West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Thursday 5 January 1933, page 55


PRINCIPAL NEWS ITEMS OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF PUBLICATION.

THE MARCH OF EVENTS. An Historical Summary.

SOME time before January 5, 1833, Charles Macfaull sat at a desk in his home in Adelaide-terrace and fashioned the first few words of those that the colonists were to read as "The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal."

One can picture him dipping his quill, poising it, giving his side-whiskers a reflective tug perhaps, and then setting in motion a stream of ink which was to flow for one hundred years, at first falteringly, at most a nervous little trickle, but gradually to gather volume and to swell to such size and constancy as could not be denied. Through the century it has eddied and coursed in consort with the life about it, its surface a mirror for the happenings, large and small, which form the history of Western Australia. As we journey back over the stream we can pick out the varied milestones in the progress of the State, and these are here tabulated, providing a unique historical summary.

1833. ALBANY.—On September 13, Sir Richard Spencer, the first Government Resident of King George's Sound, arrived at Albany, which then had a population of 17, in addition to a few soldiers. CURRENCY.—The Agricultural Society formed the Swan River Barter Society. Each member was allowed 50 promissory notes, of a face value of £1 each, and each agreed to accept notes in lieu of cash. DEPRESSION.—Settlers were brought close to starvation. By the beginning of September it was found necessary to ration foodstuffs and until the arrival of several ships later in the year the settlers were reduced practically to a famine diet. A bountiful harvest at the end of the year brought a return to normal conditions. EXPLORATION.—Ensign Dale and Dr. Collie made journeys to the King George's Sound district and J. G. Bussell made a careful examination of the Vasse district, which resulted in the profitable settle-ment of that part of the Colony. FARMING.—The area under crop was about 600 acres. MANUFACTURES.—For the first time, kangaroo skins were tanned and made into boots. MILLS.—Mr. Henry Willey Reveley's mill, the first built in Perth (on the site of the present Technical College), com-menced grinding in February. It cost £1,000 to erect. A few months later Mr. Samuel Kingsford erected a mill in the immediate neighbourhood, facing Mill-street. In June, Mr. William Kernot Shenton established a mill at Point Belches, South Perth, near the site of the mill that stands to-day. NEW TOWNS.—The townsites of Northam and Newcastle (Toodyay) were surveyed. RACING.—The first horse race in the Colony was held on October 2 at South Beach, about 1½ miles from Fremantle. ROADS.—In January the first made roadway in the Colony from the town to Mr. Eliza, was in the course of construc-tion. SHIPPING.—During the year 21 vessels arrived at Fremantle from foreign parts, bringing 73 passengers. "THE WEST AUSTRALIAN."—On January 5 "The Perth Gazette and West-ern Australian Journal," the forerunner of "The West Australian" was first issued. TIMBER.—In March, Mr. J. H. Monger moved from the vicinity of the lake which bore his name and started the first tim-ber yard at Mt. Eliza. WHALING.—A whaling station was started at Albany early in the year by Messrs. Lukin and Steel, of Perth. 1834. AGRICULTURAL SHOW.—The first Agricultural Show was held on November 7, in the neighbourhood of Guildford, being in the nature of a cattle exhibition and picnic. It was under the auspices of the Agricultural Society, the oldest institution in the Colony, having been founded in July, 1831. There were very few exhibits. FERRIES.—Ferries were established at Fremantle, Preston Point, Mt. Eliza and Guildford in January, and tolls levied. An earlier ferry was in existence at Pres-ton Point in January, 1833. MAILS.—The Legislative Council passed an Act establishing a Postal Department. NATIVES.—Battle of Pinjarra.—The natives of the Murray district having been very troublesome for some time, having attacked the mill at South Perth on April 24. A punitive expedition under the Governor (Sir James Stirling), number-ing 25 settlers, mounted police and sol-diers, left Perth on October 27. On the following day, near Pinjarra, an encoun-ter took place, in which the Superinten-dent of Police (Captain Ellis) was fatally wounded and Constable P. Heffron was slightly wounded. Of the natives, ten men, three women and one child were killed. NOTE ISSUE.—Because of a shortage of specie, £1 notes were issued from the Commissariat Office in January. PARLIAMENT.—By an Act passed this year it was provided that the Legislative Council, hitherto comprised of Govern-ment officers, should be increased by four unofficial members, nominated by the Government. The sittings were from this year opened to the public. The unofficial members were not appointed until 1839. PINJARRA.—The townsite of Pinjarra was fixed. RACING.—At a meeting held at the Stag's Head Inn, Fremantle on March 19 it was decided to form the Fremantle Race Club to hold horse races twice a year. A course was cleared in April. On March 20 the first trotting race held in the Colony took place on the Fremantle race course between a horse belonging to Capt. Erskine and one belonging to Mr. Wil-liam Samson. RELIGION.—The Perth Chapel was opened on June 22. UNEMPLOYMENT.—In October there was the first reference to unemployment, in the Albany district. Working men complained that they could not obtain employment and work was found for them on street construction. WOOL.—A shipment of 7,585lb. of wool valued at £758 was sent to Eng-land. Wool was the State's first export, a small consignment having been for-warded to London in 1832. Since 1834, the export has been continuous. 1835. ESTIMATES.—In January the Gover-nor laid before the Legislative Council estimates of receipts and expenditures for the year, the first document of its kind in the colony. MAILS.—On January 31 Mr. Charles Macfaull was appointed first official Post-master at Perth, and Mr. M. J. Bateman the first at Fremantle. Both had been unofficial postmasters since about 1832. MIGRATION.—By the end of the year immigration had entirely ceased, due to lack of interest on the part of the great London companies. MILLS.—In October, the Governor (Sir James Stirling), at the request of Mr. W. K. Shenton, laid the foundation stone of a windmill at Point Belches, South Perth, to replace the original one, which had proved inadequate. The mill then con-structed is the picturesque building that stands to-day. SEALING.—Sealskins valued at £500 were exported from Albany. SETTLEMENT.—This year was notable for an assessment of the value of land and the improvements in the Colony, and of the number of live stock. The amount represented nearly £250 000. There were 7,158 head of stock, including 5,138 sheep. About 1,800 acres were under crop, and 50 bales of wool were sent to London. YORK.—In July, the first town allot-ments at York were sold to Messrs. Bland and Trimmer. 1836. BREWERY.—A brewery—the Albion was established in Perth in January. COMMUNICATIONS.—A road between Perth and Albany was surveyed by Mr. A Hillman. COURTS.—A courthouse, erected at Perth at the cost of £700, was completed in December. EXPLORATION.—An offer by Captain George Grey to the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Lord Glenelg), to conduct an expedition to the country north of Perth that Dampier and Captain King

(1819) had described, was accepted. H.M.S. Beagle was commissioned by the Imperial Government to carry out a coastal survey and to bring Captain Grey as far as the Cape of Good Hope, where a schooner was to be chartered. The Moore River was discovered by Mr. George Fletcher Moore, and excellent pastoral country in the vicinity was opened up. GUILDFORD.—The boundaries of the townsite of Guildford were fixed. PASTORAL INDUSTRY.—The develop-ment of the pastoral industry commenced, and the Colony depended on it until the period of gold discoveries and the extension of the wheat lands. PERTH.—A fire on January 19 destroyed the last of the rush huts erected by the soldiers of the 63rd Reg. on the Barrack Square (opposite the present Government Gardens). A few of the first rush huts built in 1829 still remained on the outskirts of the town. RELIGION.—In July the first missionary arrived in the Colony—Dr. Louis Giusti-niani, who was sent out by the Western Australian Missionary Society (formed in England in 1835, and afterwards known as the Colonial Church Society). The so-ciety had selected Guildford as the scene of its work, and Giustiniani's first work was the erection of a church at Guildford and the forming of a native mission at Middle Swan. The church stood in the graveyard at East Guildford, at the east end of the present Grammar School Chapel. The foundation-stone was laid in Septem-ber, and the building was opened for divine worship towards the end of the year. This was the first church in the Colony. It has long since been demolished. SHIPPING.—The first sea-going craft built in the Colony, the Lady Stirling, was launched at Fremantle in May. TIMBER.—The first export of timber took place, consisting of 200 tons for the British Admiralty. WHEAT.—Contracts were accepted by the Imperial Commissariat Department for the delivery at Perth of 1,200 bushels of wheat, at 12/ a bushel. A cargo of wheat was sent to New South Wales, where there was a severe drought. 1837. BANKING.—The Bank of Western Aus-tralia commenced business at Perth on June 1, with a nominal capital of £10,000, only 25 per cent. of the capital being called up. Small deposits were received on the Savings Bank principle, on which interest at 5 per cent. was allowed. Mr. George Leake was chairman of directors. BUSSELTON.—Busselton was surveyed, and the first lot was sold to Mr. Chapman. COURTS.—On January 2 the Court of Quarter Sessions, hitherto held at Fre-mantle, was held for the first time at Perth in the then recently erected courthouse. The building, now the Arbitration Court, still stands. EXPLORATION.—Captain Grey's party landed at High Bluff Point, in Port George the Fourth in the schooner Lynheer, from Cape Town, on December 3, and walked to Hanover Bay. On December 9 the British flag was hoisted, and the little party "went through the ceremony of tak-ing possession of the territory in the name of Her Majesty and her heirs for ever." SETTLEMENT.—The number of persons in the Colony, about 2,000, was only 263 more than in 1831. The value of their property was £200,000, providing an annual accumulation of capital of £72,000. The number of sheep was over 16,000, and wheat production was greater than consumption. TRANSPORT.—In March direct com-munication by road between Perth and King George's Sound was opened. WHALING.—On June 10 the first whale caught near Cockburn Sound, off Carnac, was landed, guns being fired at Fremantle to celebrate the memorable event. With this capture the Fremantle Whaling Com-pany began operations. (Long before this American whalers were frequent visitors to West Australian waters, particularly off the south coast). In August the com-pany began excavations for a whaling tun-nel under the Round House Gaol, at Ar-thur's Head, Fremantle, to facilitate the transport of whale oil and merchandise between Bather's Bay and the town. Whales frequently came into Fremantle Harbour at certain periods of the year, and for many years whaling was a staple local industry. Oil and whalebone valued at £3,000 were exported from Fremantle and Albany this year. American whalers obtained whalebone and oil valued at £30,000. 1838. EXPLORATION.—The Fitzroy and Adelaide rivers (Kimberley district) were discovered by H.M.S. Beagle. Captain Grey penetrated the Kimberley country in the neighbourhood of the Prince Regent River. At the conclusion of his expedition he set sail for the Isle of France, having rejoined the Beagle. GOVERNOR.—The administration as Governor of Sir James Stirling closed at the end of the year. PERTH.—On June 15 an Act was passed vesting the control of the town of Perth in a body of trustees consisting of justices of the peace resident in town, and owners of allotments held in fee simple. The first accurate plan of Perth with street names, prepared by Mr. Alfred Hillman under the direction of the Surveyor-General, was issued, Newcastle-street forming one boun-dary of the town. POLICE.—Mr. George Douglas was ap-pointed the first police constable of the Murray District, at a salary of £10 a year. RELIGION.—Dr. Giustiniani left the Colony in February, greatly disliked. The Rev. William Mitchell succeeded him, arriving in August. One of his first works was the completion of the Guildford Church, followed by the erection of new churches at Middle Swan and Upper Swan, the latter being still in existence. An Independent Chapel was started at Guildford. ROTTNEST.—A native prison was estab-lished at Rottnest. SETTLEMENT.—There were 2,501 acres under crop in the Colony, the wheat yield being 22,104 bushels. There were 16,816 sheep, the value of wool exported being £1,935. VACCINE.—In September vaccine mat-ter was introduced into the Colony for the first time. WHALING.—The Whaling Tunnel at Arthur's Head, Fremantle, was completed in January. The Perth Whaling Company ceased operations in February. 1839. CRICKET.—In April the youths of the town and district of Guildford formed a cricket club, the second in the Colony. On Easter Eve the first inter-club match took place, Perth beating Guildford by "40 odd runs." EXPLORATION.—Captain Grey, in ex-ploration between Shark Bay and Perth discovered the Gascoyne, Irwin and other rivers, and the Victoria Plains between February 17 and April 21. On the jour-ney, one man died and one became half-demented. Grey had also explored most of the country between Leschenault and the Williams River in January. GOVERNOR.—The new Governor, Mr. William Hutt, arived at Fremantle on January 2. Governor Stirling sailed on January 6. MAILS.—A Post Office was established at Guildford in July. Mr. Abraham Jones being appointed postmaster. NATIVES.—Messrs. G. Burrow and C. Symmons were appointed instructors of natives in the Colony by the Imperial Government. Native schools were estab-lished, the first being under the care of the Wesleyan Church. PARLIAMENT.—On January 3 Gover-nor Hutt put into operation the plan ap-proved by the Home authorities five years

