EDUCATION. Primary education is free, and is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 13. Re ligious instruction may be given, but not during ordinary school hours. In 1901 there were 69.115 scholars enrolled in the State schools. There is a secondary school for girls at Adelaide, and fees are charged. All other secondary schools are plicate or denominational. In 1901 there were 11,310 scholars enrolled in private schools. The University of Adelaide and a number of technical schools are aided by the State.
IhsronY. The explorations of Flinders in 1802 and of Sturt in 1830 first called attention to South Australia. Its real settlement was due to an association formed to put into operation the colonization theories of Edward G. Wakefield (q.v.) : but its early application for a charter, in 1831, was rejected, and it was not until 1835 that permission was given for the formation of the province on condition that no expense should attach to the home Government. A year later
settlers landed and founded the town of Adelaide.
South Australia became a crown colony in 1841. The early basis for the prokperity of South Aus tralia was agricultural. though in 1841 galena deposits were discovered and in 1842 copper. The population was in 1844 and 92,500 ten years later, and the exports increased from £100, 000 to £1,300,000 during the same period. The Torrens land system was adopted in 1858. A separate colonial constitution dates from 1856, the year of the opening of the first railway from Adelaide to its port. The explorations of Eyre in 1840 opened up the cattle region of the in terior, and those of Stewart in 1859-62 the way to the Indian Ocean. The Northern Territory was annexed in 1863. The telegraph line, opened in 1872, followed substantially the line of Stew art's explorations and gave Australia cable com munication with the rest of the world.