The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-06-27
PROGRESS Of AUSTRALIA
ENORMOUS GOLD PRODUCT is RE.
PORTED.
Population Shows Steady Increase.
Proportion of the Sexes Remains
Very Even-Careful Statistics.

The external trade of the Australian
colonies continues to be of fair volume,
says Bradstreets. The import trade has
not however, fully recovered from the
great blow inflicted upon it by the cri-
sis of 1893. on the other hand, exports
have inreased Notwithstanding bad
seasons and low prices. The increase
has, however, been principally in gold
The total exports of the seven colonies
i'm 1898 amounted to SIS, 45S,933, against
G72 213, 526 in 1897, and the total imports
to E6S, Sal, S72, against 965,599, 800. A
part of this trade, say about one-fourth,
consists of movements between the col
onies themselves. The exports of 1898
exceeded the imports by G9,917 ,061. The
necessity for this excess consists in the
large Indebtedness of the colonies to
the mother country. Every year at
least Ell, 100000 has to be RENTED to
London for interest, and this burden
ultimately falls upon the industry and
trade of the colonies. When borrowing
was conducted on profuse lines imports
largely exceeded exports. Now the col
onies have to meet the consequences of
mourning a gigantic external public and
private indebtedness.
The Australian production of gold for
the year 1898 was equal to about $780,
600 fine ounces, of the value of about
G195OO, 600, all of which was shipped to
an increase of about G2,5O0,000 as COM
pared with 1897, which, in it's turn,
showed an increase of about G2,000000
as compared with 1896 That is to say,
the production has overwhelmingly
owing to the great developments at
Kalgurlie, in Western Australia-by
about so per cent in the short period of
two years. The current year is witness
ing a further increase, the returns for
the five principal producing colonies
(Western Australia, Victoria, Queens
land, New South Wales and New Zea-
land) for the first three months of the
year showing a production of S3l, 800
fine ounces valued at about G3,534, 900,
against 500, 400 fine ounces, valued at
about e2,947 900, for the corresponding
period of 1898. Should the same rate of
increase continue throughout the year
the production for 1899 will exceed that
of 1898 by at least 900 fine ounces,
Each of the Australian colonies has a
we'll organized statistical department,
and several of the government statisti-
clans are possessed of very consider
able ability. Those for Victoria and
New South Wales have commenced to
publish the 1899 statistics, bringing
down to the close of 1898, while in agri-
cultural production they include the
season of 1S9S-99 which may be regard
ed as ending on March 81 One of the
lhoSl lHlpoI IdhI IdplGS' JuSt pucll9iiSu'
is that of the population of the Austria
lasian colonies. The movements year
by year are of comparatively little in
terest, but the period from, say, the
date of the last census, April s. 1891, is
one sufficient to afford a fair view of
the subject. On the census date the
population was $500, 1896, and at the close
of 1898 it was estimated at 4,476,99S, the
estimated increase thus being 667 100.
The numbers of the sexes are: Males,
23S6,015; females, 2,090,980. The move
ment in total population is not at so
rapid a rate as in former years, and,
indeed, immigration from the United
Kingdom is now on a moderate scale
only,