1891, 8,800,000 lb; in 1900, 9,514,000 lb; and in 1905, 17,489,402 lb; the value of the latter being £594,872.

Western Australia has very extensive forests of timber, and it has been estimated that the forest surfaces cover more than 20 million acres, of which 8 million acres are jarrah; 1,200,000 acres, karri; 200,000 acres, tuart; 7 million acres, wandoo; and 4 million acres, York gum, yate, sandalwood and jam. The principal timber exported is jarrah, karri, and sandalwood, the value of the exports being about £656,000 annually. There are 30 saw-mills in operation, employing altogether 2750 hands. Fisheries are taking an important position; they comprise pearl shell fishing beche-de-mer, and preserved or tinned fish. The

pearl shell fisheries in the north-west and in Shark's Bay have been a considerable source of wealth, the export of pearls and pearl shell being valued at £110,667 in 1899, £106,607 i" '900 and £171,237 in 1903. In 1892 the export was valued at £119,519-Mandurah, at the mouth of the Murray, and Fremantle have preserving sheds for mullet and snapper. Guano beds are worked to much advantage at the Lacepede Isles. Salt is produced largely

at Rottnest Island. Raisins are dried, and the oil of castor trees is expressed. The mulberry tree succeeds well, and sericulture is making progress. Dugong oil is got from Shark's Bay. Honey and wax are becoming valuable exports; from the abundance of flowers the hives can be emptied twice a year.

Manna and gums of various

kinds are among the resources of the country. Among the wines made are the Riesling, Burgundy, Sweetwater, Hock and Fontainebleau. Commerce. — All the great lines of steamers trading between Australia and Europe make one of the ports a place of call both- on the inward and outward voyage; this makes the shipping tonnage very large compared with the population. In 1891 the tonnage

entered and cleared equalled 21 tons per head, and in 1905 14-3 tons. The increase of tonnage is shown by the following figures: 1881, tonnage entered, 145,048; 1891, 533,433; 1905, 1,839,227. In 1905 the tonnage entering Fremantle was 1,176,982, and the imports were valued at £6,030,415. The shipping entering Albany had a tonnage of 519,377, and the imports were valued at £160,305. The trade of Bunbury was: shipping 92,281 tons, imports £59,197; Broome, -shipping 32,191 tons, imports £48,653; other ports, shipping 18,396 tons, imports £182,739.

The trade has increased very rapidly under the influence of the gold discoveries, as the following figures show: —