before, and nominated four unofficial mem-bers—Messrs. William Locke Brockman, George Leake, Thomas Peel and William Tanner—to the Legislative Council for the duration of their residence in the Col-ony. The official members numbered five, who were also members of the Executive Council. PERTH.—On April 14 an Act was passed empowering the Trustees of Perth (ap-pointed by the Act of 1838) to make an assessment for the improvement of the town. RELIGION.—The foundation stone of the Rev. Mitchell's Anglican Church at Upper Swan was laid on October 31. RESERVES.—The reserve known for many years as the Old Recreation Ground, now Wellington Square, in Wellington-street, East Perth, was proclaimed as a reserve for public recreation. It was our first reserve proclaimed for that purpose. For years the principal annual cricket match was played there, the day being made a gala occasion. SHEEP.—Mr. J. Harris travelled a flock of sheep from Perth to the Albany dis-trict, and Mr. John Hassell stocked land in the Kendenup district with sheep from the Eastern States. Thus the pastoral industry of an area of country several hun-dred miles long and extending inland about 50 miles, was more or less established. THEATRE.—On July 9 the first theatri-cal entertainment in the Colony took place, plays by amateur performers being staged at Leeder's Hotel, Perth. 1840. AUSTRALIND.—The West Australian Company was formed in London in May to effect a settlement at Australind, on Leschenault inlet. It was the second large colonising experiment in the Colony, and like that of Thomas Peel, it failed within three years of its inception. CAUSEWAY.—On November 2 the first pile was driven of the old Perth Causeway. EDUCATION.—A grammar school was opened in Perth. EXPLORATION.—On January 31 Ed-ward John Eyre commenced the expedition from South Australia to Perth along the coastline, which has placed him among the immortals. In the forties also, A. C. Gregory accomplished a journey to Shark Bay and a long eastern trip. H.M.S. Beagle surveyed the Houtman Abrolhos Islands. EXPORTS.—In January the vessel Shep-herd left Fremantle for London, being the first ship laden wholly with West Aus-tralian produce. LONDON AGENTS.—At a public meeting held in Perth in April, Sir James Stirling and Messrs. W. Hutt and T. Bland were appointed agents to watch the Colony's affairs in London. MIGRATION.—The Legislative Council set aside £1,500 for the purpose of obtain-ing labour from England. Youths from the Parkhurst reformatory were sent to the Colony by the British Government. POLICE.—Mr. John Chipper, the first police constable employed on a fixed wage in Perth, was appointed in May at a salary of £20 a year. RELIGION.—The foundation stone of a Wesleyan Chapel was laid at Fremantle by Governor Hutt. This building in Can-tonment-street is still standing, but has been enlarged and is now used as the church hall and Sunday school. A church at Middle Swan was opened on November 29. Shortly afterwards the church at Upper Swan (still standing) was opened. 1841. BANKING.—In May the Bank of West-ern Australia was bought out by the Bank of Australasia, which started a branch in Perth. Many of the sharehold-ers of the Bank of Western Australia were opposed to the transfer, and they insti-tuted the Western Australian Bank, which commenced business in Perth on June 23, and for 86 years played a dominant part, in the finances of Western Australia. It amalgamated with the Bank of New South Wales in 1927. BUNBURY.—In February, the townsite of Bunbury was surveyed. EXPLORATION.—John Baxter, ex-plorer, the companion of Eyre, was killed by natives on April 29 at a spot on the Bight 130 miles south-east of the present town of Zanthus. Eyre completed the journey to Albany in company with a native boy, arriving on July 27, six months after leaving Adelaide. MAILS.—On June 23 a weekly mail be-tween Guildford and York, and an over-land monthly mail to King George's Sound, were established. PERTH.—The Act of 1838 was repealed and an Act for the improvement of towns in the Colony was passed on Sep-tember 23, under which the first chair-man and committee of the Town Trust of Perth were elected, about four months later. The plan of Perth was revised. POLICE.—Two native constables, Dob-bin and Tonquin, were appointed at Upper Swan, on a daily ration of flour. If there was peace in the land, their measure of flour was full. If there was any out-rage, they got nothing. RELIGION.—The foundation stone of the Anglican Church, Perth, was laid by Governor Hutt on January 1, and on Janu-ary 10 the Rev. Mitchell's Anglican Church at Upper Swan was opened for service. RIVER STEAMERS.—On November 18 a company was formed to establish a river steamboat service. SETTLEMENT.—The Parkfield, with nearly 100 settlers and immigrants, reached Koombana Bay on March 18 for the set-tlement of Australind, at Leschenault, under the auspices of the Western Aus-tralian Company, a British concern. 1842. CAUSEWAY.—In January a bridle path was opened on the Causeway for pedestrians and horsemen. Toll gates were placed at each end. JETTIES:—The Mill-street Jetty, known as Stone Jetty, was opened, and on No-vember 7. William-street, or Steamer Jetty, was opened. Tolls were levied for the use of all Perth jetties. Barrack-street, or Cole's Jetty, was opened earlier. Stone Jetty was so named because stone, quar-ried from Pt. Resolution, was unloaded there from punts, and Steamer Jetty be-cause the first river steamers plied to and from the jetty. Cole's Jetty was named after the first chairman of the Perth City Council (Mr. Henry Laroche Cole), who arrived in the Colony in 1829, and built and owned the United Service Tavern. MAILS.—A regular mail service be-tween settlements of the Colony was in-augurated on April 6, a daily service be-tween Perth and Fremantle coming into operation. MINING.—The history of mining in Western Australia began with the discov-ery of the Waneranooka copper lode at Northampton, by Thomas Mason, a shep-herd. PERTH TOWN TRUST.—On February 8, under the provisions of the 1841 Act, Mr. W. B. Andrews was elected the first chairman of the Perth Town Trust, and George Leake, James Purkis, Peter Brown, W. H. Drake, and Richard Jones were elected members of the trust committee. On February 11 the Town Trust levied its first rate of £1 on each owner of property, on the north side of Hay-street, and 10/ on each other resident, for the purposes of making footpaths in Hay-street. Tolls were the trust's chief source of income. RELIGION.—The Wesleyan Church, Perth, was opened on January 1. The foundation stone of St. John's Anglican Church in the then King's-square, Fre-mantle, was laid by Governor Hutt on April 6. ROTTNEST.—The foundation stone of a lighthouse at Rottnest was laid on Janu-ary 21 by the Superintendent of Public Works (Mr. H. Trigg). SETTLEMENT.—The Diadem arrived at Koombana Bay with 180 passengers for the Australind settlement. The Vineyard Society was formed to promote the cul-ture of the vine and the olive. The area of land under grain crops was 3,047 acres. SHEEP.—The number of sheep in the Colony passed the 60,000 mark. 1843. AUSTRALIND.—All sales of land at Australind were stopped. CAUSEWAY.—In May the Causeway was completed and opened for general traf-fic. DEPRESSION.—A severe period of de-pression affected the Colony, due to a number of causes, chief of which were the high interest rates charged on bor-rowed money, the fall in commodity prices, the scarcity of labour and the unsatisfac-tory land regulations. MIGRATION.—The Success arrived on March 22, having on board 134 immigrants and the Advocate-General (Mr. G. F. Moore). MILLS.—Early in November Mr. W. Cowan's sawmill at Guildford commenced operations. RELIGION.—On December 8 the Very Rev. J. Brady arrived in Perth with the Rev. J. T. Jorstan and a catechist on the vessel Water Witch from Adelaide via King George's Sound to minister to the Roman Catholic communities at Perth, Fremantle and Australind. The first ser-vice was held on December 10. SHEEP.—A shipment of sheep to Mau-ritius realised 28/ a head. TIMBER.—Samples of timber were sent to London resulting in the inception of a small export trade.

1844. DEPRESSION.—The depression per-sisted and strict Governmental economies were observed. The labour shortage con-tinued. EXPLORATION.—Lieut. Helpman, in the schooner Champion, journeyed to Gan-heaume Bay, at the mouth of the Mur-chison River, and reported good stock country. EXPORTS.—The first shipment to India of horses bred in the Colony left Fremantle in June, and cattle and horses were ex-ported to Mauritius, satisfactory prices being obtained. MILLS.—A flour and sawmill "propelled by steam" was successfully started at Guild-ord by Mr. Cowan, who purchased the plant of the Perth Steam Mills and formed the W.A. Steam Saw and Flour Mills, the old wind and water mills having for the most part been superseded by the early forties. MURDER.—The first execution of a white person in Western Australia took place at Fremantle on April 6. He was John Gavan (15), who had come from the Parkhurst Reformatory, England, and was employed at Pollard's farm, Dandalup, where, on February 21, he brutally mur-lered George Pollard (18) in his sleep. Gavan was hanged about ten yards to the left of the Round House, and the body was suspended in chains. RELIGION.—On January 16 the foun-dation stone of the Roman Catholic chapel was laid. The plans provided for an ex-tension of the original building later. Land grants to the Catholic Church were made by Governor Hutt. RACING.—On June 1, the first race meeting in Perth was held, either at the Limekilns, beyond Subiaco, or where Queen's Gardens now stand. STOCK MARKET.—A stock market was established at Guildford. 1845. DEPRESSION.—The condition of the Colony grew worse. Settlers commenced leaving and the Bank of Australasia with-drew its branch from the Colony. EXPLORATION.—An excursion down the Blackwood River was made by the Assistant Surveyor (Mr. A. C. Gregory). EXPORT.—Sandalwood and copper: The first shipment of sandalwood from the Colony (four tons) was sent overseas from Fremantle in December. The first con-signment of copper ore left the Colony, to be smelted in Wales. RELIGION.—On January 22, St. George's Church, Perth (Anglican) was opened for public worship. Father Brady was consecrated Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth at Rome. RESERVES.—On June 10, Stirling Square, now called Government Gardens, was set apart as a public garden. STEAMER.—The first steam vessel, H.M.S. Driver, visited Fremantle in De-cember. The novel sight caused the look-out man to mistake her for a ship on fire. TIMBER.—A contract was made with the Admirality to supply 400 tons of jarrah for use in the dockyards. 1846. COAL.—A discovery of coal at the Mur-ray River was reported in July. The first mining company in the Colony, the West-ern Australian Mining Company, was or-ganised in September to prospect for coal. It dissolved in 1850 after working the Murray River deposits. Coal was also dis-covered on the Irwin River. CONDITION OF COLONY.—A slow but appreciable improvement in the condition of affairs became evident, although the depression was by no means over. State finances showed a surplus (£335) for the first time. EXPORTS.—In January the vessel Uni-corn left Fremantle with the largest cargo of West Australian produce that had so far been exported, consisting mainly of wool, timber, and whale oil. The foun-dations were laid of an export trade in sandalwood to China and Ceylon. GOVERNOR.—Govenor Hutt left the Colony on February 19 and was succeeded by Lieut-Colonial Andrew Clarke. NEW NORCIA.—On February 16, Dom Joseph Serra and Dom Rosendo Salvado, Spanish Benedictine priests, left Perth for the Victoria Plains to establish a mission, and founded a settlement at Batgi Batgi, about five miles north of the present site of New Norcia. It failed owing to financial difficulties. Later the site was shifted. RELIGION.—The first Congregational Church was opened in Perth. A missionary expedition, organised by the Right Rever-end John Brady, who had been to Rome, arrived at Fremantle on January 8. SHIPPING.—Three vessels built of jarrah were launched at Fremantle, the largest being capable of carrying 300 tons. An ordinance was passed repealing the pilotage dues, and the ports of the Colony were made free to the ships of the world. 1847. COMMUNICATIONS.—The General Roads Trust was abolished and a Central Board of Works substituted, to construct and maintain roads throughout the Col-ony. CONDITION OF COLONY.—The affairs of the Colony improved greatly, owing to the development of its resources and there was surplus for the year of £821. EXPORT.—Guano from the Abrolhos Is-lands was first exported. GOVERNOR.—Governor Clarke died on February 11, and Lieut.-Colonel F. C. Irwin, who had arrived in command of the 63rd Regiment, on H.M.S. Sulphur, in 1829, succeeded him. Though he as-sumed the title of Governor, his appoint-ment was never confirmed. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.—The num-ber of official members of the Legislative Council was increased by the appointment of the Collector of Customs (Mr. H. C. Sutherland). MINING.—Zinc ore, of low value, was obtained from a shaft at Kelmscott. Lit-tle further mining investigation was done for some years. NEW NORCIA.—On April 28, Doms Serra and Salvado took possession of a new monastery in the Maura-Maura valley. It was built voluntarily by tradesmen, and was named New Norcia, after St. Bene-dict's birthplace, Norcia, in Italy. On March 1, the foundation stone was laid, the medal of. St. Benedict being placed beneath it. On December 8, St. Mary's orphanage and school for native children was opened. 1848. EDUCATION.—Mr. John Fairbairn opened the first school at Pinjarra (near the bridge), under the regulations formu-lated by the Government. Eleven schools were in operation in the Colony, the total enrolment being 444. EXPLORATION.—In this year and 1849 the Surveyor-General (Mr. John Septimus Roe) traversed much of the country be-tween Perth and Albany, and extended his journey eastward beyond Esperance. FRUIT.—There were 114 acres under vines and 10 acres under olives. GOVERNOR WOUNDED.—Governor Fitzgerald, who succeeded Lieut.-Colonel Irwin in August, was speared and wounded by natives at Northampton in December. MINING.—Between September and No-vember, copper and lead were discovered in the Champion Bay district by Messrs. A. C., F. T., and C. Gregory. Lead ore was discovered on the lower Murchison River, at what became the Geraldine mine. The settlement of the Geraldton and the Champion Bay district followed. POPULATION.—The first systematic census of the Colony was taken by the Registrar-General (Mr. G. F. Stone). There were 4,622 residents in the Colony (2,900 adults—2,818 males and 1,804 fe-males). RACING.—The first race meeting was held on the site of the present Ascot course, Perth. 1849. CHAMPION BAY DISTRICT.—Messrs. Burgess and Drummond took up pastoral leases in the Champion Bay district and beccme the pioneers of a flourishing pas-toral settlement. The Geraldine copper mine was started and proved very profit-able. It was the first successful mine in the Colony. CONVICTS.—Settlers, despairing of overcoming the labour problem after 20 years of struggling, petitioned the Secre-tary of State for Colonies to make the Colony a penal settlement. The British Government acceded with alacrity and an Order in Council to that effect was pub-lished in Perth on November 6. For 18 years the Colony was a penal settle-ment. EXPLORATION.—In February J. S. Roe returned to Perth after having ex-plored 1,800 miles of country. FREMANTLE.—Efforts were made to remove the bar at the mouth of the Swan River, without success. It was nearly 50 years before any but small vessels could enter the river. MAILS.—Natives were employed as lett-er carriers throughout country districts. 1850. CONVICTS.—The Scindian arrived at Fremantle from England on June 1 with the first batch of convicts and also a guard of 50 pensioners and 138 women and chil-dren. GERALDTON.—The nucleus of the township of Geraldton, named after the

