AUSTRALASIA AND OCEANIA Dodsworth (F.), The Book of the West Indies. London, 1904. Grieve (Symington), Notes upon the Island of Dominica. London, 1907. Henderson (J.), Jamaica. London, 1907. 337 Hill (R. T.), The Geology and Physical Geography of Jamaica. Cambridge, Mass., 1899. Langford (O. V.), History of Antigua. 3 vols. London, 1899. Lucas (C. P.) and Atchley (C.), Historical Geography of the British Colonies. Vol. II. 2nd ed. London, 1905. Pitman (F. W.), The Development of the British West Indies. London, 1918. Pullen-Burry (B.), Jamaica as it is. London, 1903.-Ethiopia in Exile: Jamaica Revisited. London, 1905. Reclus (E.), Nouvelle Géographie Universelle. Vol. XVII. London, 1888. Rodway (J.), The West Indies and The Spanish Main. London, 1896. Schomburgk (Sir R. H.), History of Barbados. London, 1848. Shattuck (G. B.), Editor, The Bahama Islands. London, 1905. Sinckler (E. G.), The Barbados Handbook. London, 1912. Stark (J. H.), Guides to the West Indies. 6 vols. London, 1898. Trinidad and Tobago Year Book. "Vaquero," Life and Adventures in the West Indies. London, 1914. Verrill (A. H.), Isles of Spice and Palm [Lesser Antilles]. New York, 1916. AUSTRALASIA AND OCEANIA. The British Territories in Australasia comprise the self-governing States and Territories which now form the Commonwealth of Australia; the Australian Dependencies of Papua and Norfolk Island, the self-governing Dominion of New Zealand and adjacent islands, and the Crown Colony of Fiji. The British possessions in Oceania include the Solomon and Tonga Islands, and many other groups of islands and islets scattered over the Pacific. THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Commonwealth of Australia, consisting of the six colonies (now denominated Original States) of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, was proclaimed at Sydney January 1, 1901. After five of these colonies had, by legislative enactments, approved by the direct vote of the electors, declared their desire for a Federal Union, the British Parliament, on July 9, 1900, passed the Act to constitute the Commonwealth. This Act provided for the inclusion of Western Australia in the Federation if that colony so desired, and in the following month the colonial legislation necessary for this end was passed. On January 1, 1911, the Northern Territory was transferred by South Australia to the Commonwealth, and on the same date a portion of New South Wales, consisting of 912 square miles, was vested in the Commonwealth, for the purpose of forming the Federal Territory containing the seat of the Commonwealth Government. In 1917 this area was increased to 940 square miles. Legislative power is vested in a Federal Parliament, consisting of the King, represented by a Governor-General, a Senate, and a House of Representatives. The Senate consists of Senators (six for each of the Original States voting as one electorate) chosen for six years. In general, the Senate will be renewed to the extent of one-half every three years, but Ꮓ in case of prolonged disagreement with the House of Representatives, it may be dissolved, and an entirely new Senate elected. The House of Representatives consists, as nearly as may be, of twice as many members as there are Senators, the numbers chosen in the several States being in proportion to the respective numbers of their people as shown by the latest statistics of the Commonwealth, but not less than five for any original State. As a result of the Census enumeration of 1911, New South Wales has 27 members, Victoria 21, Queensland 10, South Australia 7, Western Australia 5, and Tasmania 5. Every House of Representatives continues for three years from the date of its first meeting, unless sooner dissolved. Electoral qualifications for both Chambers of the first Federal Parliament were those for the more numerous House of the Parliament of the State in which the elector was competent to vote. Every Senator or Member of the House of Representatives must be a natural-born subject of the King, or have been for five years a naturalised subject under a law of the United Kingdom or of a State of the Commonwealth. He must be of full age, and must possess electoral qualification. Since the first Parliament of the Commonwealth was instituted, an Electoral Act has unified the franchise for both Chambers, on the basis of universal adult (male and female) suffrage. At the general election held on May 5, 1917, the whole of the 18 vacant seats for the Senate were secured by the Nationalists, the final state of parties in the Upper House being 21 Nationalist, and 15 official Labour members, while for the House of Representatives 53 Nationalist and 22 official Labour members were returned. The legislative powers of the Federal Parliament are extensive, embracing commerce, shipping, &c.; finance; defence; postal, telegraph, and like services; census and statistics; conciliation and arbitration in industrial disputes extending beyond the limits of any one State. Authority is given for the Commonwealth to assume jurisdiction in regard to railways, lighthouses, &c.; marriage and divorce: emigration and immigration; currency and banking; weights and measures. The several State Parliaments retain legislative authority in all matters which are not transferred to the Federal Parliament, which is thus a government of limited and enumerated powers, the several State Parliaments retaining the residuary power of government over their respective territories. With respect to money bills, the House of Representatives has special powers, and provision is made for cases of disagreement between the two Houses. The Executive power, vested in the King, is exercised by the GovernorGeneral, who is assisted by an Executive Council of responsible Ministers of State. These Ministers are, or must become within three months, members of the Federal Parliament; they are paid salaries not exceeding, in all, 15,330l. a year. The Executive Government of the Commonwealth is constituted as follows: Governor-General.