Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/155

* VICTORIA. 119 VICTORIA. Plains. The nioimtains arc low in tlic west, l)ut rise toward the cast into the ru{,'gi'd and romantic Australian Alps, whose liif^liest peak in Vic- toria, iMount iioyonj,', lias an altitude of .")0S feet. The coast is lined willi broken ranfjes of hills, and is irregular, with granitic lieadlands and lanii locked bays, such as I'ort Phillip, the harljor of Jlelbourne. The rivers are short and of no importance for navigation. Those on the northern watershed are tributaries of the Mur- ray, which forms most of the boundary on the side of -New South Wales. Most of the rivers are torrential in the wet season, while many are al- most dry for the rest of the year. The climate is cooler and more agreeable than that of the States to the north, though the maxi- mum tcm])erature in summer may be above 100°. In the lowlands the temperature is seldom below 32°, and the annual mean at Melbourne is 58°. The rainfall is very irregular. At Melbourne the average is about 26 inches, but may vary in different years between 15 and 50 inches, and droughts are liable to occur. The rainfall is heavier in the east and on the mountains, but on the northwestern plains it is not over 14 inches a year. These plains are very dry and tree- less, covered with a scanty scrub vegetation. In other sections there are grassy slopes or open, parklike forests, becoming dense on the moiui- tains. The eticalyptus tree reaches an extraordi- nary height. In general the flora and fauna of the State are not distinctive. See Flora and Fauna under Australia. The mountain system consists of greatly de- nuded Lower Paleozoic strata, chiefly Silurian, with niunerous extensive intrusions of granite. In the southwest there is a large basaltic plain, with recent volcanic outflows and numer- ous e.xtinct craters and cones. Tertiary deposits cover the surface of some coast districts and of the northwestern plains. The mountains and drift deposits are rich in minerals, of which gold is the most important. About two-thirds of the enormous gold produc- tion of Australia has been ol)tained in Victoria. From 1851 to 1901 the value of the gold pro- duced in the State aggregated £260.492.881. The value of the output in 1901 was £3,106,433, but for several years it has averaged somewliat ia excess of that amount. General farming is more extensively followed in Victoria than in any other Australian State, the rainfall there being more propitious for crop- growing. The area under crops has about doubled since 1880. There were 3.924.808 acres under cultivation in 1901. Nearly half of this area (2,017,321 acres) was in wheat. The principal other cereals raised in the same year were oats, 363,000 acres, and barley, 59,000 acres. Hay crops, consisting chiefly of wheat and oats, cut green, covered an area of 502,000 acres, and 38.000 acres were devoted to potatoes. Much at- tention is given to fruits, particidarly grapes, 28,- 592 acres being devoted to vines in 1902. Stock- raising is more extensively carried on in connec- tion with cropping than in anv other Australian State. In 1901 there were' 10.839,746 sheep, 1.002,987 head of cattle, and 392.529 horses. The quality of the sheep has improved greatly since 1860. Dallying has made marked progress since 1890, and the dairy produce now receives more favorable recognition in the English market. In 1900, (i4.207 persons were employed in factories, of whom 18,413 were females. The industries emjiloying the most per.sons were clothing and textile fabrics; metal work, machin- ery, etc. ; preparations wf food and drink, such as dairy products^ wine, etc. There were 107 factories emi)loying over 100 hands each. In 1900, 2101 vessels entered Victorian ports, with an aggregate of 2,929,389 tons. Of the total, 2,827.949 entered the port of Melbourne. About half of the total tonnage was British. 'ictoria ranks next to New South Wales in the amount of its foreign trade. Ordinarily the imports and exports are about eipial in value; in 1900 the former anioimted to £18,301.607 and the latter to £17.422.552. In both tlic trade with the United Kinadom is largest, followed closely by the trade with other Australian States. In the relatively small trade with foreign countries France has the largest share. The most valuable items of export are gold, wool, butter, and wheat. All the railroads belong to the State. The management of the system is in charge of a conunissioner. A special committee from both Houses of Parliament considers all proposals for new lines and reports to Parliament. There were 3221 miles open in 1900. The system connects with both the New South Wales and- the South Australia lines. The gross earnings for 1901 were £3,337,797 and the working expenses £1,- 984,796. The net earnings are less than the interest on the borrowed capital invested. The Governor receives his appointment from the British Crown. The Parliament consists of a Legislative Council of 48 members, elected for six year.s, and a Legislative Assembly of 95 members,, elected for three years. A voter for members of the Council must satisfy a property qualification, but this does not appl.y to certain classes, chielly professional. No property quali- flcation is required of those voting for members of the Assembly. Clergy-men are not allowed to hold seats in either branch of Parliament. Vic- toria sends 23 members to the Federal House of Rejiresentatives. Melbourne is the capital. For a discussion of the State's activities, see Australia. The total general revenue in 1900 was £7,722,- 397 and the expenditure £7,683,079. The reve- nue from taxation amounted to £1,779,308, of Avhich £1,065,397 was collected from customs duties. The revenue from the reproductive pub- lic works, principally railways and tramways, was £4,074.375. The largest items of expendi- ture were the working expenses of railways and the interest on the public debt. The State's construction of railways and participation in other revenue-yielding schemes have led to a heaT debt, which amounted in 1900 to £53,- 071.275. Victoria is the second most populous of the Australian States, and ranked first prior to 1891. The most rapid growth of population occurred between 18.50 and 1860. In 1891 the population was 1.140.40.5. and in 1901. 1,199.692. In recent years the emigration by sea has been in excess of the immigration by sea. In 1901 there were only 643 aborigines. There is a large urban population. Melbourne, the largest city of Aus- tralia, had with its suburbs in 1901 a population of 493.956. The principal other towns are Bal- larat, Bendigo, and Geelong.