Governor, was surveyed, and the first town lots were sold in June. MIGRATION.—The Sophia arrived on July 26 with about 300 immigrants. PERTH.—The minimum price of Perth town lots was fixed by the Lands Depart-ment in June, as follows:—In St. George's-terrace ard Adelaide-terrace and along the waterside, £22 each; in Hay-street, £17; in back streets, £12. RELIGION.—The Church of England in the Colony was made an Archdeaconry, under the control of the Bishop of Ade-laide. WHEAT.—The area of wheat cropped was 4,416 acres. 1851. CONDITION OF COLONY.—Assisted by the introduction of convicts, the Col-ony commenced an era of prosperity. The Mermaid, Pyrenees and Minden brought 803 convicts and 268 free persons to the Colony. FREMANTLE PRISON.—On May 16 the construction of the Fremantle Prison was commenced with convict labour. Con-victs were also employed in constructing other public buildings and roads. LIGHTHOUSES.—Lighthouses at Ar-thur's Head and Rottnest Island, com-menced in the previous year, were com-pleted. MINING.—In October copper was dis-covered at the Geraldine mine. PARLIAMENT.—On March 13 the Im-perial Act empowering Western Australia to establish a Legislative Council was pro-claimed in the Colony. PEARLING.—Lieut. Helpman returned from Shark Bay with some pearls, and a Perth firm was given the exclusive right to dredge for pearl shell. WHEAT.—The consumption of grain exceeded production, and wheat was im-ported from England. 1852. CONVICTS.—During the year 491 con-victs arrived, makine a total of 1,469 since June, 1850. In addition 381 free immi-grants arrived. EXPORT.—Wine was exported for the first time. MAILS.—In July, the Royal Mail S.N. Company's Australian landed the first mail at Albany. It took two horses 6½ days to carry the mail to Perth. RACING.—The Western Australian Turf Club came into being. SHIPPING.—In August, the Chusan, the first P. and O. steamer to visit Aus-tralian waters, arrived from Singapore. 1853. COMMERCE.—On May 11 a Chamber of Commerce was inaugurated. CONVICTS.—1,129 convicts arrived. Various buildings, including a lunatic asy-lum, and a pensioners' depot, were con-structed and progress was made with the bridges along the Albany-road. GOLD.—Rich gold specimens were found east of York, but the finders were unable later to locate the places where the dis-coveries were made. MINING.—The Geraldine Mining Com-pany exported 55 tons of pig lead. 1854. CENSUS.—On September 30, the second census of the Colony was taken. Popula-tion, 11,743 (7,779 males , and 3,964 fe-males). EXPLORATION.—Mr. R. Austin, start-ing from Buckland's farm, Mombekine, near Northam, made a long and perilous journey to what afterwards became the Murchison goldfields. In the late fifties A. Gregory penetrated to the south-eastern corner of the Kimberleys, and F. Gregory, his brother, traversed much of the country inland from Carnarvon. POLICE.—During the year the nucleus of a detective force was established in Perth, Detective-Sergeant Hogan being placed in charge. POSTAGE.—The first postage stamps were issued (the black penny stamp). TIMBER.—The first timber mill of any size was erected, by Mr. Harry Yelverton, at Quindalup, near Busselton. 1855. BANKING.—The Government Savings Bank was opened on June 22. EXPLORATION.—In 1855 and 1856 A. C. Gregory made an expedition from the Northern Territory along Sturt Creek to Lake Termination, in the north-west of Western Australia, and thence to his camp on the Victoria River, south of the Kimberley goldfield, discovering the Deni-son Plains. GOVERNOR.—Captain (afterwards Sir) Arthur Edward Kennedy succeeded Cap-tain Fitzgerald as Governor of the Colony. MINING.—Towards the end of the year high-grade copper ore was discovered on the Bowes River, and the property was purchased by the Wanerenooka Mining Company. It proved a successful proposi-tion. RIVER STEAMER.—The steamer Les Trois Amis commenced running on the Swan, from Fremantle to Perth, in March. It was the first steamer to run on the river. 1856. BANKING.—The Government Savings Bank was closed in June. DEFICIT.—A deficit of £14,305 caused the Government to institute economies and to impose additional taxation, prin-cipally through the Customs. MAIL STEAMERS.—In October, a con-tract was entered into between the Home Government and the P. and O. Company for direct service with the Australasian Colonies, calling at Albany. PERTH A CITY.—An Anglican bishop-ric was established in Western Australia, Perth being constituted a cathedral city by letters patent, and "thereafter to be called the City of Perth." The Right Rev. Matthew Blagden Hale, who had been Archdeacon of Adelaide, was nominated to be the first Bishop of Western Aus-tralia by Bishop Short, of Adelaide. Arch-deacon Hale arrived in Perth in July, but left for London at the end of the year. 1857. BISHOP HALE.—In March, Arch-deacon Matthew Blagden Hale was con-secrated, while visiting London, the first Bishop of W.A. EXPLORATION.—Mr. F. T. Gregory completed the survey of the hitherto un-examined portions of the Murchison River. STEAMERS.—In January the s.s. Pio-neer, a steamer built of local timber, com-menced to make trips to Guildford. In February the steamer Lady Stirling was launched at Fremantle. 1858. EDUCATION: Bishop's School.—The Cloisters, in St. George's-terrace, was opened on June 28 as Bishop Hale's School, Bishop Hale having returned to the Colony from England this year. It was the first secondary school in the State. Bishop Hale bore the expense of the institution. EXPLORATION.—Mr. F. T. Gregory explored the Shark Bay and Gascoyne River districts. PERTH CITY COUNCIL.—On Novem-ber 30 the Perth Town Trust was dis-solved and on December 10 the first meet-ing of the Perth City Council was held, there being six councillors. Cr. H. L. Cole was the first chairman. 1859. CENSUS.—On December 31 the third census of the Colony was taken. Popu-lation, 14,837 (9,522 males, and 5,315 fe-males). GOVERNMENT HOUSE.—On March 17 the foundation stone of the present Gov-ernment House was laid. MINING.—Further copper and lead mines were opened up in the Champion Bay district. RELIGION.—The Congregation Church was established in the Colony. 1860. CONVICTS.—A total of 5,509 convicts had arrived and building, bridges and roads to the value of over £50,000 had been completed, or were in the course of construction. Among the works were the Fremantle gaol (part of the present gaol), the present Government House, costing £18,000, a new gaol at Perth (on the site of the present Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery), country con-vict and invalid depots, various police stations, courts, and jetties; the permanent laying out of the Perth-Fremantle-road, and the draining into the river at Claise-brook of a large swampy lake at the back of Perth (on which the Central Railway Station now stands). NEWCASTLE.—The townsite of New-castle was marked out in August. WATER SUPPLY.—A fountain which is still in existence erected over a per-manent spring and well below Mt. Eliza, opposite the Narrows, was opened by Governor Kennedy. This spring and another on the site of the present Techni-cal School were Perth's first public water supplies.

1861. DEFICIT.—The deficit for the year was £13,826. EXPLORATION.—Surveyor F. T. Greg-ory's exploration expedition landed at Nickol Bay in May and explored the country between the Fortescue and De Grey Rivers. GOLD.—Parties prospected the Darling Ranges for gold. Mr. Panton found gold-bearing quartz specimens near Nor-tham. MILITARY.— An ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council providing for a Volunteer and Defence Force. By September a company of 64 men had been raised in Perth, a company of 70 at Fre-mantle, and others followed at Guildford, Pinjarra and Vasse, and York. SUPREME COURT.—An ordinance was issued in June creating a Supreme Court for the Colony and appointing Mr. (after-wards Sir) Archibald Paull Burt the first Chief Justice, with Mr. G. F. Stone At-torney-General, and Mr. A. H. Stone Master of the Court. 1862. FLOUR.—The first flour was exported from the Colony. GOVERNOR.—Governor Kennedy's term of office expired. He was succeeded by Dr. John Stephen Hampton, who arrived in the Colony in February. MONEY ORDERS.—In February a money order office was opened in connec-tion with the Post Office Department. PEARLING.—Pearl shell valued at £250 was exported. 1863. BANKING.—The Post Office Savings Bank was established in September. BARRACKS.—The pensioners' barracks at the west end of St. George's-terrace, to house time-expired Imperial soldiers, who were sent out as guards to the con-victs, were commenced. BRIDGES.—The North Fremantle traffic bridge was commenced with convict la-bour. EXPLORATION.—Messrs. C. C. Hunt and Ridley landed at De Grey River and explored the country touched on by Mr. F. T. Gregory. From May 7 to July 31 Mr. Henry Maxwell Lefroy led an expedition east of York, seeking pas-toral land. He was partially successful. The expedition traversed a large por-tion of the present Coolgardie goldfield. GERALDTON.—The first jetty at Ger-aldton was built. NORTH-WEST—Mr. Walter Padbury pioneered the pastoral industry in the North-West. On May 5, with Mr. John Wellard he made his way inland. A settlement was established on the De Grey River in June and other settlers fol-lowed. On July 27 the site for the home-stead of the first sheep station in the North-West was chosen on the western channel of the De Grey River by Charles Nairn, Walter Padbury's manager. The first white woman in the North-West was Mrs. John Withnell (nee Emma May Hancock), who was born at Beverley in 1842, and who, with her husband, landed at Cossack soon after the first settlers and made camp on a hill near Roebourne, which they called Mt. Welcome. By the end of the year there were three runs of 100,000 acres each being stocked. RELIGION.—The Roman Catholic Cathedral was completed. 1864. BUNBURY.—The first jetty at Bun-bury was built. EXPLORATION.—Mr. C. C. Hunt, seeking pastoral land east of York, which he left on July 10, passed over the site of what is now Coolgardie, and named Hampton Plains. GOVERNMENT HOUSE.—The present Government House was completed. NORTH-WEST.—In August the first wool clip from the North-West—seven bales—arrived at Fremantle. PERTH.—The City of Perth was divided into three wards. From December 5 the Chairman of the Perth City Council was elected by the ratepayes. Before that he was elected by members of the coun-cil. RELIGION.—The Trinity Congrega-tional Church, Perth, was opened for pub-lic worship in September. 1865. EDUCATION.—Bishop Hale's School was succeeded by the Church of England Collegiate School. EXPLORATION.—In June, Captain E. A. Delisser, a squatter, penetrated the south-east corner of the colony from South Australia, and reported on the salt-bush country. NORTH-WEST.—Individual settlers established themselves in the North-West, and by the end of the year the prospects of the pastoral settlement were assured, 3,000,000 acres being held, under lease, stocked by 15,000 sheep, 300 cattle an-120 horses. 1866. BARRACKS.—The Pensioners Barracks at the top end of St. George's-terrace were completed in April. BRIDGES.—The North Fremantle traf-fic bridge was opened for traffic in No-vember. EXPLORATION.—From January 10 to February 28, Assistant Surveyor James Cowle explored beyond Broome, being the first to explore the south-western cor-ner of the Kimberleys. Mr. E. T. Hooley opened up an overland stock route from Geraldton to Nickol Bay, taking 2,000 sheep of which he lost only eight. 1867. NEW NORCIA.—New Norcia was made an Abbey Nullius, with charge over a de-finite area. NORTH-WEST.—Pastoral settlements in the North-West aggregating over 1,000,000 acres were abandoned, owing to the difficulties of settlers, but over 2,000,000 acres were taken up afresh, making the total under leasehold at the end of the year 5,805,000 acres. RELIGION.—The foundation stone of the present-Weslevan Church, at the cor-ner of Hay and William streets, was laid on October 24. REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. —After 28 years of agitation by the colon-ists for some form of representative gov-ernment, the Secretary of State (the Duke of Buckingham) signified the assent of the Crown to a proposal by the Legislative Council to appoint non-official members equal in number to the official members, with a tenure limited to three years. As a result of a public meeting in October it was arranged that the people should themselves elect the unofficial members, six in number. By the first Parliament-ary election held in the Colony five were elected, the Champion Bay settlers refus-ing to choose a representative. Governor Hampton chose one for them, and the six names were forwarded to England for the approval of the Secretary of State in December. TOWN HALL.—The corner stone of the Town Hall was laid by Governor Hampton on May 24. 1868. CONVICTS.—The convict system ceased, 9,721 convicts having arrived. The last vessel to arrive with convicts, the Hougou-mont, reached Fremantle on January 10. COLONY'S CONDITION.—The popula-tion at the close of the year was about 2,000. There were 50,014 acres under crop. Flour and grain exports for the year totalled £21,367, and the total exports were valued at £192,636: while the value of the imports amounted to £225,614. The income of the Colony was £99,498, and the expenditure £89,726. The Colony was free from public debt. GOVERNOR.—Governor Hampton re-signed in November and left the Colony. The Commandant (Lieut.-Col. Bruce) acted as Administrator. REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. — On July 7 an Order-in-Council was passed appointing the six elected repre-sentatives members of the Legislative Council for a period of three years. 1869. BUSSELTON.—A jetty was built at Busselton. EXPLORATION.—John Forrest, at the age of 22, made his first exploring trip. As a surveyor in the service of the Gov-ernment he led an expedition eastwards from Perth and returned to Newcastle, travelling over 2,000 miles in 113 days. On the journey he named Lake Barlee and Mounts Ida, Malcolm, Margaret and Leonora. He obtained a reliable survey of a district hitherto unknown, but failed to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the explorer Leichardt, the main object of the trip. GOLD.—Traces of gold were discovered at North Dandalup. GOVERNOR.—The new Governor, Frederick A. Weld arrived on September 30. ROYAL VISIT.—The Duke of Edin-burgh landed at Fremantle on February 3, and remained in the Colony four days, during which there was much feasting and rejoicing. TELEGRAPH: First in Colony.— Messrs. Edmund Stirling and Cummins, at their own expense, erected a telegraph line between Perth and Fremantle, and

