Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/409

 COMMERCE

357

The total area under all crops in 1918-19 was 13,332,393 acres. The total value of agricultural production in the same year was 58,080,000/. Of Australia's total forest area of 102,000.000 acres, 14,137,746 acres have been specially reserved for timber. Wheat acreage 1919-20, 6,379,560 ; yield, 45,753,298 bushels. The total sugar crop of 1918-19 was 202,256 tons ; and the estimated yield for 1919-20 is 180,000 tons.

At or about the end of 1918 there were in the Commonwealth 2,528,243 horses, 12,738,852 cattle, 87,086,236 sheep, and 913,902 |

The production of wool in 1918-19 amounted to 657,911,710 lbs., valued at 42,490,000/., and the exports to 458,033,726 lbs. greasy, valued at 31,479,990/., and 109,135,989 lbs. scoured and tops, valued at 11,286,765/. The exports of tallow amounted in value to 2,176,536/. ; of sheepskins to 1,941,113/. ; and of frozen meat to 4,471,942/. The butter produced in season 1918-19 amounted to 181,802,675 lbs., and 41,114,800 lbs., valued at 3,193.086/., were exported during that period.

The mineral products were valued at 26.155,649/. in 1918, including: gold, 5,408,000/. ; silver and lead, 6,105,000/. ; copper, 4,465,000/. ; tin, 1,432,000/. ; coal, 6,124,000/. Total mineral production up to end of 1918 was 957,673,818/. ; of this amount 594,536,723/. was the value of gold. Gold production, 1918 : 1,273,183 oz. ; 1919, 1,074,547 oz.

Statistics of the manufacturing industries in the Commonwealth in 1918 are given as follows : — Number of establishments, 15,421 ; hands employed, 328,049 ; salaries and wages paid, 38,379,268/. : value of plant and machinery, land and buildings, 96,588,000/. ; value of materials used, 146,181,866/. ; value added by manufacture, 79,571,745/. ; value of output, 225,753,611/.

The estimated value of the products of the Commonwealth in 1915, 1916, 1917. and 1918 were:—

-

1915

1916

1917

1918

Agriculture. . . . Pastoral .... Dairying, Poultry and Bee

farming. Forests and Fisheries Mining .... Manufacturing. .

Thous£ 73,769 65,607

21,156

Thotis £ 60,207 89,939

26,949 5,505 SS,0M

04,205

Thons. £ 57,967 93,435

31,326 5,523

Thoi. 18,1 M

33,733

7,137 26.156

Total.

2:1,020

270.411

233,629

29S.669

A Commonwealth Bureau of Commerce and Industry was established in 1919 to organise the country's resources, and frame a policy for the expansion of tn»de, improvement of methods, and establishment of new industries.

Commerce.

Throughout the Commonwealth there are uniform customs duties, and trade between the States is free. For 1919-20, the net revenue collected from customs duties amounted to 13,705,341/.

The following table shows for 6 years the value of the imports and exports