A considerable portion of Western Australian trade is with other Australian States and it is significant that in the year 1927 28 imports to the value of L621,000 entered Western Australia by the overland railway line from eastern States, while only £15,500 worth of exports proceeded east by that route. Shipping services include (a) the main overseas lines which now make Fremantle (not Albany) their first Australian port of call, and Fremantle is the largest oil-bunkering port in Australia; (b) services plying to other States; (c) coasting services plying, mainly, northwards up the coast and back. From Western Australia submarine cables connect (I) Broome through Java (Banjoewangie), etc., to Lon don, Broome being connected by an overland line with Perth and thence, via Albany, Eucla, and Port Augusta, with South Australia and the eastern States, (2) Fremantle with Durban, (3) Freman tle–Adelaide (alternative to the overland line), (4) Broome via Java—as in (i)—and Cocos Island with South Africa.
Population (June 1933 census) : 438,948 (males: 234,000; fe males: 204,948; not including the aboriginals (1927 estim.) : 23, 000) = 6.6% of the population of the Commonwealth, and o.5 persons per sq.m. The 1926 birth rate was about 22 and the death rate 9 per 1,000. The average annual increase from 1923-27 was 9,700. Metropolitan Perth, covering 87,563 acres with its sub urbs, had 207,464 inhabitants in 1933 or 47% of the State's total.
Occupations (Census 1921 : total population: : Bread winners: 146,926, of whom: primary producers, 49,400; industrial, 32,794; commercial, 21,960; transport and domestic, each, c. 14,20o; professional, 13,500.
Production (estimated annual value during last three years) : c. L30,000,000. Agricultural: fio–ii millions; manufacturing, L5-6 millions; pastoral, L5,500,000; forestry and fisheries, L2, 500,000; mining, L2,320,000; dairying, etc., L1,600,000.
Mining: (1926) Total: L2,720,400. Gold: of total Western Australian mining output and 64.7% of total Aus tralian gold output) (sinking) ; silver and lead, L30,500 (fluctuat ing); tin, £13,300 (fairly constant) ; copper, nil (1923: L65,100); coal (1928) all Collie: 514,800 tons, £414,450 (rising).
Agriculture: Area devoted to cultivation and being cleared (1927) : 10,475,00o ac. (under crop, ac.; fallow, 000 acres). Wheat: 2,571,000 acres; 30,022,000 bu. (11-12 bush els per acre) (1928: c. 3 million acres, 35,134,000 bushels). Hay: 359,00o ac., 424,000 tons. Oats: 235,000 ac., 2,717,000 bushels. Orchards: 18,500 acres. Vineyards: 5,275 ac., 292,000 gal. wine.
Pastoral and Dairying (1927) : Horses, 165,00o; cattle, 847, 000; sheep, 8,448,000; pigs, 59,800. Production (1926.-27) : but ter, 3.83 million lbs. ; bacon and ham, 27 million lbs.
Manufacturing Industries: Factories (1926-27) : 1,216, employ ing 20,424 hands. Value added by process : L6,907,000. Food and drink factories 212 (employing 2,725 hands) ; clothing, 167 (3,150 hands) ; wood-working, 161 (5,775 hands) ; machinery, etc., 147 (4,000) ; vehicles, saddlery, etc., 137 (1,240).
Trade, Commerce, Communications: (a) Trade: Total (1927 28) : L36,528,650. Exports: L18,240,775. Value per caput (1926– 27) : (Interstate: overseas, L16,896,000.) Wheat: L6,994,500 (15,716,000 centals) ; flour, L1,008,000 (1,708, 00o centals). Wool: £4,963,000 (61,244,6od lb.). Timber: Li, 265,00o; sandalwood, £147,000. Cattle products: beef : £136,000 (I I million lb.) ; hides, etc., £553,000. Gold: £660,700. Fruit: £192,000; Pearl shell: L186,000. Imports: L18,287,876. Value per caput (1926-27) : £48.45. (Interstate: £9,276,329; overseas, L9,011,547.) Clothing, etc., L4,039,000; machinery, etc., £2,100, 000 hardware, L1,535,000; motors, etc., L1,165,000; dairy prod ucts, L1,105,000; tobacco, etc., £715,000.
(b) Shipping (all categories: 1926-27) : Cleared: 799 vessels (3,796,500 tons). Cargo: discharged, 793,65o tons; shipped, 1, 000,80o tons. Total overseas cargoes (discharged and shipped) : I ,401,000.
(c) Ports: Total trade (1927-28) ; Fremantle, L30,639,000; Bunbury, L2,256,700; Geraldton, L1,124,100; Albany, £708, 000, Wyndham, L263,500; Carnarvon, £253,000; Busselton, L213,500; Broome, £195,200; Port Hedland, £109,200.
(d) Railways. State Government lines (1928) : 3,977 m. (3' 6" gauge). Commonwealth Government (transcontinental line, West ern Australian section Kalgoorlie—South Australian border) : c. 454 m. (4' 81" gauge). In addition, c. 884 m. private railways (mainly 3' 6"), of which c. 277 m. open for general traffic. The State railways in 1928 showed a net profit of L26,671. During 1928, 152 miles were under construction, surveys for 24o m. (Gov ernment lines) were completed and surveys for 294 m. were in progress.