opened it for public business on June 21. It was the first telegrsph line in the colony. The Government later took it over. 1870. CENSUS.—The fourth census of the Colony was taken showing the population to be 25,084. DROUGHT.—A shrinkage in income re-ulted from the drought, causing Govern-mental economies to be effected. A general expansion of trade counteracted the de-pression in some measure. EXPLORATlON.—John Forrest led a party, including his brother Alexander Forrest, which left Perth on March 30 on the memorable overland trip to Adelaide by way of Eucla. They reached Adelaide on August 27. The party returned to Perth by sea, arriving on September 27. MILITARY.—A mounted troop, the Union Troop of Mounted Volunteers, was organised in Perth. REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED.—On May 23 Governor Weld introduced in the Legislative Council a Bill to provide for a Council of 18, of whom 12 were to be elected, three to be nominated by the Governor, and three to be official members—the Colonial Secre-tary, the Surveyor-General, and the Attor-ney-General. The Bill was passed on June 1, and the writs for the new Council were issued on July 18. There were 10 elec-oral districts, Perth and Fremantle being entitled to two representatives each. The elections were held in October and No-rember, and the new Council, the first Legislative Council under Representative Government in Western Australia met for the first time on De-ember 5, L. S. Leake being elected Speaker, and J. G. C. Carr, Chair-man of Committees. J. G. Lee Steere was the accepted Leader of the Opposition. RELIGION.—The Wesleyan Church was opened for Divine service on April 8. TELEGRAPHS.—In May the old Legis-lative Council passed a resolution authorising the construction of telegraph line be-tween Perth and Albany, Bunbury, York, and Newcastle. The work was undertaken by a private company. TOWN HALL.—The Town Hall was opened and presented to the citizens of Perth by Governor Weld on June 1. 1871. EDUCATION: Compulsory Attendance. —The Elementary Education Act was passed by the Legislative Council in De-cember, and remained in operation until 1895. Children between the ages of six and 14 years, living within three miles of a school, were required to attend. The Central Board of Education was estab-lished, as well as district boards. There were then 63 Government schools in the Colony, with an average attendance of 1,644. EXPLORATION.—Alexander Forrest led a small party from Perth eastwards beyond what is now known as Kalgoorlie, returning via Esperance, having covered 600 miles, and discovered some good country. MUNICIPALITIES.—In January the Municipal Institutions Act was passed, proclaiming Perth, Fremantle, Guildford, Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Geraldton and York municipalities. On January 6 the first meeting of the Perth City Coun-cil after its incorporation was held in the Town Hall. Prior to that, council meet-ings had been held in the Mechanics In-stitute, now the Agricultural Bank prem-ises. POPULATION.—The population of Perth was 4,500, and of the Colony 25,500. PUBLIC WORKS.—The first Loan Bill passed by the new Legislative Council in December, authorised the raising of £160,000, later reduced by the Colonial Secretary to £35,000 for building railways, purchasing telegraph lines and other pub-lic works. RAILWAYS.—The First Line: The first railway in the Colony, 12 miles in length, from Lockeville jetty, near Vasse, to Yoga-nup, in the timber forest, was built by the Western Australian Timber Co. It was opened in December. In the same month engineers were engaged to survey a railway from Geraldton to Northampton. TELEGRAPHS.—The first posts of the Eastern Districts telegraph line were placed at Perth on February 13, at York on March 14, and at Northam on March 18. Telegraphic communication between Perth and Guildford was opened on De-cember 23. 1872. FLOUR.—Messrs. John Stephen Haley and Crowther shipped to London by the barque Ivy 50 tons of silk-dressed flour from a mill at Greenough erected by Mr. Maley, the first mill in the colony in which silk-dressing machinery was used. GOLD.—Samples of quartz from Kelm-scott, Newcastle and Baylup were found to contain traces of gold, and the Rock-ingham Bay Mining Co. found traces of the metal at Serpentine. RAILWAYS.—Messrs. Mason, Bird and Co., who had a timber concession in the Darling Ranges, constructed a railway from Canning to Rockingham, and, on February 8, opened a private tramway, nine miles in length, from Canning to the jar-rah forests. TELEGRAPHS.—The telegraph lines between Perth and Albany, Bunbury, York and Newcastle were completed. The line to Newcastle was opened for business on February 8, and the line to Albany on December 26. From the public works loan £12,000 was applied to the purchase of the lines by the Government, and arrange-ments were made for rapid extensions ot the system. 1873. EXPLORATION.—William Christie Gosse (from South Australia) examined the Tomkinson, Cavenagh and Barrow Ranges. Major P. Egerton Warburton led an expedition from Alice Springs to the De Grey station between April 15 and January 11, 1874. GOLD.—The Legislative Council devoted £1,500 for the purpose of gold prospecting, and a private party found specimens at Albany. RAILWAYS AND TELEGRAPHS.—A further amount of £100,000 was authorised for railway and telegraphic construction, the first portion being raised in Melbourne in 1874, and the second shortly afterwards. It was wholly applied to railway and tele-graphic work. REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. —In July a Bill was passed by the Legis-lative Council to increase the number of the Council to 21, by the creation of two new constituencies, and the addition of another nominated member. The Bill was assented to in 1874. STREET LIGHTING.—In June the first step towards lighting the streets of Perth was taken, lamp posts being erected in Hay-street and Howick-street (now the eastern end of Hay-street) to carry oil lamps. 1874. EXPLORATION.—John and Alexander Forrest led a party from Perth on March 18 to the Murchison river, thence into the Kimberleys and overland to the Peake telegraph station (South Australia) and Adelaide, which was reached on November 3. EXPORTS.—Exports exceeded imports and financial stability appeared assured. Wool to the value of £215,624 was ex-ported. GOLD.—A quartz-crushing battery was erected at Fremantle to crush specimens found. GOVERNOR.—Governor Weld left the Colony in December to take up an ap-pointment as Governor of Tasmania, and was succeeded by Mr. (later Sir) William Robinson. RAILWAYS.—The first sod of the first Government railway in the Colony, from Geraldton to Northampton, was turned by Governor Weld on October 22. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT SOUGHT.—Out of discussions on tariff matters the question of responsible Govern-ment arose and became the burning ques-tion of the moment. TELEGRAPHS.—Telegraphic communi-cation with Geraldton, via Newcastle, was established on May 13. 1875. AUSTRALIND.—A commencement was made with the winding up of the Wes-tern Australian Company (the promoters of the ill-fated Australind settlement). EXPLORATION.—Ernest Giles, at his third attempt, travelled overland from South Australia to Perth which he reached on November 18, returning safely. GOVERNOR.—Mr. (later Sir) William Cleaver Francis Robinson, the new Gov-ernor, arrived at Fremantle on January 11. TELEGRAPHS.—On January 1, Gov-ernor Weld installed the first pole of the overland telegraph line between Albany and Eucla, at Albany. 1876. EDUCATION.—The Church of England Collegiate school closed. The High School Act was passed. PERTH.—The number of city wards was increased to four. The population of the town was 4,606, and there were 300 houses. TELEGRAPHS.—A telegraph station at Esperance was opened by Mr. Horace Stirling.

1877. CABS.—The Perth City Council gave the first permit for a cab stand. GOVERNOR.—Governor Kennedy's first term of office ended. In April Major-General Sir Harry St. George Ord was appointed to succeed him, and arrived in the Colony in November. TELEGRAPHS.—Perth was brought in touch with the outside world by the completition of the overland telegraph to Eucla on December 8, the first messages being despatched and received on Decem-ber 9. Eucla was already connected with Adelaide, and Adelaide with London. The telegraph line to Beverley was opened on December 7. 1878. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.—The Swan Agricultural Society, which, from its inception as the agricultural society held its shows at various places at Perth and Guildford (mostly at Woodbidge), ac-quired the Woodbridge ground as its own property and until 1905 its annual show was held on that ground. EDUCATION.—High School Opened.— rhe Perth High School was opened by Governor Ord on March 1, following the passage of the High School Act. It was first housed in the old home of Mr. George Randell, and then transferred to the hospital buildings erected on the east side of George-street for the Pensioners' Barracks, where it remained for many years. POPULATION.—The population of the colony was 28,166. TELEGRAPHS.—The telegraph line to Northampton was opened on April 5. 1879. DEVELOPMENT.—The area of land under licence was 37,000,000 acres. EXPLORATION.—Kimberley Pastoral Country Discovered.—Alexander Forrest led an expedition from the De Grey River station on February 25 to Daly Waters (Northern Territory), where he arrived in October, after great privations. The pas-toral industry received an immense im-petus from his discovery of the Kimber-ley pastoral country and a new era in the development of the Colony com-menced. DEPRESSION.—The colony was faced with a depression and Customs duties were imposed to help swell the revenues. NAVAL DEFENCE.—The first naval defence force, the Fremantle Naval Volun-teers, was raised. RACING.—The Metropolitan Handicap, Western Australia's principal horse race, was instituted. It was called the Perth Cup from 1887 onwards. RAILWAYS.—The first Government railway in the Colony, from Geraldton to Northampton (35 miles), was opened for traffic on July 26. The first sod of the Fremantle-Perth-Guildford line was turned by Governor Ord on June 3, at a spot adjacent to the William-street crossing. The contract for the work was let to Mr. John Robb, of Adelaide, for £74,591. 1880. COBB'S COACHES.—Cobb and Co's coaches were introduced into the State, under Government subsidy, for inland mail and passenger services. GOVERNOR.—On April 10, Sir Wil-liam Robinson began his second term of office, succeeding Governor Ord. He proved very popular. He succeeded in wiping out a deficit of £80,000, leaving a balance of £32,000 in the Treasury when his second term ended in 1883. KIMBERLEYS PIONEERED.—Mr. George Paterson took the first flock of sheep to the Kimberleys. Starting in November, he overlanded 1,500 sheep from Beagle Bay, the landing place chosen, to Yeeda station on the Fitzroy river, south of Derby, the 100-mile journey taking six months. Soon there were a number of flourishing stations along the Fitzroy. MAYOR OF PERTH.—On September 8, Mr. George Shenton became the first Mayor of Perth, succeeding Mr. S. H. Parker, the last chairman of the Perth City Council. MILITARY.—The Enrolled Pensioner Force was disbanded and the Enrolled Guard was formed. RELIGION.—The foundation stone of St. George's Cathedral was laid on Nov-ember 2 by Governor Robinson. 1881. CENSUS.—On April 3, the fifth census taken in the Colony showed that the population was 29,708 (17,062 males and 12,646 females). GOLD.—Phil Saunders and Adam Johns found gold in the East Kimberleys. Saunders telegraphed to the W. A. Govern-ment from Yam Creek (South Australia), that he had found gold on the Ord river, but not in payable quantities. He thought payable gold would be found there. RAILWAYS.—On March 1, the Fre-mantle-Perth-Guildford railway was for-mally opened by Governor Robinson. The total cost of construction, exclusive of surveys, was £127,935. In its first year it earned a profit of £105, in spite of the competition of the river steamers. It was decided to extend the line to Chid-low's Well and thence to York, and the contract was let in December. ROYAL VISIT.—Prince George (the present King) and Prince Albert Victor arrived at Albany on May 16, by H.M.S. Bacchante, the vessel having put in for repairs. They remained until June 10. 1882. GOLD.—A small nugget (14 dwt.) was found between Cossack and Roebourne by Alexander McRae, and Michael Durack found colours of gold near Hall's Creek. KIMBERLEYS.—The first cattle for the East Kimberleys left Queensland to travel overland in February for Messrs. Panton and Osborne. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.—The mem-bership of the Legislative Council was raised to 24, eight to be nominated, the Gascoyne electoral district being added. RAILWAYS.— . Wright's tender for £53,043 for the construction of the second section of the eastern railway from Guild-ford to Chidlow's Well was accepted. TELEGRAPHS.—The construction of a telegraph line from Geraldton to Roe-bourne was authorised out of loan funds and the contract let to Messrs. J. and W. Bateman. It connected Shark Bay, the Gascoyne, Ashburton and Fortescue dis-tricts with Perth. 1883. EXPLORATION.—Mr. John Forrest led a surveying party, including the Gov-ernment Geologist (Mr. E. T. Hardman) through the Kimberley district. Messrs. W. J. O'Donnell and W. Carr-Boyd, starting from the overland telegraph line, crossed the State in the direction of Roe-bourne. FREMANTLE.—Fremantle became a Corporation, and in September the first Mayor was elected (Mr. B. C. Wood). GOVERNOR.—Sir William Robinson's second term of office expired. He left the Colony and was succeeded by Mr. (later Sir) Frederick Napier Broome, who arrived in June. RAILWAYS.—In March, work was commenced on the Guildford-Chidlow's Well section of the eastern railway, and the tender for the next section to York was let to Edmund Keane for £105,312. 1884. EXPLORATION.—Mr. H. F. Johnston, accompanied by the Government Geologist and others continued the surveys of the Kimberleys, several miles of waterways being discovered, including Hall's Creek. KIMBERLEYS.—First cattle arrive.— The cattle driven overland from Queens-land by Mr. N. Buchanan for Messrs. Osborne and Panton arrived in August, 1,500 having been lost out of 6,000. RAILWAYS.—The Guildford-Chidlow's Well section of the railway was opened on March 11, the actual cost being £95,940. Mr. Anthony Hordern's offer, on behalf of a syndicate, to construct, equip and maintain a railway from Bever-ley to Albany, on the land-grant system, was accepted, and the contract signed on October 25. Mr. Hordern formed the Western Australian Land Company in London to take over the work. 1885. COAL GAS.—Coal gas was first manu-factured in Perth and sold for lighting purposes by the Perth Gas Co. GOLD.—Kimberley Field Discovered.— In August the first payable goldfield in the Colony was discovered—the Kimberley field, previously prospected by Phil Saun-ders and others. In August, Messrs. Charlie Hall and Jack Slattery and a party collected about 10 ounces on the Elvire, Ord and Margaret Rivers in that area, and obtained a Government reward of £500. A rush to the field ensued. RAILWAYS.—On June 29, the East-ern railway was opened to York. The contract for the York-Beverley section had been let in April to Mr. Edmund Keane for £59,878. TELEGRAPHS.—On October 1, the tele-graph line from Geraldton to Roebourne was opened, and from Roebourne to Cos-sack on November 17. (Continued on Next Page.)

PRINCIPAL NEWS ITEMS OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF PUBLICATlON.

