AtJSTSAIJA
70
AUSTRIA
cording to the same source 9229 per cent of the
children of school a^e (six to thirteen) in Victoria,
could read and wnte; in Queensland, 92^1 per
cent; in West Australia, 90j66 per cent; in South
Australia, 88.66 per cent; in New South Wales, 89^9
per cent; in Tasmania, 89^9 per cent. The total
number of schools in Australia is 8,992, with 24,177
teachers and 764,980 pupils. The education of
children in the sparsely settled districts is a difficult
groblem, and attempts are being made to solve it y means of provisional schools, traveling schools, railway camp schools, etc.
In spite of the withdrawal of state aid from denonunational schools in 1882, Catholic primary schools have grown. In 1881 there were in Victoria 180 primary schools attended by 20,337 children; in 1911 there were 874 primary schools and 95,595 children. In New South Wales in 1888 there were 247 schools, 916 teachers, 27,172 scholars on roll, and 21,809 scholars in average attendance; in 1911 there were 401 schools, 2,034 teachers, 46,097 scholars on roll, and 38,657 scholars in average attendance. According to official returns there were 54,124 chil- dren on the rolls of the Catholic schools in New South Wales in the December quarter, 1916, and 7,677 on the roll of the Catholic schools of West Australia in the last school week of 1911 (latest Government figures available). No official informa- tion appears in the census or reports of Tasmania, Queensland, or South Australia. The Australasian Catholic Directory for 1921 gives an apparently conservative estimate of 157^95 children attending Catholic schools throughout the Commonwealth.
AUSTBAUA IN THE EXTROPBAN WaB (1914-1918).—
On the 10th of August, four days after the declara- tion of war between England and Germany, all the Australian vessels and members of the Australian navy were transferred to the King's Naval Forces for the period of the war. The first convoy of 20,000 troops landed in Egypt in December for the defense of that country and to undergo war training in the vicinity of Cairo. In conjunction with the other allied troops they took part in the campaigns on the Gallipoli Peninsula, in Egjrpt, in France, and Belgium, holding many dangerous positions, notably in the battle of the Somme and winnin^^ in 1918 at Amiens the title of the saviours of Amiens." The cavalry organized as the '^Anzac Mounted Division" formed the larger portion of the Desert Columns, and were victorious in Sjnia and Arabia.
In various theaters of war Australian personnel was engaged on special duties, or on lines of com- munication. Medical and nursing work was accom- plished in New Guiana, Mesopotamia, India, Vladivostok, and Salonika. The number of casual- ties in the war announced by the Defense Depart- ment was 232,324, of whom 43,475 died from wounds or disease, 116,594 were woimded or gassed, and 68,434 were on the sick list. Only 3,627 were missing or taken prisoners.
In 1914, upon suggestion of the Imperial Govern- ment, the Commonwealth also dispatched an expe- ditionary force against certain German possessions in the Pacific Ocean with the object of seizing Ger- man wireless stations, occupying German territory, and arranging for temporary administration. In two months the capture of the whole of the enemy's possessions was affected and the German Pacific wireless chain was broken. By the terms of the Peace Treaty, the former German islands south of the equator (except the Samoan group) are now occupied and administered by Australia under a mandate.
During 1915 the battle-crmser Australia joined
the Grand Fleet in the North Sea. The most thrill*
ing naval exploit was the capture of the German
cruiser Emden at Cocos Island. As the Emden
had wrought havoc to the extent of 21 British
merchantmen and two million and a half pounds,
this was considered a signal victory.
At the outbreak of the war, the Federal War Precautions Act put powers in the hands of the Executive Government of the Commonwealth as
g-eat as have ever been possessed previously by ritish administrators in any British possession. It limited state authority, and enabled the Com- monwealth to take any action necessary to the successful prosecution of the war, even to the extent of fixing prices, declaring moratoria, and estab- lishing pools. This act was in effect for two years after the end of the war, and was even used by the Premier in ending a strike of marine engineers, and deporting Father Jerger, a priest of German parentage, who had been accused of expressing disloyal and anti-recruiting sentiments in his ser- mons. The agitation was partly sectarian and partly political, but it was felt that the use of executive power was entirely too arbitrary. In accordance with the War Gratuity Act (19^), a bonus payable as an overseas war service gratuity was authorized for soldiers and sailors who served in the Great War. In 1917 at the Premiers' Con- ference at Melbourne it was agreed that the states should imdertake the work of settling on the land soldiers or sailors and war workers who had been abroad but that the Commonwealth should finance them for this purpose. Up to April, 1920, 15,509 sol- diers had been settled. Amon^ the questions that concern the status of Australia is the agitation for a White Australia, with the purpose of shutting out the Japanese or others of the yellow race, and reserving Australia only for those of white blood.
Austria (cf. C. E., II-121a).— The new Republic of Austria, proclaimed 12 November, 1918, consists broadly of the former Austrian provinces of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, North Tyrol, St3rria, Carinthia, and Vorarlbeig, and German Western Hungary, and is bounded on the south by Switzerland, Italy, and Jugoslavia; on the east by Hungary and Czechoslovakia; and on the north by Czechoslovakia, Bavaria, and Wurtemberg; the western boundaries are unchanged. As a result of the dismemberment of the Austro-Hungarian Mon- archy, the larger part of Austria's possessions be- came parts of the Jugoslav state, the CzechoslovaJc Republic, Poland, and Italy. With her only sea- coast taken away from her by the peace treaty (1919), she is now an inland state without maritime boundary. Vienna has been separated from Lower Austria and becomes a separate entity.
Population. — ^The area and population (census taken on 31 January, 1920), of Austria are shown as follows:
Provinces
Area in
MUea
Population
=r:
Percent- age of
Popula- tion
Density
Pfer
Square Mile
Vienna
Lower Austria. Upper Austria.
Salzburg
Stjria
Carinthia
Tyrol
Vorarlberg ....
107
7,449 4,621 2,759 6,317 3,678 4,782 1,003
30,716
1,841,326
1,458,269
858,795
214,200
957,509
369,401
306.485
133,212
29J99
23.75
13.90
3.49
15.60
6.02
4.99
2.17
17,209
196
186
78 152 100
64 133
Total
6,139,197
18,118
