only one concerning which there is complete information. But that state may be taken as typical of the whole, as the customs and conditions of living do not vary greatly in any of them, and the statement below enables a comparison to be made with the principal assigned causes of insanity in England and Wales. The following figures represent the proportion of each assigned cause to the total known causes for a period of five years :

Intemperance in drink is popularly supposed to be the most fruitful cause of insanity in Australasia, but as will be seen from the above table hereditary influence is the chief factor both here and in England. The figures moreover prove that insanity arising from intemperance is not nearly so common in these states as in the old country. Amongst females, the chief causes of insanity in the states are hereditary influence and pregnancy, etc. It is believed that hereditary influence and congenital defect are responsible in New South Wales for a much larger percentage of cases than the number shown in the table, and that of the unknown causes the great majority should be ascribed to hereditary influences. The small proportion of cases set down to these two causes is simply due to the difficulty of obtaining knowledge of the family history of a large number of those who enter the asylums.

HABITATIONS.

The latest information available concerning the habitations of the people, is that obtained at the census of 1901, when inquiry was made on the householders' schedules respecting the dwellings of the population. The information sought was in respect to whether a building was occupied, unoccupied, or in course of construction; the material of

which it was built, and the number of rooms which it contained. The tabulation was not made with the same degree of completeness in all the states; but so far as comparative figures can be given they are shown below::

The materials of which the dwellings in each state were constructed are shown in the following table, so far as the particulars are available. In New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, and New Zealand the information is shown for all dwellings; in Victoria and Queensland for inhabited dwellings only. Dwellings made of canvas are most numerous in Western Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. The large numbers of men living in tents engaged in mining in Western Australia, and in mining and on railway extensions in the two last mentioned states, will sufficiently account for the totals shown in this class.

The number of rooms is given below for all houses, whether occupied or unoccupied, in the case of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania

and Western Australia; for the other states the figures refer to inhabited dwellings only:

In the case of those states where no information is given in the table respecting tents, etc., the returns are incorporated in the first two lines of the table. From the foregoing figures it will be seen that in Australasia there are over 5 persons to every occupied house.

855

EDUCATION.

IT

T would have been strange if communities so prosperous as the Australasian States had neglected to provide for the education of the children. This duty, so vitally affecting the welfare of the people, has been recognised as one of the most important which the state could be called upon to discharge. In every province of the group, ample provision has been made for public instruction-such provision, indeed, in some cases, extending far beyond what has been done in most of the countries of the old world. In addition to a system of primary education, in all the states there are grammar and high schools, by means of which those who have the desire may qualify for the higher studies of the University. So bountiful is the provision made by the state that in most cases the cost of education is merely nominal, and the poverty of the parents ceases to be an excuse for the ignorance of the children. It is true that in the very early days of colonisation but little attention was paid to education; but so soon as the sharp struggle for bare existence was over, attempts were made to provide means of instruction for the rising generation, and the foundations were laid of an educational system that is in the highest degree creditable to these young communities. The religious bodies were naturally the first to build schools and provide teachers; but there was always a large proportion of persons who objected to denominationalism, principally those who belonged to denominations which were not subsidised by the state; hence there arose a national or non-sectarian system, which has in the course of time almost monopolised the educational field.

In all the Australasian provinces the state system of education is secular. Compulsory clauses find a place in the Acts of the various states; but the enforcement of these is not everywhere equally strict. In Victoria, for example, compulsory attendance at school has been rigorously insisted upon, while in Queensland the principle of compulsion has been allowed to remain almost in abeyance, and in the other states it has been enforced with varying degrees of strictness. In Victoria, Queensland, New Zealand, Western Australia, and South Australia the primary education provided by the State is entirely free of charge to the parents; in New South Wales and Tasmania small fees are charged, but these are not enforced where the parents can reasonably plead poverty.

The statutory school-age in each state is as follows:

Exemption certificates are granted to pupils below the maximum school age, provided they can pass an examination of a prescribed standard.

In New South Wales, for many years, a dual system of education was in existence. The four State-aided denominations-the Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan bodies-had schools supported by annual votes from Parliament, administered under the control of the head of each denomination for the time being. There were also National schools, likewise supported by the State, but under the control of a Board appointed by the Government. This plan was found to be costly and wasteful in the extreme, for in many country towns there were in existence several small and inefficient competing schools where the total number of children was not more than sufficient for one wellconducted establishment. So strongly was this evil felt that changes in the law were made from time to time, until at length the denominational system was abolished altogether, and one general and comprehensive plan of public instruction adopted in its place. This reform was not accomplished without much agitation, extending over a considerable period. A league was formed with the object of securing the establishment of secular, compulsory, and free education, and in 1880, under the auspices of Sir Henry Parkes, the measure establishing the present system became law. Education in the public schools is now non-sectarian, though facilities are afforded to clergymen to give religious instruction within specified school-hours to children whose parents belong to their denomination and desire that this instruction shall be given. It is compulsory, and free to all who cannot afford to pay, while a merely nominal fee is charged to those who are in a position to contribute towards the cost of the teaching of their children. For secondary education there are a number of superior and high schools entirely supported by the state, besides numerous colleges, grammar schools, and denominational schools which obtain no assistance from the Government, excepting the Sydney Grammar School, which receives a statutory endowment of £1,500. Scholarships and bursaries have been founded in connection with many of these schools. The University of Sydney, which is liberally endowed by private individuals as well as by the state, grants degrees which rank with those of Oxford and Cambridge. Educational affairs in the state are under the direction of a Minister for Public Instruction. In 1902 two Commissioners were appointed by the Government to