11. INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE. Manufactories.— For many years Australia relied chiefly on its raw products for its wealth, but recently steady progress has been made with its manufacturing industries, and at the present time over 250,000 men and more than 82,000 women find employment in what are ordinarily termed factories, as well as a large number of others in smaller establish ments.
The most rapid increase in the manufactur ing industry has taken place during the past few years — in fact between 1894 and 1917 the hands employed increased from 133, 631 to 320,922, an increase of nearly 10,000 per annum, as compared with an increase of only 2,800 per year during the 10 years previous to 1894, the Fowth of the factory employees being proportionately far greater than that of the population.
As regards the manufacturing erally, the population of the continent is at present hardly sufficient to maintain a large manufacturing population, while its distance from other market places is at some disad vantage as regards the export of manufactured products. The total horse-power of .machin ery used in the factories amounts to over 440, 000, the increased use of electricity in recent years being accountable for a rapid addition in such power.
The following table shows the number of establishments and the hands employed in each state of the Commonwealth in factories and works employing four hands and over: Queensland; operations in Western Australia were commenced in 1891. At first the officers
of the Army met with much ridicule and some ill-treatment but the earnest and effective man ner in which they grappled with the problems of social reform soon reconciled the public to their methods. Persecution gave way to popu larity, and the work of the Army is now ap plauded by all classes. The Prison Gate Brig ade reclaims many criminals, and does such good service in diminishing crime that several of the state governments give a grant in aid of its operations. The headquarters of the Army are in Melbourne and the officer com manding in Australia has the rank of a com missioner. There are colonels and brigadiers in each state.
The several churches in Australia are ani mated by those friendly and tolerant sentiments which are the natural offspring of freedom. An interchange of pulpits is not infrequent. On Empire day in 1906 a special service was ar rWnged at Saint Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, in „which the president of the Methodist Con ference and the minister of the principal Pres byterian Church took part.