unsatisfactory. Several companies at Kalgoorlie, Coolgardie, the Murchison, and other fields have paid dividends. In 1897 the Great Boulder has paid to its shareholders £160,000—nearly equal to the capital of the company, and the Lake View has paid £125,000. Much excitement was caused at Kalgoorlie early in the year by the discovery of tellurides in depth. In the Great Boulder in March a deposit of pure gold in the form of a sponge was discovered at the 200 feet level, and in the course of a few hours gold weighing 70 lbs. was taken out. Twenty-seven mines at Kalgoorlie in 1897 (June to September) have yielded an average of 3 oz. 0 dwts. 3 grs. of gold to the ton. From these 112,139¾ tons of quartz were crushed up to September, returning 337,209¼ ozs. of gold. The Golden Horseshoe has given (1,112 tons) 4 ozs. 5 dwts. 18 grs. to the ton; Great Boulder Main Reef (2,480 tons), 3 ozs. 1 dwt. 23 grs.; Great Boulder Proprietary (41,241 tons), 3 ozs. 8 dwts. 23 grs.; Hannan's Crœsus (203½ tons), 4 ozs.; Lake View Consols (22,680 tons), 2 ozs. 19 dwts. 22 grs.; Australian Associated Gold Mines (3,081 tons), 3 ozs. 11 dwts. 11 grs.; Hannan's Brown Hill (4,137½} tons), 6 oz. 2 dwts. 8 grs.; Ivanhoe (13,049 tons), 2 ozs. 9 dwts. 4grs. One lot of thirty-three tons from the Kalgurlie claim yielded 17 ozs. 0 dwts. 15 to the ton. We have not the opportunity of perusing similar returns from other districts. In Kalgoorlie, however, the chief developments have been made.
The mingled output of gold for Western Australia from January to November, 1897, is 602,671 ozs., as against 281,265 ozs. in 1896. That of all the preceding years of gold production (1886-1896) totalled only 967,626 ozs. 8 dwts. 15 grs. The wonderful and unparalleled development is thus exemplified; and it must be observed that these returns for 1897 were invariably from quartz taken from mines situated hundreds of miles from the seaboard, in the midst of deserts, and surrounded by numerous physical disabilities. Nor must it be overlooked that the gold wealth of Western Australia is but at the beginning of development, and that new quartz mines are constantly coming into operation.
Notwithstanding all her difficulties Western Australia is rapidly entering into competition with contemporary goldfields. Comparisons are supremely to her advantage. Over ten times as much gold was exported from this colony in the first eleven years of its export as from South Africa during the similar period in the history of that country. The following returns are taken from the Annual Report of the Collector of Customs for 1896:—
| Western Australia | Cape Colony and Natal | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| 1 | 1886 | 1,148 | 1871 | 370 |
| 2 | 1887 | 18,517 | 1872 | 825 |
| 3 | 1888 | 13,273 | 1873 | 980 |
| 4 | 1889 | 58,872 | 1874 | 39,432 |
| 5 | 1890 | 86,664 | 1875 | 71,452 |
| 6 | 1891 | 115,182 | 1876 | 51,707 |
| 7 | 1892 | 226,284 | 1877 | 67,595 |
| 8 | 1893 | 421,385 | 1878 | 39,340 |
| 9 | 1894 | 787,099 | 1879 | 30,225 |
| 10 | 1895 | 879,748 | 1880 | 22,450 |
| 11 | 1896 | 1,068,808 | 1881 | 17,952 |
| Total | £3,676,980 | Total | £342,328 | |
But Western Australia can give South Africa eight additional years and still hold the advantage—eleven years against nineteen:—
| South African Gold Exports. | |
| 11 years (1871 to 1881) ... | £342,828 |
| 1882 ... | 22,040 |
| 1883 ... | 30,457 |
| 1884 ... | 39,005 |
| 1885 ... | 69,543 |
| 1886 ... | £134,769 |
| 1887 ... | 236,487 |
| 1888 ... | 908,694 |
| 1889 ... | 1,445,204 |
| Total value of Exports for first 19 years ... | £3,228,527 |
The returns for Australasia for the three years ending 1896 (Customs Report) are:—
| 1894. | 1895. | 1896. | |
| ozs. | ozs. | ozs. | |
| Victoria ... | 716,955 | 740,086 | 805,087 |
| Queensland ... | 679,511 | 631,682 | 638,212 |
| New South Wales ... | 324,787 | 360,165 | 296,072 |
| Western Australia ... | 207,131 | 231,513 | 281,265 |
| New Zealand ... | 221,615 | 293,491 | 236,722 |
| Tasmania ... | 57,873 | 54,964 | 62,586 |
| South Australia ... | 35,844 | 47,343 | 29,004 |
| 2,243,716 | 2,359,244 | 2,375,948 |
It will be seen that in 1896 Western Australia was yet considerably behind Victoria and Queensland, but her output for 1897 is sure to be beyond that of Queensland in 1896. There is more than a likelihood that Western Australia in 1898 will have an output larger than that of any other Australasian colony: In the months of October and November, 1897, she had reached the totals of Victoria and Queensland for he same months. The return for Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, from January to November (inclusive), 1897, are:—
| ozs. | |
| Victoria ... | 718,856 |
| Queensland ... | 705,321 |
| Western Australia ... | 602,671 |
The population of the colony is still on the increase. In June, 1896 it was estimated 122,420 persons; in December, 1896, 137,946, and in June, 1897, at 157,791 persons—made up of 110,456 males and 47,335 females, or 86,900 adult males and 27,700 adult females.
Gold does not supply the only source of mineral wealth. The deposits of coal on the Collie River are considered to be exceedingly promising, and large leases have been taken out there by rich corporations. In 1893-4 some 1,000 tons of coal were raised. To test its quality a trial was made with it on the railways. The Locomotive Inspector reported in 1894 that it burnt freely with an intense heat, and was a rapid steam-producer when perfect combustion was taking place. He considered that it would be possible with similar coal to cope with all the traffic on the railways. Government and Parliament decided to build a railway to the field, and pending its construction development work has remained in abeyance. Considerable tin was extracted from the Greenbushes Tinfield, and copper from near Roebourne and the Murchison. Jasper, diamonds, and other sources of wealth are believed to exist. The mineral exports (other than gold) have been:—
| Copper | Tin | Coal | |
| 1893 ... | £606 ... | 11,134 ... | — |
| 1894 ... | — ... | 15,274 ... | — |
| 1895 ... | 12,952 ... | 9,703 ... | — |
| 1896 ... | 100 ... | 4,338 ... | £15,041 |
Because of the expansion in every branch of local industry, caused by the growing wealth of the goldfields and the introduction of outside capital, Parliament had to consider important measures that the changed circumstances called for. Members of the Government endeavoured to meet the prosperous advances more than halfway. They introduced useful bills that were calculated to encourage settlement on the land: they amended the constitution; they built railways and telegraphs; they gave facilities to the numerous new
