Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/439

 AREA AND POPULATION

317

The Ministry, October, 1912, i« as follows: —

Premier and Treasurer. — Hon. W, A. Watt, M.L.A.

Chief Sccretarij, and Minister of Labour. — Hon. J. Murray, ]\l.L.A.

Minister of Water Supply and Agriculture. — Hon. Gcor^i^e Graham, M.L. A.

Minister of Lands. — Hon. Hugh McKeiizie, M.L.A.

Minister cf Railways, Mines and Forests. — Hon. Peter McBride, M.L.A.

Minister of Education.— Hon. A. A. Billson, M.L.A.

Attorney • General ajul Solicitor -General. — Hon. James D. Brown, M.L.C.

Minister of Public JForks and Public Health. — Hon. W. H. Edcar. M.L.C.

Ministers without Office. — Hons. Jolm Thomson, M.L.A., James Cameron, M.L.A., F. Hugelthorn, M.L.C, and W. L. Baillieu, M.L.C.

The Premier and the Chief Secretary receive 1,200^. and the other ministers 1,000^. each per annum. At least four of the ministers must be members of either the Legislative Council or the Assembly, but not more than two shall be members of the Council, nor more than six be mem- bers of the Assembly.

State of the parties in the Legislative Assembly (Oct. 1912) : Minis- terialists, 46 ; La1)our Opposition, 19.

Agent-General for Victoria in Great Britain. — Hon. W. L. Baillieu, Offices, Melbourne Place, The Strand, W.C.

Secretary.— U. G. W. Nealc, J. P.

Local Government.

For purposes of local administration the State is divided into urban and rural municipalities. The former, called cities, towns, and boroughs, ought not to be of a greater area than nine square miles, and in being constituted must contain at least 500 householders, and rateable property capable oi yielding 300/. upon a rate of one shilling in the £. The latter, called shires, are portions of country, of undefined extent, containing rateable property capal)le of yielding a revenue of 1,500Z. on a rate of one shilling in the £. In 1911 there were 61 urban and 146 rural municipalities, only 650 square miles in the State not being included within their limits. Every ratepayer has one or more votes, according to the amount of his rates.

Area and Population.

The State has an area of 87,884 square miles, or 56,245,760 acres about aV part of the whole area of Australia. The State is divided into 37 counties, varying in area from 920 to 5,933 square miles.

The growth of the population, as f>hown by census returns, is exhibited in the following table : —

Annual rate

Date of Enumeration

Males

Females

Total

of Increa.se lier cent.

March 29, 1857

264.334

146,432

410,766

April 7, 1861.

328,651

211,671

540,322

7-88

April 2, 1871.

401,050

330,478

731,528

3-07

April 3, 1881.

452,083

410,263

862,346

1-65

^pril 5, 1891.

598,414

541,991

1,140,405

2-83

March 31, 1901

603,883

•597,458

1,201,341

0-48

April 2, 1911.

655,591

659,960

1,315,551

0-91