In the various states of the Commonwealth the railways are grouped for convenience of administration and management into the fol lowing divisions or systems: New South Wales, Northern, North Coast, Western, Southern, South Coast and Suburban lines; Victoria, Southeastern, Eastern, Northeastern, West ern and Southeastern, and Suburban; Queens land, Southern, Central and Northern divisions; South Australia, Midland, Northern, Southern, Southeastern, Port Broughton and Western systems; Western Australia, Eastern, East Gold fields, Southwestern, Great Southern, North ern, Hopetoun-Rovensthorp railways. Tas mania's railway system is arranged in 12 divi sions following the names of the railways, each of which is under a separate management. For the administration of its railways each state has its own laws, customs and regulations. The Federal government has also railway lines in South Australia and in the Northern Territory. In New South Wales the management of the state railways is in the hands of a chief com missioner, who has an official commissioner for railways and another for tramways; Vic toria has three railway commissioners; Queens land, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania one commissioner each; while the railways of the Northern Territory are admin istered by the government of the Common wealth. The private roads which, naturally, are administered by their owners, are engaged for the most part, in the carrying of coal, ores, stone, sand, gravel, firewood timber, sugar, farm produce and occasionally passen-. gers.
Shipping and Navigation.— Regular steam ship communication between Australia and Europe was established in 1852 by the Penin sular and Oriental Company by way of Singa pore to Sydney via Adelaide and Melbourne: Owing to the Crimean War this service was suspended in 1854, to be resumed two years later by the same cotnpany in conjunction with the Royal Mail Company. In 1869 the Union Pacific Steamship Company and the Pacific Steamship Company opened a line of commu nication between Sydney and San Francisco via Auckland. For this service a subvention of .1.37,000 per annum was paid by the state governments of New South Wales and New Zealand. About this time subsidized French and German mail service was established and later lines were put into commission via Van couver and via the Suez Canal. Canada, Aus tralia and Great Britain entered into an agree ment for an inter-British line and great in crease in speed and efficiency was the result of this agreement, not only via Canada but, as a natural result, via San Francisco. This again
acted on the home ports which were forced to increase their facilities for communication with one another. Numerous other steamship lines, local and inter-continental, have since been established, so that Australia is now well connected by water with all the great maritime countries of the globe.
Submarine Cables.—The question of the connection of Australia by cable with Europe was brought up in Great Britain and Australia in 1853, but it was not until 1871 that the dream was realized and London was connected by wire with Port Darwin, and the following year, via this latter port, with Adelaide at a cost of f500,000. Tasmania had already been connected with the mainland in 1869. In 1909 two cables were laid to connect Tasmania with Victoria (390 miles). In 1901 a direct cable was laid to Great Britain via the Cape of Good Hope and another across the Pacific, the fol lowing year, from Adelaide to Canada, thus linking up the chief British possessions and touching only British territory. As early as 1876 New Zealand had already been joined with Australia by cable covering 1,191 miles. Numerous other cables have been constructed to connect the island with outside points or the various seaport cities of Australia with one another. These cables are connected with a very extensive telegraph system traversing the island from north to south and from east to west and reaching out to practically all the cities, towns and villages of the island. Wire less telegraph stations are in operation in all the state capitals and larger cities of the Commonwealth.
Postal Rates.— According to the Postal Rates Act of 1910 the rate on letters, letter cards and post cards anywhere within the Com monwealth is 2 cents per I4 ounce; printed papers 1 cent per 2 ounces; domestic books and magazines 1 cent per 8 ounces; foreign books and magazines 1 • cent per 4 ounces; commercial papers, patterns, samples and mer chandise 2 cents per 2 ounces; newspapers is sued from the office of the publisher or vender or returned by the agent or dealer 2 cents per 20 ounces; all other newspapers 1 cent each for weight of 10 ounces or under. Ordinary letters of a private or semi-private nature are 5 cents per half ounce for countries outside the British empire and 2 cents per half ounce for countries within the empire.