Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/646

 298 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The following are statistics of immigrants and emigrants by sea : —

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Immigrants Emigrants

18,658 18,884

34,468 38,904

36,762 40,489

66,410 59,448

57,932 58,748

Religion and Instruction.

The aggregate number of churches and chapels in the colony in 1896 was 963. At the census of 1891 the number belonging to the leading denomina- tions were as follows : — Church of England, 89,271 ; Roman Catholic, 47,179 ; Wesleyans, 49,159 ; Lutherans, 23,328 ; Presbyterians, 18,206 ; Baptists, 17,547 ; Methodists, 11,654 ; Bible Christians, 15,762 ; Congregationalists, 11,882 ; Jews, 840. No aid from the State is given for religious purposes.

Public instruction is under charge of the Educational Department. Teachers are paid from the general revenue, public lands being set apart for educational purposes. Education is secular, free, and compulsory. Govern- ment grants exhibitions and scholarships, carrying the holders to higher schools and universities. In 1897 there were 278 public schools and 377 pro- visional schools ; the number of children under instruction during 1897 being 61,643. There is a training college for teachers. The University of Adelaide, incorporated in 1874, is authorised to grant degrees in arts, law, music, medicine, and science. Its endowment amounts to 65,000Z. and 50,000 acres of land. There are several denominational secondary schools. There were 233 private schools, with 11,572 pupils, in 1897.

Justice and Crime.

There is one supreme court, a court of vice-admiralty, a court of insolvency, 79 local courts and police magistrates' courts. There are circuit courts held at several places. There were 90 convictions for felonies and misdemeanours in 1892, 118 in 1893, 131 in 1894, 130 in 1895, 131 in 1896, 134 in 1897. The total number of white persons in gaols at the end of 1897 was 130 males and 20 females, and in the labour prison 122 males.

Defence.

The colony possesses an efficient militia and volunteer force, the former consisting of 1,136 men of all ranks, and the latter of 301, or a total military force, including the headquarter staff and a permanent force of artillery 31 strong — of 1,437 men. For the purposes of local defence a small cruiser, the Protector (920 tons), launched in 1884, is stationed off the chief port of the colony, which is defended by two well-armed forts. South Australia is a contributor to the maintenance of the Australian Auxiliary Squadron. (See^os^ under 'Australian Defence.')

Finance.

The total annual revenue and the total annual expenditure of the colony of South Australia for each of the last five years ending June 39 were as foUowti :—