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THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — WESTERN AUSTRALIA

December 31, 1911. Twenty-oue Government hospitals, also a Government sanatorium for consumptive patients, at Coolgardie, and two hospitals for the insane are wholly supported by public funds, as are also two aboriginal lock hospitals, on Dorre and Bernier Islands, whilst three public and twenty-seven other assisted hospitals exist, partly supported by private sub- scriptions and partly out of public funds, in addition to the numerous private hospitals situated in Perth and suburbs as well as the principal goldfield towns ; four Protestant and two Roman Catholic orphanages are partly supported by private subscriptions and partly out of public money. There are also three native and half-caste institutions, four Industrial Schools supported in a similar manner, and one Government receiving depot for the Industrial Schools. During the year ended June 30, 1912, a total of 2,187 persons in the State received outdoor relief.

Old Age and Invalidity Pensions are now paid by the Commomvealth Government. The number of pensioners in Western Australia at December 13, 1912, Avas:— old age, 3,263 ; invalid, 436.

Finance.

The revenue and expenditure of Western Australia in six years, ended June 30, were as follows : —

Years ended June 30

Revenue

Expenditure

3,379,006 3,368,551 3,447,732

1 Years ended June 30

1911 . i 1912. ■ 19131.

Revenue

Expenditure

1908 1909 1910

£

3,376,641 3,267,014 3,657,670

£

3,850,439 3,966,674 4,589,712

£ 3.734,448 4,101,082 4,755,615

1 Estimates.

Nearly half the public income is derived from railways (1,896, 579Z, for the year ended June 30, 1912), and the rest mainly from various forms of taxation, leases of Crown lands, water supply, harbour dues, ])ublic batteries and other mining receipts, and the surplus returned to the State of the CommouAvealth Revenue derived from Customs, Excise, Post Office, and other receipts (638,527?, for 1911-12). Western Australia had a public debt of 26,283,523Z. on June 30, 1912, the annual charge for which was 1,101, 561 Z. The amount of accrued sinking fund at same date was 2,918,734Z.

For Defence, see under Commonwealth of Australia.

Production and Industry.

In Western Australia, in 1901, there were 35,572 persons engaged in various forms of primary production. Of these, 8,607 were directly engaged in agriculture ; 2,179 in pastoral pursuits ; 2,177 in forestry, and 19,838 in mining and quarrying.

Up to June 30, 1912, of the entire acreage of the State, 7,387,929 acres had been alienated ; on that date 13,405,369 acres were in process of alienation ; the area alienated and in process of alienation thus amounting to 20,793,298 acres. At the same date there were in force leases comprising an area of 175,630,017 acres, of which 173,431,848 acres were pastoral, and 1,323,282 acres were timber, while 65,144 acres were under mining leases, and 45,954 acres were Miners' Homestead leases. The area uiider crop in 1908 was 493,837 acres, in 1909, 585,339 acres, in 1910, 722,086 acres, in 1911, 855,024 acres, and in 1912, 1,072,653 acres. The chief crops for recent two years were as follows : —