(1927), 1,028 schools (State primary and higher); 2,637 teachers, 86,5oo pupils (average attendance: 73, 180); average cost: £50.3.2. Also 188 private schools with average attendance 14,175. University; income (1927) : £98,300, with en dowments £540,500. Technical Colleges, etc., average attendance: 50,400. Total (State) expenditure on education (1927) : .1, 161,00o (i2.1.0 per caput of pop.), besides expenditure on public charities (hospitals, State wards, pensions, etc.).
debt (5927): £88,540,152 (L155.1.9 per caput). Revenue: £10,784,897; expenditure: £11,834,947, of which £233,768 was set aside for public debt. Savings Banks: (1927) depositors, 552,332, deposited £23,600,897 (i41.6.10 per caput of pop.), c. 90% of the total population being depositors. Including deposits in banks of issue the total sum on deposit in banks (all types) was £50,424,077 (i88 per caput of pop.).
See A. Grenfell Price, South Australians and their Environment, and various official South Australian publications.
Though the coast of the Northern Territory was well known to Portuguese and Spanish navigators as early as perhaps 5530, being called Great Java, it was not surveyed till 5644, when Tasman laid down the line of shore pretty accurately. The west ern part of the southern coast had been seen and named Nuyt's Land in 1627. But Flinders, by his discovery of the two great gulfs, Kangaroo island and Encounter bay, in 1802, was the first to reveal South Australia proper. Captain Sturt descended the Murray in 1830, and looked over the hills near Adelaide. The first to direct attention to a settlement there was Major Baron who communicated with the Colonial Office in Feb. 1831. His suggestion was to establish, at no charge to the British Govern ment, a private company, that should settle a party on Yorke peninsula. After much discussion South Australia was by Letters Patent made a British province in 1836. It was arranged that a local government should be established when the settlement had 50,000 people. Though the first settlers were sent to Kangaroo island, all were afterwards gathered on the Adelaide plains. The colony was proclaimed under a gum tree on Dec. 28, 1836. Great delay took place in the survey of land. The South Australian Company purchased large tracts from the commissioners at I25.
per acre and sold at 20S. A general speculative spirit arrested progress. Governor Gawler went into extravagant outlay on public buildings, etc., and drew against orders upon the English Treasury. Such difficulties arose that the British rulers had to suspend the charter in 1841 and create South Australia a Crown colony. A revival of prosperity took place when the farms were tilled and poverty had taught prudence. Copper and lead mines were subsequently discovered. Kapunda in 1843, and the Burra Burra copper mine in 1845, greatly aided in the restoration of commercial credit. The gold fever in Victoria drew off numbers in 1852; but the good prices then realized for bread-stuffs gave a great impetus to farming.
A partially elective legislative council was established in 1851 and in 1856 the colony was given its own Constitution and self government. From its origin as the venture of private enterprise the State has passed through orderly stages of evolution up to the zenith of democratic government. Such alterations as have been made in the Constitution have been in the direction of a still further enlargement of the franchise. Payment of members proved to be the corollary of manhood suffrage. In 1887 a tem porary act was passed for the payment of £200 a year to each member of both houses, and in 1890, the law was made permanent. Thus was rendered possible the direct representation of all classes. Soon afterwards the parliamentary Labour party came into exist ence. In 1894 the principle of "one man one vote" was extended to that of "one adult one vote" by the inclusion of women as voters on terms of absolute equality with men. The delegates to the Federal convention and to the Commonwealth parliament were in South Australia elected by the combined vote of men and women. Elections were formerly held in successive batches, but since 1893 they have taken place simultaneously in all districts. Electoral expenses are rigidly limited, both as to objects and amount. Although there is no general statute the referendum has often been applied. The salary of members was increased to £400 annually in 1921. (See AUSTRALIA.)