(Continued from Page 55.) 1886. CONVICTS.—The convict establishment was abandoned, and the few remaining convicts handed over to the control of the Colonial Government. GOLD.—Rush to Kimberley.—General excitement throughout Australia was caused by the news of the Kimberley gold discoveries and a rush set in. The field was proclaimed in May. A new port, Wyndham, was established on Cambridge Gulf, and Government officials stationed there. By the end of the year 2,000 men were on the field. In August, the first Goldfields Act was passed. The first reef, the Jackson, at Hall's Creek, was opened up in September. Mr. C. D. Price was appointed the first Warden. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.—By the ad-dition of the Kimberley electorate, the membership of the Legislative Council was increased to 26, nine being nominated. RAILWAYS.—In February the first sod of the Geraldton-Greenough line was turned. In August the York-Beverley section of the railway was opened. On October 20 the first sod of the Beverley-Albany line was turned. A line from Spencer's Brook to Northam was constructed and opened in October. A contract was signed with Mr. John Wad-dington for the construction, on the land system, of a line from Guildford to Walka-way, southern terminal of the Govern-ment line from Geraldton. The contract was let to Mr. Edmund Keane for about £1,000,000. STREET LIGHTING.—The first street gas lamp was erected and lighted near the Perth Town Hall, inaugurating the lighting of the streets with gas. 1887. GOLD.—Yilgarn Field Discovered.—H. Anstey found an outcrop of gold at Lake Deborah, Yilgarn. B. N. Colreavy dis-covered a reef at Golden Valley, 30 miles to the south, and W. J. Parker found good indications at Parker's Range. This caused a mild rush. Further reefs to the south and east were struck by Riseley and others, representatives of the Phoenix Co., who named their principal find, 30 miles east of Golden Valley, Southern Cross. The Kimberley field was de-veloped. By the middle of June, 34 quartz claims had been registered. GOVERNMENT HOUSE.—The old Government House, erected in the early thirties, was removed to make place for gardens in the new Government House grounds. MILITARY.—The Enrolled Guard par-aded for the last time on March 31. POLICE STATION.—A police station and Magistrate's Court were built in Bar-rack-street. They are now the Indus-tries and Tourist office. POST OFFICE.—A bungalow building housing the post office and the old milli-tary barracks and armoury situated be-tween the Treasury buildings and the Lands Office was removed and a new General Post Office, now the Treasury pay office, was built facing St. George's-ter-race. RACING.—The first Perth Cup was run. RAILWAYS.—Work was started on a railway line from Clackline to Newcastle (Toodyay). The line from Geraldton to Greenough and a tramway from Roe-bourne to Cossack, were built and opened. Work on the Guildford-Walkaway (Mid-land) railway line was suspended for want of capital. TELEPHONES.—The Perth telephone exchange was opened. 1888. CABLES.—The Colonial Office arranged with the Eastern Extension Company to extend its cable system from Banjoewangi (Java) to Broome. EDUCATION.—The Central Board of Education compelled teachers to obtain certificates of competency. GOLD.—Pilbara Field Discovered.—The Government spent £1,000 on Water con-servation in the Yilgarn area, and on Octo-ber 1 the district was proclaimed a gold-fieId. A lad named Jim Withnell and his brother found gold in a stone at Mallina, 70 miles east of Roebourne, and the Mal-lina and Pedawah reefs were discovered. A rich alluvial find was made at Pilbara, which was proclaimed a goldfield on Oc-tober 1. PASTORAL DEVELOPMENT.—There were 2,100,000 sheep and 95,800 cattle, 41,400 horses and 25,000 pigs in the Colony. Mainly owing to the opening up of the North-West and Kimberley districts the number of sheep had doubled in the preced-ing decade. There were 20,000 cattle in the Kimberleys. RAILWAYS.—The Clackline-Newcastle (Toodyay) railway line was opened for traffic in January. Mr. Hordern's contract to build the Great Southern railway was transferred to the Western Australian Land Co. by the Legislative Coun-ci in April, but clauses in the original contract relating to immigration were deleted. The contract was secured by Millar Brothers, of Melbourne, who com-menced work at both ends of the proposed line. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.—In January a despatch was received from the Imperial Government agreeing to the principle of responsible Government, and the matter became a burning question in West Australian political life. The Consti-tution Bill was introduced in the Legisla-tive Council on October 19, and passed its second reading in November by 13 votes to 9. In December the Council was dissolved in order that the Bill might go before the people. TELEPHONES.—The Fremantle tele-phone exchange was opened. TIN.—Tin was discovered by Mr. Stin-ton at Greenbushes, in a gully near the Blackwood River. 1889. CABLES.—The Banjoewangi to Broome cable system was opened in February. COAL.—Mr. David Hay discovered coal at Collie. There had been earlier reports of its existence there. A company was formed by him in Bunbury, but failed to find a workable seam, and operations were abandoned. GOLD.—Rush to Pilbara: Ashburton Field Discovered.—A rush to the Pilbara goldfield set in, the excitement extending beyond W. A. Syndicates were formed in Melbourne and other centres. The chief centre of the goldfields was called Marble Bar. Rich alluvial deposits were also found on the Ashburton. GOVERNOR.—The Governor (Sir Frederick Napier Broome) returned to London in December, leaving Sir Malcolm Fraser as Administrator. LIBRARY.—The Public Library in St. George's-terrace was opened on January 26. The building was on the north side of St. George's-terrace, a little west of the pre-sent A.M.P. buildings. RAILWAYS.—The Great Southern line was opened to traffic on June 1. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.—In January the Legislative Council elections were held and disclosed a decisive vote in favour of Responsible Government. The Constitution Bill was again introduced in the State House, and the third reading was agreed to on April 5. The Enabling Bill was shelved in the British House of Com-mons, and a vigorous campaign failed to force its passage this year. In December a delegation left Perth for England in the interests of the Colony. SOUTHERN CROSS.—Companies were formed at Perth, Fremantle and Ad laide to work lodes of gold in Southern Cross and a mining township developed. TELEGRAPHS.—The northern tele-graph line was continued to Derby. WATER SUPPLY.—Perth's first per-manent water supply was the result of an arrangement between the municipality and the City of Perth Waterworks Co., an agreement being signed on October 21. It provided for the construction of the Victoria Reservoir on Munday Brook in the Darling Ranges, a 12in. main to Mt. Eliza (17 miles), where a service reservoir was to be constructed, and for reticula-tion pipes. 1890. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.—The Perth Chamber of Commerce, with Sir George Shenton, M.L.C., as first president was formed. GOLD: Yalgoo Field Discovered: Kim-berley's Decline—Gold was found at Yuin station, in the Nancarrang Hills, lead-ing to the opening of the Yalgoo field. By the end of the year the Golden Crown was the only mine paying on the Kimber-ley field. The Little Hero nugget (400oz.) was found on the Coongan River. GOVERNOR.—In October Sir William Robinson was appointed Governor for his third term. RAILWAYS.—The Albany-Denmark line was completed and work on the Guild-ford-Walkaway (Midland) line was re-sumed, with the assistance of English capi-tal. There were 430 miles of completed lines in the Colony. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.—The First Legislative Assembly.—The Enab-ling Bill, empowering the Queen to assent to the Constitution Bill, passed by the Legislative Council, was introduced in the House of Commons in February, and, after

vigorous efforts by the West Australian delegates, passed its third reading on July 4. The House of Lords offered little opposition and the Royal assent was given on July 25. The establishment of a Legis-lative Council and Assembly (the former of 15 members, to be nominated at first, and the latter to consist of 30 elected members) was provided for. On October 21 the Constitution Act was proclaimed. The first elections were held in December, and on December 22 Mr. John Forrest was commissioned to form the first Mini-stry, which was sworn in on December 29. The next day the two Houses of Parlia-ment were sworn in, Sir Thomas Cock-burn-Campbell being appointed President of the Legislative Council, and Sir J. G. Lee Steere elected Speaker of the Legis-lative Assembly. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. —The Agricultural Society was granted Royal letters patent. WHEAT.—The area of wheat cropped was 33,820 acres, yielding 467,380 bushels. WATER SUPPLY.—The Perth Water Works were commenced in February. 1891. FIRST PARLIAMENT OPENED. The first Parliament under Responsible government was opened by Sir William Robinson on January 20 in the old Legis-ative Council chambers in St. George's Terrace, in the present Agricultural De-partment. The Assembly met in the pre-sent Commonwealth Savings Bank build-ings in Hay-street. GOLD: Murchison Field Discovered.— Messrs. J. F. Connolly and Douglas re-ported the discovery of alluvial gold in the Murchison district and received a Gov-ernment reward. The field was proclaimed in September 4. Rich discoveries at Cue and Lake Austin were made. POPULATION.—The sixth census of the State, taken in April, showed the population to be 49,782 (29,807 males and 19,075 females. RAILWAYS.—The construction of the Northam-Southern Cross line was ap-proved. The Midland line was opened as far as Gingin on April 9. The Bunbury Railway Act was passed. WATER SUPPLY.—Water from the Victoria Reservoir was supplied to the Mount Eliza reservoir, and to the City of Perth, for the first time, in October. 1892. AGENT-GENERAL.—In February Sir Malcolm Fraser was appointed the first Agent-General for Western Australia in London. COAL.—Further boring for coal was car-ried out at Collie by a Government party with inconclusive results. FREMANTLE HARBOUR WORKS.— The report of the Engineer-in-Chief (Mr. C. Y. O'Connor) on the Fremantle Har-bour works proposal was approved and in November 16 operations were com-nenced, Lady Robinson tipping the first load. GOLD: Discovery at Coolgardie.—In July Messrs. Arthur Bayley and John Ford discovered alluvial gold on what they named Fly Flat, Coolgardie. In Sep-tember they discovered the reef which became famous and on September 17 Bay-ley brought the news that thrilled the continent to Southern Cross. MUSEUM.—The original museum col-lection, instituted in I860 by Captain J. S. Roe, was purchased by the Government from the Swan River Mechanics' Institute and amalgamated with the Government geological collection as a West Australian museum of a general scientific character. RAILWAYS.—On September 7 the con-tract for the construction of the railway from Northam to Southern Cross was let. TELEGRAPHS.—In February the tele-traph line to Southern Cross was opened. 1893. EDUCATION.—By an Act of Parlia-ment educational affairs were placed under the control of a responsible Minister. GOLD: Coolgardie Rush and Kalgoorlie discoveries.—Falls of rain resulted in an-other rush to Coolgardie, and by the end of June there were 2,000 men scattered over the field. Rushes to Goongarrie, Mount Youle and Lake Lefroy on the same field had taken place in May. While on their way to Mount Youle, Hannan and Flannigan found gold at the foot of Mount Charlotte (Kalgoorlie), and on June 17 Hannan applied at Coolgardie for a re-ward claim. Within a week 750 men were prospecting around Hannan's find. In Oc-tober Messrs. Frost (discoverer of Goon-garrie) and Bonner discovered Siberia, and a disastrous rush followed. The Dundas field was proclaimed in August. JETTY.—The railway jetty at Geraldton was built. PARLIAMENT: Elective Legislative Council.—On October 13 the Constitution Act Amendment Act was passed, provid-ing for a fully elective Legislative Council of 21 members, and three new seats in the Assembly for the Goldfields—Pilbara, Yilgarn and Nannine being the new cons-tituencies. Elections for the Assembly were held in June, and for the Council in July, Sir John Forrest being returned Premier. POPULATION.—The population in-creased by over 6,000. RAILWAYS.—The railway from Perth to Bunbury was opened on September 8, and from Boyanup to Minninup on Novem-ber 16. On March 19 the contract for the Geraldton-Mullewa line was let. TELEGRAPHS.—In January the tele-raph line to Wyndham, 2,125 miles from Perth, was opened. 1894. AGRICULTURAL BANK.—The Agri-cultural Bank Act was passed in Novem-ber. COOLGARDIE A MUNICIPALITY.— Coolgardie was proclaimed a municipality in July, Mr. J. Shaw being the first Mayor. EDUCATION.—The Christian Brothers College, Perth, was founded in a small building on the present site. GOLD DISCOVERIES.—Throughout the year there were constant reports of more or less sensational gold finds in the eastern district. Among them were Mt. Jackson, Bardoc, Kurnalpi, Bulong, Kan-owna and Broad Arrow. The great sensa-tious were the discoveries of the fabulously rich Londonderry and Wealth of Nations mines, and of the Menzies district. POPULATION.—The population in-creased by 17,008, bringing it up to 82,014. RABBITS.—Rabbits were first reported to be approaching the West Australian border from South Australia in large numbers. RAILWAYS.—The railway to Southern Cross was opened in July, the Midland line in November, and the Geraldton-Mul-lewa line on November 21. The new Perth railway station was completed on March 25. TELEGRAPHS.—The telegraph line was extended from Southern Cross to Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in November. 1895. AGRICULTURAL BANK.—The Agri-cultural Bank, under Mr. William Pater-son, commenced operations with a capital of £100,000 borrowed from the State Sav-ings Bank. EDUCATION.—State aid for denomina-tional schools was abolished by the Educa-tion Act in December. The Church of England Grammar School was started with seven pupils in February, in a spare room in Mr. Charles Harper's home, Woodbridge, East Guildford which is now the preparatory school. GOLD.—In February a valuable find was made at Niagara, north-east of Menzies. by Messrs. Doolette and Northmore, and the North Coolgardie field was proclaimed. GOVERNOR.—Sir William Robinson left for England in March. Sir Alexander Onslow acted as Administrator until December, when the new Governor, Sir Gerard Smith, arrived. KALGOORLIE A MUNICIPALITY.— Kalgoorlie was proclaimed a municipality in May, Mr. John Watson being elected the first Mayor. MILITARY.—The partially-paid volun-eers (militia) system was introduced. MUSEUM.—The control of the Museum was transferred to the Public Library committee. The committee formed the nucleus of an Art gallery within the Museum. RAILWAYS.—On June 18 the contract for the construction to the Southern Cross-Coolgardie railway was let, and for the Mullewa-Cue line in December. In De-cember the Boyanup-Busselton line was opened. 1896. GOLD.—The North-East Coolgardie (Kalgoorlie) field was proclaimed, and gold was found at various other centres. A reef was found at Dandalup. GOLDFIELDS WATER SCHEME.—The Engineer-in-Chief brought forward a scheme for damming the Helena River near Mundaring to provide Coolgardie with water. In September Parliament author-ised a loan of £2,500,000 for the scheme. MINT.—The foundation stone of the Royal Mint was laid by Sir John Forrest on September 23. PARLIAMENT.—Constitution Act: A Constitution Act Amendment Bill was

