Sex. New Vic- Queens toria. land. South Western Tas- Common- New Australmania. wealth. Zealand asia. CLASS VI.-AGricultural, PASTORAL, MINING, AND OTHER PRIMARY PRODUCERS. From the foregoing table it will be apparent that the principal source of employment in Australasia is in its primary producing industries, no less than 645,047 persons being engaged therein. distributed as follows:: These persons were Males Persons Males Persons Males Persons Sex. PERSONS ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS. 75,884 78,539 38,260 33,039 8,322 17,348 251,392 65,723 317,115 1,735 17,381 2,081 1,147 285 2,074 24,703 2,089 77,619 95,920 40,341 24,186 8,607 26,792 19,422 276,095 67,812 343,907 PERSONS ENGAGED IN THE CAPTURE OF WILD ANIMALS OR THE ACQUISITION OF PRODUCTS THEREFROM. The number of females engaged in agricultural pursuits is large in Victoria in comparison with the other states, as in that state a number of females, relatives of the farmers, who were partly engaged in agriculture and partly in domestic duties, have been counted as engaged in agricultural pursuits, while in the other states they were classified as performing domestic duties, and, consequently, as dependents. Persons engaged in pastoral pursuits numbered 84,732, and of those in the Commonwealth nearly one-half were in New South Wales. The live stock in Australasia at the end of 1901 consisted of 17,326,021 sheep, 1,921,963 cattle, 166,421 horses, and 121,035 swine, the total being equal to 209,684,874 sheep, or an average of 2,475 sheep to each person. The number of live stock in each state, expressed in terms of sheep, and the number of persons engaged in pastoral pursuits during 1901 are shown below: In Western Australia the number of primary producers was 35,572, and of these no less than 19,838 were engaged in mining pursuits. The timber industry has not been specially dealt with in this volume. The interests involved, however, are somewhat large, especially in New Zealand and in the states of Western Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. The total annual value of the timber industry of the Commonwealth is £2,080,000, and of New Zealand £971,000. This represents the value of the rough timber as it leaves the forest saw-mills, the value added by further treatment in the saw-mills and joinery yards is included in the manufacturing industries. Amongst the states of the Commonwealth, Western Australia stands first as regards timber production. In the year 1902 the value was £828,000, for New South Wales the return was £526,000 during the same period, and for Queensland £458,000. The other states show much smaller amounts, viz., Victoria, £143,000; Tasmania, £95,000; and South Australia about £30,000. The figures for South Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand refer to the year 1901, as no later information is available. The fisheries of Australia comprise the ordinary coast and river fisheries, and the pearl-fishing industry of Queensland and Western and Northern Australia; while there is a small export of whale oil from Tasmania. The pearl-shell fisheries of Queensland show an export of nearly £130,000 per annum, and of bêche-de-mer the value exported is, in round figures, £10,000. From Western Australia the export of pearlshell is about £137,000, and of pearls £40,000. Reckoning the home fisheries of all the states and New Zealand, as well as the pearl fisheries, the total production of the industry may be set down at £967,000. THE INDUSTRIAL CLASS. The persons engaged in industrial pursuits numbered 527,387, being only exceeded by those engaged in the primary producing industries. The largest proportionate number is to be found in Victoria, where 146,233 persons were engaged, being only 455 less than in New South Wales. Of the total number engaged in industrial pursuits 328,545 were employed in the manufacturing industry, and the following table has been prepared so as to show the number of persons engaged in the different branches thereof : Males Females Persons PERSONS WORKING IN TEXTILE FABRICS, DRESS, AND FIBROUS Materials. 9,451 10,664 21,644 28,450 3,146 2,492 1,088 1,269 28,110 8,173 6,606 6,243 2,024 2,099 67,066 14,237 31,095 39,114 | 9,752 8,735 3,112 3,368 95,176 22,410 117,586 36,283 81,303 The number shown above as employed in manufacturing industries exceeds that given in the chapter dealing with manufactories, since the factory returns relate to employment in industries coming under the provisions of the Factories Act, and take no account of places where less than four hands are employed, unless machinery is used. In the Census figures also are included casual workers and all single workers engaged on their own account, both of which classes are omitted from the factories returns. The case of New South Wales may be cited as an example to show the difference between the two returns in the number of female workers. According to the Census there were 18,000 dressmakers and tailoresses, many of them on their own account. According to the factories returns there were under 7,000. At the census of 1891 the persons engaged in the manufacturing industries of the states which comprise the Commonwealth numbered 214,220, so that there has been an increase of 53,506 persons or nearly 25 per cent. during the ten years. The largest increase was in New South Wales, where the total was 74,559 in 1891, and 94,119 in 1901, an addition of 19,560 persons or more than 26 per cent. The number of persons engaged in the other branches of the industrial class is shown in the following table :— Males Females Persons Sex 70,329 62,222 24,901 18,163 10,538 7,516 193,669 45,245 238,914 23,790 31,810 7,233 6,761 2,196 2,267 74,057 15,574 89,631 94,119 94,032 | 32,134 24,924 12,734 9,783 267,726 60,819 328,545 |