tried. In the metropolitan district police courts are presided over by stipendiary magistrates; in the country districts police magistrates and justices of the peace adjudicate. The licensing of houses for the sale of spirituous and fermented liquors is transacted by magistrates specially appointed for that purpose. JUSTICE AND CRIME-FINANCE 237 In 1889, 48,703 persons were summarily convicted by magistrates, and 1,492 sent for trial to a higher court. The police force of the colony is 1,513 strong. There are in all 57 gaols. On December 31 there were 2,370 prisoners in confinement. Finance. The following are statistics of revenue for five years : Under the heading 'Services' is included revenue from railways, tramways, posts, and telegraphs, &c. The bulk of taxation is obtained indirectly through the Customs House, as may be seen from the accompanying summary for the year 1889: Customs, 1,905,8831.; Excise, 261,3707.; Stamps, 379,5197.; Licences, 130,3987.; total, 2,677,1707. The following table shows the public expenditure, exclusive of expenditure from loans, for five years : Estimated revenue for 1890, 9,382,1397.; expenditure 9,264,4137. At the close of 1889 the total debt outstanding was 46,646,4497.; and the amount authorised, still to be raised, was 15,182,7421. The appropriation of loans to the end of 1889 has been as follows:-Railways and tramways, 31,380,5087.; electric telegraphs, 726,8077.; harbours and rivers navigation, 2,601,3117.; roads and bridges, 603,9857.; immigration, 569,9301.; water supply and sewerage works, 4,122,1357.; repayment of old loans, 2,723,4307.; miscellaneous public works, 2,020,4467.; total, 44,748,5521. In 1884 the nominal rate of interest was fixed at 3 per cent., at which rate 23,500,0007. has been raised. Estimated The financial statistics of the incorporated boroughs and municipal districts are as follows: Total Annual Value of all Property in At the close of 1889 the estimated public wealth of the colony was 177,731,000l., represented in the items hereunder : Railways, tramways, telegraphs, and other revenue-yielding works Total value of public property or estate Municipal property-roads, buildings, and other works constructed by munici palities Total public wealth. £ 43,500,000 18,500,000 110,000,000 £172,000,000 5,731,000 Private property in the colony is estimated at the value of 403,600,0007. Defence. In 1889 the land force of the colony comprised 8,134 men, of whom 578 formed the regular military force, 4,040 volunteers, who were partially paid, and 3,516 reserves. The naval force is composed of 633 men. forces are divided as follows: These General, Permanent, and Honorary Staff, 92; Cavalry, 317; Artillery, 1,025; Engineers, 91; Submarine Miners, 130; Mounted Infantry, 309; Infantry, 2,589; Rifle Companies, 3,392; Reserves, 124; Medical Staff Corps, 68; Naval Brigade, 339; Naval Artillery Volunteers, 276; torpedo boats, &c., 15; total, 8,767. The cost of defence of the colony during the year 1889 was 207,1757. Production and Industry. I. AGRICULTURE. In 1889 there were 1,164,475 acres, or a little over one-half per cent. of the area of the colony, under cultivation. The cultivated land is principally to be found in small holdings of less than 500 acres. The colony is divided legally, in accordance with its natural apportionment, into three parts, viz., the Eastern, Central, and Western divisions, and land is obtainable under the following conditions:-1st, by free selection before survey in the two first-mentioned divisions, at the rate of 11. per acre, payable under a system of deferred payments. In the Eastern division the minimum area to be selected is 40 acres, and the maximum 640 acres; in the PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY 239 Central the maximum is 2,560 acres. 2nd, by additional purchases of the same areas and under like conditions after the completion of the condition of residence upon the original selection. 3rd, by purchasing at double the price above-mentioned, without the condition of residence, the maximum area being 320 acres. 4th, Government land is also sold at auction, the upset prices being 87. for town, 27. 10s. for suburban, and 17. 58. per acre for country lots. The area sold is not to exceed 200,000 acres annually, and the maximum area for purchasers is 640 acres. In the Western division the land is leased by the State to pastoral tenants under various forms. The total land alienated, or in process of alienation, at end of 1889 was 43,600,116 acres, leaving a balance unalienated of 152,282,034 acres. The total proceeds of sales during 1862-89 was over 41,926,9187. The following table gives the statistics of holdings of various sizes for the past ten years: Acreage 1 to 15 acres 16 to 200 201 to 400. 401 to 1,000 1,001 to 2,000 2,001 to 10,000 10,001 and upwards. 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 5,550 5,186 5,124 5,154 5,409 5,877 6,512 7,038 6,889 7,290 20,645 20,361 20,007 20,161 20,998 21,167 21,288 21,651 21,503 22,048 5,854 5,753 5,760 5,969 6,363 6,285 6,382 6,481 6,612 6,774 4,833 4,959 5,559 6,031 6,497 6,617 6,792 6,778 6,750 6,849 1,467 1,470 1,550 1,667 1,886 1,811 1,948 2,010 2,089 2,191 1,229 1,176 1,297 1,350 1,413 1,406 1,458 1,618 1,774 1,810 414 449 463 461 513 563 552 566 580 658 39,992 39,354 39,760 40,793 43,079 43,726 44,932 46,142 46,197 47,620 The area under cultivation in New South Wales during the last four years and the crops produced were as follows: Acres Bush. Acres Bush. Acres Wheat Hay . 74,070 . 6,570,335 Bush. Acres Bush. Grain 337,730 5,868,844 389,390 4,675,849 304,803 1,450,503 419,758 Tons ! Tons 109,851 60,340 Bush. Tons Tons 42,041 82,880 Bush. 4,910,404 173,836 140,348 Bush. 5,354,827 36,760 5,440 113,109 4,388 1,990 3,641 3,416 Bush. Bush. The principal fruit-culture of the colony is that of the orange. There were in 1889-90, 9,804 acres under oranges, with an estimated production of 11,074,392 dozen. On January 1, 1889, the colony had 50,106,768 sheep, 1,741,592 horned cattle, 430,777 horses, 238,585 pigs. There were 106,226 persons engaged in agricultural and pastoral pur suits during the year 1889-90. In 1887 a Forest Conservation Department was created and attached to one of the principal State departments. There are 21 State forests, covering 97,724 acres. The timber reserves number 897 and cover an area of 5,553,389 acres. The following are the general statistics for four years: Gold is found in all parts of the territory. The total value raised to the close of the year 1889 was 37,614,8871. The following table shows the quantity and value of the gold, the produce of New South Wales, coined or exported during each period of five years since its discovery in 1851 : |