-Right Hon. Sir R. C. Munro-Ferguson, P.C., G. C. M. G., Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Australia and its Dependencies (salary, £10,000). A Coalition Ministry (containing 6 Liberals and 5 original Labour Members), known as the Australian National War Governinent,' was formed on February 15, 1917 (and reconstituted in March, 1918), as follows: Prime Minister and Attorney-General.—Right Hon. W. M. Hughes, P.C. Home and Territories.-Hon. P. McM. Glynn, K.C. AREA AND POPULATION Minister of Defence.-Senator the Hon. G. F. Pearce. Treasurer.-Hon. W. A. Watt. 339 Vice-President of the Executive Council.-Senator the Hon. E. J. Russell. High Commissioner for Australia in London. -The Right Hon. Andrew Fisher, P.C. (appointed October 26, 1915), Australia House, Strand. The Constitution provides for a Federal Judicature, for an inter-State Commission on Trade and Commerce, for the transfer of State officials, State property, and State debts to the Commonwealth, and for alteration of the Constitution. A High Court (consisting of 7 judges) has been established, with original as well as appellate jurisdiction. The Interstate Commission has also been constituted. The selection of the Yass-Canberra site for the Federal Capital was voted in the Senate and House of Representatives, and in 1910, the Commonwealth acquired from the State of New South Wales an area of approximately 900 square miles. An area of 2 square miles at Jervis Bay was also acquired for purposes of a Naval College, and the right to construct a railway from the Capital thereto. At present the Federal Government has its seat at Melbourne. 1 Excluding aborigines. These are estimated to number from 75,000 to 100,000. The number of occupied dwellings in the Commonwealth in 1911, according to a return issued by the Commonwealth statistician, was 924,259. The figures for the various States are as follows: New South Wales, 330,976; Victoria, 272,683; Queensland, 125,836; South Australia, 84, 179; Western Australia, 68,870; Tasmania, 40,025; Northern Territory, 1,248; Federal Capital Territory, 442. Of these houses 499,653 were built of wood, 235,460 of brick, 75,565 of stone, and 38,797 of iron. No less than 49,375 buildings are described as being built of hessian or canvas, and 3,372 were of bark. The Northern Territory, with an area of 523,620 square miles, was under the jurisdiction of South Australia from 1863 to 1910. On the 1st January, 1911, it was transferred to the Commonwealth (see Northern Territory). In 1905 the administration of Papua was trausferred to the Commonwealth (see Papua). Migration in 1917: Arrivals, 65,089; departures, 87,039 (including Expeditionary Force, 28,449 arrivals, and 46,488 departures); excess departures, 21,950. Finance. Actual revenue and expenditure for 1914-15 to 1917-18 are given in the following table. The payments to States represent the balances of revenue collected in the several States after the necessary expenditure on Commonwealth services. Under the "Surplus Revenue Act, 1910," the amount payable by the Commonwealth to each State from July 1, 1910, is a sum equivalent to 25 shillings per head of the population as estimated by the Commonwealth Statistician at 31st December in each year. (In 1910-11 this amount was subject to certain deductions.) Western Australia is to receive in addition for a period of ten years an annual sum commencing with 250,0007. in 1910-11, and diminishing by 10,000l. per year thereafter. Tasmania is also receiving the total sum of 900,0007. in ten annual instalments starting from 1912-13. INVALID AND OLD AGE PENSIONS-DEFENCE 341 The estimated revenue for 1918-19 is 40,670,5007., and the estimated expenditure, from consolidated revenue, 38,903,345l., and payment to States 6,441,2507. The aggregate public debt of the several Australian States on June 30, 1917, was 372,517,6231. (excluding temporary Treasury bills, &c.). The Commonwealth public debt on June 30th, 1918, was 284,022,0721., including 49,082,0591. war loan from the British Government; 2,772,5167. on account of Northern Territory, and 1,759,0037. on account of Port Augusta-Oodnadatta Railway. Down to October, 1918, the Australian war loans reached a total of 187,705,8051. The total Australian war expenditure for the five years ending June 30, 1919, is estimated at 284,641,6087., of which 45,831,7617. is charged against revenue, and 238,809,8477. against loans. Invalid and Old Age Pensions. Old age The Invalid and Old Age Fension Acts provide for the payment of invalid and old age pensions at such rates as the Commissioner deciding the question deems sufficient, but so that the amount shall not exceed 327. 10s. a year, nor the pensioner's whole income (including the pension) exceed 587. 10s. a year (prior to 1916, the amounts were 267. and 521. respectively). pensions are granted upon application to persons who are at least 65 years of age and have lived in Australia or Australian territory at least 20 years. Invalid pensions are granted to persons who have lived at least 5 years in Australia, have there become incapacitated, and have no other sufficient means of support. On October 9, 1912, a Maternity Bill was passed providing for the payment of a bonus up to a maximum amount of 51. in respect of every child born in Australia, of white parentage. The disbursements for old age and invalid pensions (including payments to Asylums) were 2,731,9407. in 1914-15; 2,859,7667. in 1915-16; 3,554, 1357. in 1916-17; and 3,793,0377. in 1917-18. The maternity allowance for 1914-15 was 694,675l., for 1915-16, 659,7157.; for 1916-17, 662,0357.; and for 1917-18, 634,4307. The numbers of pensioners in the Commonwealth on June 30, 1918, were :-Old age, 95,387; invalid, 29,912; total, 125,299. War pensioners at June 30, 1918 numbered 104,602. Defence. The The principal ports of the States are protected by fortifications. Commonwealth is divided for military purposes into districts, whose boundaries are nearly identical with those of the States. The military forces of the various Districts on June 30, 1917, were : The year 1911 saw the commencement of the new defence scheme adopted by the Australian Government on the basis of Lord Kitch mendations. The Defence Act of 1903, A r's recom during |