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.