assented to on October 8, giving ad-ditional representation in both Houses to the Goldfields. POPULATION.—The population in-creased by 36,000 to a total of 137,796. Perth, Fremantle, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie and Menzies were crowded, accommodation being difficult to obtain. RAILWAYS.—The Eastern railway reached Coolgardie on March 23 and Kal-goorlie on September 8. The Mahogany Creek deviation was built in July. The Great Southern railway from Albany to Beverley was purchased by the Government from the West Australian Land Com-pany, with their other property, for £1,000,000 in December. Contracts for the Donnybrook-Bridgetown, and the Collie lines were let. TELEGRAPHS.—Telegraphic communi-cation with Kurnalpi, Mt. Magnet, Yal-goo, Dundas, Mallina and Pilbara, and with Eucla, via Coolgardie, was estab-lished. WATER SUPPLY.—In July the Gov-ernment purchased the Perth Waterworks for £180,000. 1897. BUNBURY.—The breakwater at Bun-bury was commenced on April 27. COAL.—A Government party started operations on the Collie coalfield. EDUCATION.—Scotch College: Scotch College was founded early in the year, work commencing in the old Shearer Hall, Beaufort-street, in February. ESPERANCE.—The Esperance Jetty was completed. FEDERATION.—Ten representatives of this State, headed by Sir John Forrest, attended the Federal Conventions held in Adelaide in March, and Sydney in Sep-tember. FREMANTLE HARBOUR.—On May 4 the W.A.S.N. Co.'s steamer Sultan (1,270 tons) steamed into the new harbour at Fremantle and discharged at the wharf. On October 8, s.s. Cornwall (5,500 tons gross), drawing 19 feet, and 420 feet long, berthed at South Quay. LIBRARY.—The first section of the present buildings of the Public Library. Museum and Art Gallery was commenced. MARKETS.—The Perth City Markets were opened oh September 1. PERTH.—The number of City wards ws increased to five. RAILWAYS.—On June 28 the duplica-tion of the Fremantle-Guildford railway was completed. The Mullewa-Cue line was opened for traffic on April 20. Con-tracts for the Menzies and Greenhills lines were let. The Government took over the Great Southern line on January 8. TELEGRAPHS.—The telegraph line to Lawlers was opened. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—The Zoo-logical Gardens at South Perth were in-stituted through the efforts of Sir Win-throp Hackett. 1898. BUTTER FACTORY.—The first butter factory in the Colony was started at Bus-selton in November. COAL.—In November Mr. H. M. Deacon took a lease of the Collie Coal Mine, from the Government, the mine consisting of a single inclined shaft. During the first year 790 tons of coal were raised. EDUCATION.—A Bill providing for free education was introduced in the Legis-lative Assembly in July. In the absence of a University, extension lectures were given, and certificate examinations held in this State by the Adelaide University Extension committee, formed this year. FREMANTLE HARBOUR.—The first mail steamer, the Norddeutscher Lloyd vessel Prinz Regent Luitpold berthed in the new harbour on February 23 and the s.s. Friedrich der Grosse, of the same line, 10,500 tons, and drawing 23 feet of water, berthed on October 30. lNSTlTUTIONS.—In December the building of the Victoria Institute and In-dustrial School for the Blind, at Maylands was commenced. A fund of £2,700 was subscribed towards the establishment of the Children's Hospital. A Labour Bureau was started by the Government. Whitby Falls Asylum was built on June 20. The foundation-stone of the present Literary Institute building was laid by Sir John Forrest. RABBITS.—Reports of serious invasions of rabbits were received from the Eucla district. RAILWAYS.—Railway lines to Boulder Kanowna, Menzies, Bridgetown, Collie-Car-diff, and Greenhills were completed. TELEGRAPHS.—The Peak Hill tele-graph line was completed. 1899. ARBlTRATION.—The Industrial Con-ciliation and Arbitration Act was passed. BOER WAR.—The first West Australian contingent, numbering 120, and commanded by Major H. G. Moore, R.A., left Albany on November 7 on the s.s. Medic for the Boer War. CHAMBER OF MANUFACTURES.—A chamber of Manufactures of Western Aus-tralia was formed on May 19. EDUCATION.—The C.E. Grammar school moved to its present site at Guild-ford. On April 4 the first annual confer-ence of the State School Teachers' Associa-tion was held. The Public Education Act, providing for compulsory and free educa-tion in state schools, came into force in October. FREMANTLE HARBOUR.—The first warship to berth in Fremantle Harbour, H.M.S. Royal Arthur, arrived from Sydney on June 14. MINT.—The Perth branch of the Royal Mint was opened on June 21. PARLIAMENT.—The membership of the Legislative Council was increased to 30, and that of the Assembly to 50, by a Redistributions of Seats Bill. SEPARATION.—On December 13 a sepa-tist meeting was held at Coolgardie and the Reform League was formed. The movement was a strong one. The gold-fields resenting the delay of the State Government in putting the Federation pro-posals to the people, decided to break away from the State and join the Federation. SNOWSTORMS.—On July 12 snow-storms occurred in the South-West. TRAMS.—The sod of the Hay-street tramline was turned on January 30, and the first trams ran on September 24 to Thomas-street. In January offers were invited for a combined electric light and tramway service for Fremantle. TRADE UNION CONGRESS.—On April 11 the first Trade Union Congress in West-ern Australia was held at Coolgardie. TIN.—Rich discoveries of tin were made in the Pilbara district in April. WOMEN'S FRANCHISE.—On August 17 the Legislative Council declared in fav-our of extending the franchise to women. 1900. BOER WAR.—The second contingent left Fremantle on February 2 on the trans-port Surrey for the Boer War, and in the same month the Bushmen's Corps was formed. Up to 1902 one infantry and nine mounted units left this State, making in all 64 officers and 1,167 other ranks, with 1,179 horses. There were 40 men killed in action, and 86 died of wounds. One West Australian, Lieut. Bell, in October 1901, was awarded the Victoria Cross. On February 9, 1900. West Australians went into action for the first time at Slingers-fontein. FEDERATION.—The Separation move-nent grew, and a conference was held at Kalgoorlie on Januarv 3. On March 17 a petition from the Eastern Goldfields Re-form League, praying that the goldfields be allowed to form a new colony, was for-warded to the Governor for transmission to the Queen. It was signed by 27,700 goldfields residents, and Albany asked to be included. On April 27 the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. J. Chamber-lain) cabled to the State Government urg-ing it to at once join the Federation and pointing out the danger of the Goldfields seceding from the State and joining the Federation on their own account. The Premier (Sir John Forrest) replied that in Enabling Bill provided for the submis-sion of the Commonwealth Bill to the electors would go before Parliament on May 17. The Enabling Bill was passed by the Legislative Council on June 7, and a date for the referendum fixed. The Aus-tralian Commonwealth Bill passed the Bri-tish Parliament and received the Royal as-sent on July 9. On July 31 the Federation Referendum vote was taken in the Colony. 44,800 voted in favour of Federation and 19,691 against, the goldfields majority in favour being 24,500. On December 2 the first Governor-General elect (Earl Hope-toun) reached Fremantle on the H.M.S Victoria en route to Sydney. On Decem-ber 24 Sir John Forrest accepted the port-folio of Postmaster-General in the first Federal Ministry. FREMANTLE HARBOUR.—On August 13 the H.M.S. Ormuz, the first English homeward-bound mail steamer to berth at Fremantle arrived. On September 12 the P. and O. Company's R.M.S. Himalaya, the first outward-bound English mail steamer to berth in the harbour, reached Fremantle. GOVERNOR.—The Governor (Sir Ger-ard Smith) and Lady Smith left the Colony on March 22, the Chief Justice (Sir Alex-ander Onslow) being sworn in as Adminis-trator. KINEMA.—A short kinema film was in-cluded in a vaudeville show in the open-air

gardens now occupied by his Majesty's Theatre. It was the first shown in Perth. LIGHTHOUSE.—The lighthouse on the north-east end of Rottnest was lighted for the first time on September 1. PARLIAMENT.—In December a Bill was passed providing for the payment of members. RAILWAYS.—There were 1,632 miles of railways in the State. ROTTNEST CABLE.—On February 6 the submarine cable connecting Rottnest with the mainland was laid. TRAMS.—The tramway system was ex-tended to Subiaco on January 6, and to Highgate Hill on September 26. WHEAT.—There were 74,308 acres under wheat in the State, yielding 774,653 bushels. 1901. COMMONWEALTH ESTABLISHED.— On January 1 the Commonwealth of Aus-tralia was established. CABLE.—On October 30 Perth and South Africa were connected by cable. FEDERAL ELECTIONS.—The first Federal elections were held in this State on March 29. Elected for Senate: Messrs. Staniforth Smith, A. P. Matheson, G. F. Pearce, H. De Largie, E. A. Harney, and N. K. Ewing. House of Representatives: Sir John Forrest (unopposed) and Messrs. J. W. Kirwan, J. M. Fowler, E. Solomon, and H. Mahon. GOVERNOR.—Sir Arthur Lawley ar-rived at Albany on the Royal yacht Ophir and was sworn in as Governor at Perth on May 1. MILITARY.—The Commonwealth took over the military administration. PARLIAMENT.—Five Ministries suc-ceeded one another in office. Sir John Forrest resigned the Premiership on Feb-ruary 12, and the Ministries of Messrs. George Throssell, George Leake, A. E. Morgans, and the second Ministry of Mr. George Leake followed. POPULATION.—The seventh census taken in March showed the population of the Colony to be 184,124 (112,875 males and 71,249 females). RAILWAYS.—A survey of the trans-Australian railway route was made in May. In July Mr. C. Y. O'Connor reported to the Federal Parliament that the line would cost £4,400,000, but would speedily pay expenses. A State railway strike lasting a week occurred in July. Railways were removed from the control of the Public Works Department, and a separate port-folio was created. ROYAL VISIT.—Returning from the opening of the Federal Parliament, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (the present King and Queen) arrived at Albany and came to Perth by train, arriving on July 21. On July 26 they sailed from Fremantle after naming the Victoria Quay, King's Park, and May Drive, laying the founda-tion stones of the South African Soldiers' Memorial and the new Museum, and per-forming other functions. 1902. COOLGARDIE WATER SCHEME.— The interim report of the Coolgardie Water Scheme Select Committee was pre-sented to Parliament on February 17. The water from the scheme reached Northam in April. COURTS.—On June 2 the Governor (Sir Arthur Lawley) laid the foundation stone of the Supreme Court buildings on the site of an old courthouse, which had been demolished. GOVERNOR.—The Governor (Sir Arthur Lawley) was appointed to be Lieut.-Governor of the Transvaal and with Lady Lawley left the State on August 14. HARBOUR TRUST.—By the Harbour Trust Act the Fremantle Harbour was placed under the control of five commis-sioners. KINEMA.—Signor Spencer, who was killed in sensational circumstances in America in 1931, provided the first or-ganised kinema programme in Perth. They were followed by Leonard's Pictures shown in conjunction with Corrick's Vaudeville in Queen's Hall (now Hoyts Regent). MOTOR CAR.—The first motor car was imported to the State. Up to1905 there were no motor car registrations in the City Council records. PARLIAMENT HOUSE.—The founda-tion stone of the present Parliament House was laid on July 21 by Sir Arthur Lawley. PREMIER.—The Premier, Mr. G. Leake, died on June 24 and Mr. (later Sir) Walter James succeeded him in office. RAILWAYS.-—The Menzies-Leonora line was opened on June 20. RABBIT PROOF FENCES.—Rabbits having invaded the wheat belt in huge numbers, the Government decided on the ambitious plan of erecting a rabbit proof fence across the State to keep the in-vaders back. Contracts were let and work was commenced from the railway at Burracoppin and Starvation Boat Har-bour, between Esperance and Ravens-thorpe on the south coast. The work on this, the No. 1 Rabbit Proof Fence, was eventually taken over by the Public Works Department, and the fence, 1,139 miles long, with wells at 20-miIe intervals was completed, reaching the sea on the 90-mile Beach north of Pt. Hedland. 1903. FRUIT.—First Shipment: A trial ship-ment of fruit was exported. GOLD.—The year was the peak year for gold production—2,064,801 ounces, valued at £8,770,719, being produced. GOLDFIELDS WATER SCHEME.— On January 24 Sir John Forrest opened the Goldfields Water Supply at Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie. GOVERNOR.—Admiral Sir Frederick George Denham Bedford, the new Gover-nor, and Lady Bedford, arrived on March 24. LIBRARY.—The present Public Library was opened. LIGHTHOUSE.—A new lighthouse at Bunbury was opened on October 19. RABBIT-PROOF FENCES.—Before the No. 1 fence was completed it became evi-dent that the rabbits had moved west too fast for the fence builders. A second fence—the No. 2 Rabbit-proof Fence, to the west of the first stretching 743 miles from Port Anne, west of Hopetoun on the south coast, and sweeping in a wide rough arc to join the No. 1 fence at Gum Creek, on the Nannine-Wiluna-road, was decided on. Fence-building was carried on until completed in 1907. RAILWAYS.—The States' Engineers-in-Chief recommended the construction of the Trans-Australian Railway, with a 4ft. 8½in. gauge to cost £4,550,000. SUPREME COURT.—The present Supreme Court buildings were opened. 1904. EDUCATION.—Scotch College was transferred to its present buildings. LABOUR GOVERNMENT.—The first Labour Government, led by Mr. Daglish, succeeded Mr. Walter James's ministry in office in August. RAILWAYS.—The Railway Workshops were removed from Fremantle to Mid-land Junction in December in a few days. UNIVERSITY.—The University Endow-ment Trust was created and vested with 4,000 acres of endowment lands in the metropolitan area, as well as some country blocks. 1905. AGRICULTURE.—A definite policy of agricultural development was propounded. POLICE COURTS.—In May the Police Courts, lock-up and allied buildings at the corner of Roe and Beaufort streets were completed. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. —The Agricultural Society's ground at Claremont was completed at a cost of £12,000 and on October 31, November 1 and 2, the Society's first show on the new ground was held. TRAMS.—The first trams were run in Fremantle. 1906. AGRICULTURE.—The capital of the Agricultural Bank stood at £1,000,000. Balloting for agricultural blocks was abolished and a Land Board of three members was appointed to decide be-tween the various applicants. PARLIAMENT.—In May, Mr. (later Sir) Newton Moore's Government suc-ceeded Mr. Rason's Liberal Ministry in office. TARIFF.—The special tariff reductions hitherto made to W. A. by the Federal Government, ceased. 1907. CONDITION OF THE STATE.—A period of retrogression from prosperity commenced. RABBIT-PROOF FENCE.—The last sec-tion of the State's Rabbit-proof fence was completed. A third fence had been found necessary. It ran from the No. 2 fence, 30 miles north of Yalgoo due west to the coast, 12 miles south of the mouth of the Murchison river, and is 171 miles long. RAILWAYS.—The Ravensthorpe-Hope-toun railway was commenced, and the Katanning-Kojonup line opened on April 10. WIRELESS.—Marine wireless was used for the first time in Australian waters on the N.D.L. steamer Bremen. WOOL.—The wool clip was 18,508,561 lb. from 3,684,974 sheep.

