The coasts abound in good natural harbours—though some are exposed and not very useful—but the main sea traffic centres on Hobart, Launceston, on the north coast ports and on those of Macquarie Harbour.
See G. L. Wood, The Tasmanian Environment (1923).
Population (1933) 227,605, of which 115,141 were males and 112,464 were females. The State contains 3.42% of the popula tion of the Commonwealth and has a density of 8.68 per sq. mile. Its natural increase of 36,781 was offset by a loss of 22,920 through migration. Metropolitan : Hobart and suburbs (54,890 acres), 60,408 (1933) =26.5% of total population.
Occupations (Census, 1921: total population 213,780). Bread winners 39.19%, allocated thus: industrial, 10.55%; agricultural, ; commercial 4.79% ; professional and domestic (each), 3% ; transport, 2.84%; mining, 1.59%; pastoral, .87%.
Production (net value) : agricultural and pastoral (192 2/3 1925/6) , c. £4,400,000; manufacturing (1924-6), £3,400,000. (Net figures, on new basis, not yet available for other industries.) Mining (gross value of metal contents of ores produced, 1926): Total, copper, tin, £323,000; lead and zinc (each), £183,000; silver, £98,000; coal, £90,400 (102,00o tons); osmiridium, £62,000; limestone, £54,000; gold, ii8,000. In the case of copper, lead and tin these figures fairly represent the general level of annual production during 1919-26; zinc pro duction (Tasmanian-mined ore) shows a great rise, that of coal a steady rise, that of silver, osmiridium, wolfram, great fluctuation during the same 8 years. Gold production (1927), £20,650.
Trade, Commerce, Communications.—Trade: Total (1925-6) £17,155,000 (L80.8 per caput). Exports: £8,704,000 (Interstate: 16,125,000; overseas—i.e., outside the Commonwealth—L2,579, 000). Metals: £2,704,000 (zinc, including imported ores treated, L1,589,000); fruits, L1,000,000; jams and other prepared foods, /800,000; potatoes, £600,000; dairy produce, 1117,000; wool, 1816,000; hides, etc., £400,000; timber, £534,000.
Imports: £8,451,000 "Interstate: £6,932,600; overseas, 518,00o). Food and drink: £1,780,000; metals and machinery, £1,570,000; clothing, etc., £1,529,000.
Shipping (entered and cleared) : 2,000-2,500 vessels, 1.5-2.75 million tons (net).
Ports: Total trade (1925/6): Hobart: £9,390,000 (54.7% of total State); Launceston, £4,733,000 (27.6%); Burnie, £1,089,
000 (6.3%) ; Devonport, £863,250 (5.o%).
Railways: Government lines (1926/7) : 658 miles (633 miles, 3' 6"; 25 miles, 2' gauge). Private (1925/6) : 143 miles. Profit on working: (State lines) : £41,150; Net loss: £12,000=3.76% on capital cost.
Finance.—( 1926/7) Revenue: £3,040,220 (L14. 3. 2 per caput); expenditure, £2,855,077 (Liz. 5. ii). Public debt (net): £23, 196,814 (III'. 8. 7) paying interest at 4.907%. Total taxation (State, Commonwealth and municipal) : £14. 8. o per caput. Banks (private) (1926): cash reserves: £1,499,000; deposits, £6,145,600. Social Conditions.—Education: (19 2 5) State schools : 523 Primary, 5 High; 1,315 teachers; average attendance, 32,300. Private schools: c. 6,200 pupils. State expenditure on education: primary: £8. 13. 5 per scholar attending; higher, £16. 4. II. Total expenditure on education, exclusive of buildings, £297,130 (Li. 7. 5 per caput of population).
Bank deposits: private banks (1926) £6,145,600; savings banks (1927/8): (142,010 depositors; £36. 5. 3 per de positor). Expenditure on hospitals and charities (1925/6): ii78,5oo (i6s. 5d. per head of population). (0. H. T. R.) History.—Tasmania, or, as it was originally called, Van Die men's Land, was discovered in 1642 by the Dutch navigator Tas man (q.v.), who named the territory after his patron, Van Diemen. In the 18th century the island was visited by French and English explorers, including Capt. Cook in 1777. The news that the French explorer, Baudin, had surveyed the south of the island in i800 stimulated the British to forestall the French. In 1802 the "Cumberland," a small schooner, landed at King's island in Bass strait, and in 2803 Lieut. Bowen was sent by Governor King of New South Wales to form a settlement on the south coast of Van Diemen's Land. In 1807, Col. Paterson occupied Port Dalrymple on the north side of the island. During the same year Col. Collins, who had failed in an attempt to colonize the shores of Port Phillip, transferred his soldiers, convicts and offi cials to the neighbourhood of Hobart, and was appointed com mandant of the infant settlement. The difficulties of the settlers were increased by the hostility of the blacks. The first collision took place at Risdon, a few days after the landing of Lieut. Bowen's expedition, and for this the white settlers were entirely responsible. Hostilities between the races were incessant from 1802 till 1830. In 1831 George Robinson induced the remnant of the blacks to leave the mainland and take refuge, first in South Bruni and subsequently in Flinders island, their numbers having then diminished from 5,000, the original estimate of the aborig inal population, to 203. The last pure-blooded Tasmanian died in 1876, at the age of 76.