Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/654

 306

THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — TASMANIA

folloAving is an abstract of loans expenditure up to December 31, 1897 : — Public works: railways, 3, 696,1 04^., or 48 "24 percent. ; telegraphs, 120,719?., or 1-59 per cent. ; roads, bridges, jetties, &c., 2,208,587Z., or 28-82 per cent. ; public buildings, 695,880Z., or 9*08 per cent. ; defences, 121,423?., or 1-58 per cent. ; other public works, 139,377?., or 1*80 per cent. ; loans to local bodies, 102,800?., or 1-34 per cent.; miscellaneous, 58,846?., or 77 per cent. — total public works, 7,143,736?., or 93-22 per cent. ; other public services, 519,591?., or 6-78 per cent.— total, 7,663,327?., or 100 percent. ; balance of loans, raised chiefly for Temporary Treasury Bills, 815,887?.

The total local revenue, exclusive of all grants from the Government, for 1896 was 172,257?., and the expenditure 164,677?. Local debt, 1897, 590,452?.

Defence.

The volunteer defence force of the colony numbers some 1,779 ofiicers and men, and is composed of two rifle regiments, engineers, artillery, cadets corps, and auxiliary force, all under jurisdiction of commandants stationed at Hobart and Launceston, Included in the above is a small permanent force, stationed at Hobart, of 13 men for the purpose of keeping barracks and batteries in order, and to form the nucleus of a larger force.

There are four batteries on the river Derwent, and one on the Tamar ; and the Colony possesses one torpedo boat and some small craft.

Production and Industry.

The total area of the colony is 16,778,000 acres, including 1,206,500 acres islands and lakes, unalienated land, principally heavily timbered or mineral-bearing, 10,860,426 acres. In 1891 19,408 persons were directly engaged in agriculture. In 1897 there were 242,241 acres under crop, and 226,095 acres under permanent artificially sown grasses. Of the total area, 4,768,901 acres have been sold or granted to settlers by the Crown up to the end of 1897 ; while 833,575 acres have been leased as sheep runs. The total area under crops in 1897-98 was 242,241 acres ; under grasses, 242,241 acres ; fallow, 31,199 ; 11,695 acres were devoted to horticulture. The following table shows the acreage and produce of the chief crops for five years : —

'

1894

1895

1896

1897

1898

Wheat, acres

55,312

52,028

64,652

74,516

85,905

,, bushels.

833,771

872,000

1,164,855

1,286,330

1,668,341

,, bushels per acre

15-07

16-76

18-01

17-34

19.42

Oats, acres.

33,755

34,385

32,699

44,768

38,166

,, bushels

37,720

927,875

906,934

971,996

1,102,285

,, bushels per acre.

24-81

26-98

27-74

21-79

28-88

Potatoes, acres

19,068

23,415

19,247

21,651

22,357

,, tons

76,769

90,810

81,423

72,241

49,124

,, tons pel acie.

4-02

3-87

4-23

3-33

2-19

Hay, acres.

47,500

61,373

54,748

47,798

57,828

,, tons.

54,889

90,810

62,345

44,344

78,849

,, tons per acre

1-15

3-87

1-14

-92

1-36

Under the head of horticulture 542 acres were sown with hops in 1897, yielding 774,514 lbs. of hops. The yield of apples was slightly below the average. Fruit culture is of great importance ; large quantities of fruit are exported.