1908. CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.—In June 27, after 11 years of effort to raise money for a Children's Hospital, the foundation stone of the building was laid by Governor Bedford. MUSEUM.—A special wing was added to the Museum to house the Art section of the collection. RAILWAY.—The Greenhills-Quairad-ing railway was opened on April 24. 1909. AGRICULTURE.—Wheat export on any considerable scale did not commence until this year, when the value of the wheat exported was £129,000. The area under wheat crop for the season 1908-09 was 285,000 acres yielding 2,460,000 bushels. For the 1909-10 season there were 449,000 acres under crop, yielding 5,602,000 bushels (Acreage under hay of all kinds, 1909-10, was 159,000). Apples were first exported to England. EDUCATION.—Central schools were established in the more densely populated areas. GOVERNOR.—Governor Bedford re-signed his office in April and was suc-ceeded by Sir Gerald Strickland on May 31. RAILWAYS.—The Ravensthorpe-Hope-toun, the Narrogin-Wickepin and the Cool-gardie-Norseman railways were opened in February. BALLOON ASCENT.—An ascent in a balloon was made in Perth on April 19. BANK NOTES.—Commonwealth Bank Notes were first issued. EDUCATION.—The present technical School was opened on April 19. HORSE RACING.—The West Austra-lian Trotting Association was formed. IMMIGRATION.—An Immigration and Tourist Bureau was established. NAVAL DEFENCE.—A reserve force of naval militia was recruited at Fremantle. PARLIAMENT.—Mr. Frank Wilson's Ministry succeeded Mr. N. Moore's in office. STREET LIGHTING.—An electric light on Thomas-street Bridge was one of the first street electric lights in the State. UNIVERSITY.—In September a Royal Commission reported that the time was opportune for the establishment of a Uni-versity. 1911. EDUCATION.—Perth Modern School was opened on February 28. LIQUOR CONTROL.—The Licensing Act now in force came into operation. MILITARY.—Compulsory military train-ing was introduced throughout the Com-monwealth. NAVAL DEFENCE.—Under the univer-sal training regulations, an active naval reserve was established. PARLIAMENT.—Mr. John Scaddan's Labour Government succeeded Mr. Frank Wilson's Ministry in office. POPULATION.—The eighth census of the State showed the population to be 282,114 (161,565 males and 129,649 females). POSTAGE.—Penny postage came into operation throughout the Empire on May 1. PUBLIC LIBRARY.—The Public Lib-rary, Museum and Art Gallery were in-corporated under a body of trustees of which Sir Winthrop Hackett was the first president. UNIVERSITY.—An Act to establish incorporate and endow the University of Western Australia was passed. 1912. FERRIES.—The Government purchased the South Perth Ferries on March 1. GAS WORKS.—The city Council took over the Perth Gas Works ( gas and elec-tricity) on February 14. MATERNITY BONUS.—The maternity bonus system first operated. SOCIAL LEGISLATION.—The Work-ers' Home Legislation was passed by Par-liament. The Saturday half-holiday was extended to most activities. TRADES HALL.—The Trades Hall, Beaufort-street, was opened on April 20. UNIVERSITY.—On February 13 the first University Senate was nominated by the Government. Seven professors and three lecturers were appointed. 1913. GOVERNOR.—Sir Gerald Strickland was succeeded in office on March 17 by Sir Harry Barren. RAILWAYS: Trans-Australian.—The first sod of the trans-Australian railway was turned at Kalgoorlie on February 12 by the Prime Minister (Mr. A. Fisher). STATE SAW MILLS.—The State Saw Mills commenced operations. TRAMS.—On July 1 the Government assumed control of the metropolitan tram-way system. UNIVERSITY.—On February 21 the Convocation of the University was for-mally declared to be in existence (60 mem-bers) and on March 31 the staff, aug-mented by an additional professor, began their lectures in the temporary buildings to Irwin-street—ramshackle structures, the office section of which had been trans-ported from Coolgardie. WHALING.—Modern whaling opera-tions were first commenced in coastal waters by Norwegian companies with bases at Point Cloates and Albany. 1914. Agriculture.—Nearly 8,000,000 acres of agricultural land had been disposed of and the area under crop was 1,867,547 acres. The Narrogin Farm School was established. The wheat areas experienced the only drought in their history. Already suffering from the burden of the war, the trading community was so adversely af-fected by the drought that emergency legislation was introduced, and the Indus-tries Assistance Board was set up early in the following year. CRAWLEY BATHS.—The municipal baths at Crawley were officially opened on February 7. FRUIT EXPORT.—Shipments of fruit for the 1914 season, totalling 33,361 centals, of a value of £46,417. GREAT WAR.—Britain entered the Great War on August 4, and on August 10 recruiting for the Australian Imperial Forces began, the First Division sailing from Albany on November 1 for further training in Egypt. Between 1914-18, 32,028 West Australians, of whom 8,042 were native born, enlisted and were included in 29 units. The first West Australian troops went into camp at Blackboy Hill on August 17 and the first complete unit of the 11th Battalion left with the convoy from Albany. General officers' rank was attained by six West Australians, and Lieutenant-General Sir Talbot Hobbs com-manded the Australian Corps in France during portion of 1918-19. Victoria Crosses were conferred on 11 West Australians. About 6,000 West Australians were killed or died of wounds, and the total West Australian casualties were about 17,000. KINDERGARTEN.—The first Perth free kindergarten and playground was opened. MEAT WORKS.—The construction of the Wyndham Meat Works was started. PERTH.—The amalgamation of the North Perth and Leederville wards with Perth gave effect to the long contem-plated plan for a Greater Perth, and in-creased the number of wards in the city to seven. RELIGION: Archbishopric Established —The Anglican Province of Western Aus-tralia was formed and Dr. C. O. L. Riley was appointed the first Anglican Arch-bishop of Perth. The Church of England Grammar School chapel was completed. TELEPHONES.—In October the auto-matic system of telephone switching was introduced in Perth. TROTTING: Night Meetings.—Night trotting races under electric light were held for the first time in Australia at the W.A.C.A. ground. 1915. GREAT WAR.—On April 25 West Australian troops, with other men of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, came into conflict with the enemy for the first time in the now historic landing at Gallipoli. On December 19 the Peninsula was evacuated. During the campaign West Australian casualties numbered 2,500 officers and men. Lieut. Hugo Throssell was the first West Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross in the Great War, for gallantry at Hill 60, on August 29. POST OFFICE.—On October 8, the foundation stone of the General Post Office in Forrest-place was laid. RAILWAY.—The Brookton-Kunjin railway was opened on April 28. 1916. AGRICULTURE.—The Industries As-sistance Board's operations were taken over by the Agricultural Bank. Branches of the Agricultural Bank were opened at Northam, Bunbury, Geraldton, Katanning, Narrogin. Kellerberrin, Bruce Rock and Kununoppin. CEMETERY.—Interments in the East Perth cemetery were wholly discontinued after May 18. GREAT WAR.—Australian troops landed in France in March and June and suffered heavy casualties in the winter

fighting around Pozieres. One West Aus-tralian unit— the 51st Battalion— was al-most wiped out. LIOUOR CONTROL.—The "Nine to Nine" liquor law came into operation on January 10. PARLIAMENT.—In July Mr. Scad-dan's Government was replaced by Mr. Frank Wilson's Nationalist Government. WHALING.—Owing to the war, whaling operations ceased, 4,000 whales having been secured since 1913. 1917. GOVERNOR.—On April 12, Sir Wil-liam Grey Ellison Macartney, who suc-ceeded Sir Harry Barron as Governor, arrived in the State. PARLIAMENT.—In June, Mr. Wil-son's Government was succeeded by a National-Country Party combination led by Mr. (later Sir) Henry Lefroy. PERTH.—Victoria Park entered the Greater Perth amalgamation on November 1, and Monger's Lake was included in the city boundaries. The inclusion of Victoria Park increased the number of wards to eight. RAILWAY.—The trans-Australian rail-way (now known as the Great Western line) was opened on November 16. A month earlier Sir John Forrest travelled from Adelaide to Perth over the line in three days. STREET LIGHTING.—The City Coun-cil commenced installing electric lights in Perth, in addition to the gas lamps. WOOL.—6,209,856 sheep were shorn for a total clip of 38,294,093 pounds. 1918. ARMISTICE.—Hostilities in the Great War ceased when the Armistice was signed on November 11. EDUCATION.—Correspondence classes were established by the Education Depart-ment in the interests of children in the outback. GREATER PERTH.—The Lime kilns estate, and the neighbouring University endowment lands, were included in Greater Perth, and a road to City Beach was opened. MOTOR VEHICLES.—2,538 motor ve-hicles were registered in the State. REPATRIATION.—The Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Bill was passed, and schemes for absorbing discharged soldiers in industry were formulated. 1919. AEROPLANES.—The first modern aero-plane was flown in this State by Major Norman Brearley. GOLD.—The discovery of rich formations on Hampton Plains gave a temporary im-petus to the gold-mining industry. In-dustrial troubles occurred on the Golden Mile. GREAT WAR.—Germany signed the Peace of Versailles, ending the Great War. The last overseas military service of West Australian troops was performed by the 10th Light Horse, who assisted in suppress-ing a evolutionary outbreak in Upper Egypt. MEAT WORKS.—The Wyndham Meat Works commenced operations. PARLIAMENT.—April Mr. Lefroy's Government was succeeded by Mr. (later Sir) Hal Colebatch's Government, which lasted only one month, being succeeded by a Nationalist-Country Party Government led by Mr. (later Sir) James Mitchell, on May 17. SOLDIERS and LAND SETTLEMENT. —The Repatriation Scheme was vigorously pushed on, under Mr. James Mitchell. Agricultural development was assisted by the creation of a Discharged Soldiers' Land Settlement Board, formed to under-take the work of settling large numbers of ex-soldiers on the land. TRAFFIC ACT.—The great increase of motor traffic led to the need for stricter control, and the Traffic Act was passed. WHEAT.—The area under wheat at the close of the year was 1,146,103 acres. 1920. GOLD.—The gold mining industry de-clined, Hampton Plains falling to come up to expectations. GOVERNOR.—On April 9 Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate de Newdegate suc-ceeded Sir Ellison Macartney as Governor. HIGH SCHOOL.—The boarding school section of the Perth High School was trans-ferred from George-street to a new building erected on the same site as the day school section in Wilson-street. IMMIGRATION SCHEME.—Under the Immigration Overseas Settlement scheme immigrants were encouraged to come to the State from Great Britain. A group set-tlement scheme was mooted. NORTH-WEST.—The Department of the North-West was created. PRINCE OF WALES.—The Prince of Wales visited the State, Perth being strik-ingly decorated by day and night in honour of the occasion. The Royal train was over-turned accidentally in the South-West, the Prince escaping without injury. SOLDIERS and LAND SETTLEMENT. —Some thousands of soldiers were settled on the land under the Soldiers Land Set-tlement Scheme, and the scheme was furthered in subsequent years. WOOL.—The first Perth Wool Sales (public auction) were held on December 6. 1921. AVIATION.—Commercial aviation was established in Western Australia, the Com-monwealth Government having decided to subsidise aerial mail services. W.A. Air-ways. Ltd., promoted by Major N. Brear-ley, obtained the first contract for a ser-vice, between Geraldton and North-West ports as far as Broome. The machine used on the initial flight crashed near Carnar-von, Lieut. Fawcett and Pilot Broad being killed. IMMIGRATION and GROUP SETTLE-MENTS.—This Government inaugurated a scheme of group settlements in the South-West, under which prospective settlers, mainly from Great Britain, but including local settlers, were to be engaged to work virgin lands, with the idea of having hold-ings allotted in turn to individual mem-bers of the group, the married men to be given the first opportunity of acquiring a farm. Under the system, groups were assured of a livelihood during the prepara-tory unproductive period. The first group of 20 settlers, composed of Australians and migrants, commenced work at Manji-mup in March. Late in 1920 the Prime Minister had invited the State Premiers to submit proposals for encouraging immi-gration on broad Imperial lines, financial assistance from the Federal and British Governments being promised. Sir James Mitchell was the only State Premier to take advantage of the offer. He submit-ted his Group Settlement Scheme, and late in the year a comprehensive State scheme was formulated. It was based on an exten-sion of the original group settlement idea, and was intended to provide for at the intro-duction of 25,000 immigrants from Great Britain annually. It secured the support of the Federal Government. During the year a large number of migrants, chiefly ex-service men arrived in the State. POPULATION.—The ninth census of the State showed the population to be 332,732 (177,278 males and 155,454 females); metro-politan area 154,873. STREET LIGHTING.—The City Coun-cil resolved to substitute electric for gas lamps in the city streets. In October the gas lamps in Hay-street were replaced by electric lamps. WHEAT YIELD.—The 1921-22 harvest yielded 13,904,721 bushels, an average of 10.4 bushels an acre. WOMAN LEGISLATOR.—At the Legis-ative Assembly elections in March Mrs James Cowan was elected. She was the first woman member of Parliament in Aus-tralia. 1922. COTTON.—A small settlement for the purpose of cotton growing was established near Derby. IMMIGRATION and GROUP SETTLE-MENTS.—The Group Settlement Scheme was vigorously proceeded with 39 new set-tlements being opened, bringing the total up to 47, with 867 individual land holders and 2,160 dependants. Under the Soldier Settlement Scheme 4,398 soldiers had been placed on the land. The most important event of the year was the definite launch-ing of the Government's scheme of com-prehensive settlement by the introduction of a steady stream of migrants from Great Britain. In March the Premier, Sir James Mitchell, visited England and negotiated an agreement with the British Govern-ment for the introduction of 75,000 immi-grants within three years. The scheme had already been endorsed by the Federal Government and financial assistance pro-mised. The three-party agreement provided for the interest charges on a loan of £6,000,000, to be raised for the purpose to be borne in equal shares for five years by the three Governments. Up to the end of the year 4,369 State-aided migrants had arrived, in addition to 2,100 migrants who came at their own expense. In December the Government cabled to the Agent-General in London to arrange to send 1,000 married migrants monthly. KIMBERLEYS.—The northern portion of the Kimberleys was examined by Mr W. R. Easton. MEAT WORKS.—Wyndham Meat Works reopened after being closed throughout 1921.

STREET LIGHTING.—The substitution of electric lighting for gas lighting in the streets was completed in August. WHALING.—A local company acquired the whaling property and equipment at Point Cloates. WHEAT POOL.—A voluntary Wheat Pool superseded the State Wheat Pool, control passing from the Government to the growers. The 1922-23 harvest yielded 13,857,432 bushels. 1923. AGRICULTURAL and PASTORAL DE-VELOPMENT.—The progress in land set-tlement, and the increase in agricultural and pastoral production was maintained. A record wheat harvest of 18,920,271 bushels was produced in tbe 1923-1924 sea-son. COTTON.—Cotton was grown in the North-West for the first time, three tons being exported. IMMIGRATION and GROUP SETTLE-MENT.—The policy of immigration and group settlement was actively proceeded with. Migrants arriving during the year numbered 9,500 (6,640 being assisted, 1,000 nominated and the remainder at their own expense). Ninety-six groups had been es-tablished by the end of the year. INDUSTRY.—There was a slight re-vival in the mining industry. A steel works was established at Bassendean LIQUOR CO,NTROL.—The Licences Re-duction Board commenced to function, and ordered the closure of many hotels. POST OFFICE.—The new General Post Office in Forrest-place was completed and opened. RAILWAYS.—Many new railways, mostly through Group Settlement areas, were authorised. WHALING.—Whaling operations off our coasts were suspended. WOOLLEN MILLS.—The construction of the Albany Woollen and Worsted Mills was commenced. 1924. BROADCASTING.—The first radio broadcast was given in the State. DEFICIT.—The State deficit for the year ended on June 30 was £229,154. GERALDTON HARBOUR.—Work was begun on the improved harbour at Gerald-ton. GOVERNOR.—Colonel Sir William Campion succeeded Sir Francis Newdegate as Governor in June. IMMIGRATION and GROUP SETTLE-MENT.—During the year 6,715 assisted migrants and 2,353 who paid the full fare, arrived in the State. An additional 31 group settlements were established, bring-ing the total to 127 groups, the population of the group areas being 9,000, served by 41 new schools, three hospitals, and having 1,250 new houses; 25,000 acres had been cleared, nearly half of it being under crop. INDUSTRlAL.—The 44-hour working week was extended to cover the Public Works Department. The Workers' Com-pensation Act was passed. PARLIAMENT.—Sir James Mitchell's Government was defeated at the March elections, and was succeeded by Mr. Philip Collier's Labour Government on April 17. POPULATION.—The State's population increased by 10,309. RADIO.—On June 4 the radio broad-casting studio 6WF was opened by the Premier (Mr. P. Collier). TIMBER EXPORT RECORD.—Timber valued at £1,367,713, a State record, was exported in 1923-24. WHEAT HARVEST.—A fresh record was set for wheat production, the 1924-25 harvest yielding 23,887,397 bushels; averag-ing 12.8 bushels an acre. A record oats harvest, of 4,241,074 bushels, an average of 13.3 bushels an acre, was also obtained. The record oats harvest stood for five years, and has only been beaten once, in 1929-30. The hay yield of 448,525 tons is the third highest on record. ARBITRATION.—The Arbitration Act provided for the appointment of a per-manent President of the Arbitration Court with the qualifications of a Su-preme Court judge. The Court was em-powered to determine the basic wage an-nually. COMPULSORY VOTING.—CompuIsory voting provisions operated for the first time at the Federal elections in De-cember. COSSACK.—The Port Sampson jetty, Cossack, was demolished by a cyclone. GOLD.—A strong company was floated in London to acquire a group of leases at Wiluna. IMMIGRATiON AND GROUP SETTLEMENT.—A new migration and settlement agreement between the State, Federal and British Governments was ratified. During the year 4,000 assisted and nominated English migrants arrived in the State. Eight new groups were established. Partial piece-work, in place of daily sustenance paid to settlers, came into operation. ONSLOW AND BEADON.—A concrete jetty at Pt. Beadon, Onslow, was com-pleted and all the buildings of the old township of Onslow were moved to Beadon. STATE DISABILITIES COMMISSION. —A Royal Comminion to inquire into the State's financial disabilities under Fede-ration was appointed by the Common-wealth Government, and as a result a yearly grant to this State of £450,000 was approved. TOWN HALL SITE.—Efforts to decide on a new site for the Perth Town Hall having failed, after a spirited controversy, extensive alterations were made to the old building and the municipal offices and Council Chambers were moved to Mur-ray-street on July 3. UNIVERSITY.—The departments of biology and geology of the University were moved to Crawley. WHEAT.—The boundaries of the wheat belt spread still further inland and dur-ing the year the first shipment of wheat from Esperance. 18,000 bags was loaded by a German auxiliary sailing vessel. WHALING.—Whaling operations were again undertaken with highly satisfactory results. WOOLLEN MILLS.—The Albany Woollen Mills were opened on February 5. ARBITRATION C0URT.—A perman-ent President of the Arbitration Court (Mr. President Dwyer) was appointed. With his colleagues he undertook the fix-ing of the basic wage for the State. Industrial Magistrates were also appointed. CATHEDRAL.—The foundation stone of the new Roman Catholic Cathedral, on the old site, was laid on April 25. GERALDTON HARBOUR.—An island breakwater was completed at Geraldton. IMMIGRATION AND GROUP SETTLE-MENT.— No fresh groups were estab-lished but the stocking of the existing ones with dairy cows proceeded. As-sisted and nominated migrants numbering 4,000 arrived in the State. MURESK.—The Muresk Agricultural College was opened in September. ROAD CONSTRUCTION.—Under an agreement between the State and Fede-ral Parliaments, a five-year road con-struction, plan was entered into, involving an expenditure of £3,360,000, a second five-year schedule to be submitted at the end of that period. The first year's ex-penditure involved the pending of £404,000 on developmental roads, £138,000 on trunk roads, and £115,000 on arterial roads. STATE PROGRESS.—New records in land settlement and development were set. There was a record wheat harvest of 31,000,000 bushels for 1926-27, marking commercial and industrial stability, and an increasing measure of public confidence. 1927. AGENT-GENERAL.—Mr W. C. Angwin left for London to take up his ap-pointment as Agent General of the State. PARLIAMENT.—The Collier Labour Government retained office at the March elections. The year closed with a surplus of £28,245. The first since 1911. RECORD PRODUCTION.—The 1927-28 wheat harvest yielded 36,370,000 bush-els, the highest in the Commonwealth that season. It was also the peak year for fruit production. Exclusive of grapes, 1,500,000 bushels were grown; 526,000 cases of apples were exported to the English markets and 53,000 cases to the Eastern states. Sheep shorn numbered 8,447,480 for a total clip of 59,346,414 lb. of wool. RAILWAYS.—The extension of the Coolgardie-Norseman railway to Esperance was completed, making a total of 3,918 miles of State-owned lines. Operations for the year showed a profit of £34,500. ROYAL VISIT.—Their Royal High-nesses the Duke and Duchess of York, visited the State. STATE'S PROGRESS.—The year was one of steady progress and great activity in industry and commerce. Land settle-ment was pushed further forward, large areas being brought under crop. WEST AUSTRALIAN BANK.—The West Australian Bank, after 86 years of existence was absorbed by the Bank of New South Wales.

1928. FINANCES.—Per capita payments were abolished to the States, and a new financial Agreement with the Common-wealth was approved by the people at a referendum taken in November. FORESTS.—Reservations made during the year, brought the area of prime timber forests set aside as State forests to 2,000,000 acres, out of 3,000,000 aimed at. GROUP SETTLEMENTS.—The group settlement areas in the South-West prom-ised to develop into rich dairying dis-ricts. Large quantities of butter were manufactured at various factories in the south-West. PASTORAL INDUSTRY.—At the be-ginning of the year there were 8,447,000 sheep in the State. RAILWAYS.—Railway mileage in the State increased from 3,918 to 3,977, and several new lines were under construction in the wheat belt. There was again a profit on the year's running expenses. TRADE.—The State's adverse trade balance decreased to £46,858, compared with £3,224,104 in the previous year. WHEAT.—The wheat harvest for the 1928-29 season was 33,790,000 bushels. Negotiations were entered into with the federal and British Governments for the opening up of new wheat lands east of Southern Cross, towards the Coolgardie-Esperance line, and east of the Wongan Hills line, in the Lakes pastoral area. Members of the Federal Development and Migration Commission inspected the area. Authority to spend up to £150,000 for pre-liminary work, including water supplies, roads and surveying railway routes, was given by the Federal and British Govern-ments. 1929. AVIATION.—In June the Perth-Ade-aide air service, operated by W.A. Air-ways, Ltd., was inaugurated. The com-pany operates the largest aerial service in the Southern Hemisphere. CENTENARY.—Throughout the year the State's hundredth anniversary was celebrated. CIVIC HONOURS.—Perth was declared Lord Mayoralty by the King, Mr. J. T. Franklin being the first Lord Mayor. Fre-mantle was granted the status of city. KINEMA.—On April 6 "talkies" were introduced to Perth. Other theatres soon afterwards installed sound equipment, and the silent film passed out of favour. MARKETS.—The Metropolitan Markets in Wellington-street, West Perth, were opened on June 14. PRODUCTION RECORDS.—The wheat yield of 39,000,000 bushels for the 1929-30 season was the highest in Australia, the apple crop was a record, and wool, timber and mineral production figures were ex-ceptionally high. There were 19,000 acres of orchards and 5,000 acres of vines in bearing; 318,000 gallons of wine were pro-duced; 8,666,400lb. of butter was made in the various butter factories, and nearly 750,000lb. of honey was produced. UNIVERSITY.—On April 23 the de-dicatory stone of the University buildings was laid. 1930. AVIATION.—The North West air mail and passenger service was extended to Wyndham. DEPRESSION.—A period of ecomonic depression commenced in the State, in common with the rest of the world. GOLD.—The expectation of a gold bonus led to increased activity in the gold-mining industry, prospectors also be-ing busy. An era of comparative pros-perity returned to Kalgoorlie and Boulder. PARLIAMENT.—In April Mr. Collier's Labour Government was defeated at the elections, and a new Ministry with Sir James Mitchell at its head was formed. RADIO.—On March 19, the first "B" class broadcasting station in the State, 6ML, was opened. RECORD PRODUCTION.—A record wheat harvest for the 1930-31 season of 53,504,000 bushels was obtained, sheep in the State reached the record number of 9,883,000, and the wool-clip amounted to 71,542,000lb. Prices for wheat and wool reached record low levels. TELEPHONES.—In June, Carrier Wave Telephony was introduced to Wes-tern Australia, first being employed be-tween Perth and Albany. On December 19 the first conversation over the East-West line, employing the system took place. UNEMPLOYMENT.—Unemployment figures rose rapidly, and a camp for un-employed men was opened at Blackboy Hill, where 5,000 single men were soon housed. Sustenance was granted to all unemployed men and relief works were started all over the State. 1931. BULK HANDLING EXPERIMENT.— Experiments in bulk-handling of wheat were carried out in five country centres with satisfactory results. BUTTER AND MILK.—Butter produc-tion expanded greatly and the tinned milk industry, was established. Butter pro-duced amounted to 8,606,400lb., the State exporting the commodity for the first time. EXPORT.—There was a considerable development in the frozen pork and lamb export trade, 930,000lb and 2,137,000lb. re-spectively being shipped overseas. GOLD.—There was increasing activity in the gold-mining industry. A gold bonus of £1 an ounce, speedily reduced to 10/-was granted by the Commonwealth Go-vernment on all gold produced in excess of the previous year's total. The Golden Eagle nugget (l,135oz. 5dwt.)—the rich-est unearthed in the States—was found by Mr. Jim Larcombe at Larkinville in January, and a rush ensued to the field, which petered out. During the year 510,572 fine ounces of gold were produced in the State. GOVERNOR.—Early in the year the Governor (Sir William Campion) resigned his office, having held the post since 1924. No new appointment has yet been made. Mr. (later Sir) John Northmore, Chief Justice, was appointed Administrator. IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE.— Steps were taken to inaugurate a system-atic drainage and irrigation scheme cover-ing the dairying districts around Harvey, Waroona and Collie. Waroona Weir was built, and 2,800 acres of land were brought under irrigation at Harvey. POPULATION.—The estimated popula-tion of the State at the end of the year was 421,457, compared with 420,666 in the previous year. PREMIERS' PLAN.—An alarming con-dition manifested itself in national finances. There were mounting deficits, falling revenue and a great increase in unemployment. Realising the necessity for concerted action, the State Premiers and representatives of the Federal Government met in Melbourne in May and formu-lated the historic Premiers' Plan. The plan was based on an all-round reduction of 20 per cent. in adjustable Government expenditure, including wages, pensions and emolmnents, reduction of interest rates, the conversion of internal public debts, on the basis of a 22½ per cent. reduction of interest, relief in respect of private mort-gages and the raising of additional Fede-ral and State revenue. A Financial Emer-gency Act embodying these measures, and in addition providing for cuts in award rates and wages, subject to the sanction of the Arbitration Court, was passed by tbe State Parliament in July. STATE SAVINGS BANK.—The Pre-mier deemed it advisable to transfer the State Savings Bank to the Commonwealth Bank, and tbe State Savings Bank Trans-fer Bill was passed. TRADE.—There were heavy decreases, in imports as a result of the growth of a tariff barrier and the raising of the exchange rates on London. There was an increase in the volume of exports and for the year there was substantial bal-ance of trade in the State's favour. WHEAT.—The wheat harvest was over 40,000,000 bushels, for which the growers received a bounty of 4½d. a bushel from the Federal Government. 1932. BULK HANDLING.—A Bill to provide for the institution of bulk handling of wheat was defeated in the Assembly in December, although the trustees of the Wheat Pool were permitted to carry on with their voluntary scheme for conduct-ings system of bulk handling. SECESSION.—Secession from the Com-monwealth had been urged by a section of the community for a considerable time, it being held that the State suffered un-duly onerous disabilities under Federa-tion. In December a Referendum Bill, providing for the taking of a referendum in the secession question was passed by Parliament. TELEPHONES.—On April 4 a telephone call between Perth and London was suc-cessfully made, and later in the year calls were made between Perth and Dublin, Bedford (Massachusetts) and Java. Test calls were successfully made to all parts of the world. Transmission is by land line to Sydney whence it is sent by beam wireless to Rugby, England, and carried from there to the various parts of the world. UNIVERSITY.—On April 13 the Hac-kett buildings at the University, Crawley, were opened bv Miss Patricia Hackett. VICE-REGAL.—Sir John Northmore was appointed Lieut.-Governor.