Mr. Woodward proceeded to this district, and in July issued an encouraging report. He found some good specimens, and expressed the hope that the claims would prove very valuable. He was impressed with the mineral-bearing nature of the district, and said it was the most hopeful he had seen in the colony. At Balla Balla Creek he reported on a fine lode of copper, and advised the testing of some of the gossany parts for gold and silver. Other prospectors, including Mr. Martin, Mr. N. W. Cooke, and Messrs. Wells and Co., found reefs in the same district. Happily, dependence had not to be placed on reefing alone. At Pilbarra Creek, a tributary of the Yule River, excellent alluvial specimens were obtained, and some exceedingly valuable finds were made before the end of the year. Late in July H. Wells arrived at Roebourne with 31 ozs. of gold from the Creek. J. Broomhall followed on 1st August with 80 ozs., discovered about fifteen miles from Condor. Another prospector, named Ashton, reached Cossack in September with 8 lbs. of gold, including one nugget weighing 35½ ozs.; another, named Sullivan, with a 35 oz. nugget; and another, R. Naughton, with a 103 oz. nugget, found at Mallina. Other rich discoveries were made, and about forty men were prospecting at Pilbarra before the end of the month. On 1st October the goldfield of Pilbarra was proclaimed, and a warden, Mr. C.W. Nyulasy, was appointed to administer the field. The heaviest nugget yet come upon was found by Henry Villiers, on 20th November. This precious specimen was reported to weigh 8 lbs. (avoirdupois), and was named the Wyndham. In December three diggers conveyed 540 ozs. to the seaboard, the proceeds of seven weeks' work.
Alluvial gold was obtained over a considerable extent of country, reaching as far east as Nullagine, about 200 miles from Roebourne, and 130 miles from the coast. Mr. H. Wells (£500), Mr. N.W. Cooke (£250), and H. and J. Withnall (£100) received the Government rewards for the discovery of the Pilbarra Goldfields.
Gold was discovered in 1888 in a low ridge, between Austin's Lake and the Weld Range, at Berin, about 250 miles from the coast. Mr. Woodward, who was tireless in carrying out his duties, visited the reef, and said that it was of a promising character. Thus, over scattered and widely-separated areas, gold had at last been discovered in Western Australia. The gold export for 1888 was 3,493 ozs., valued at £13,273 8s.
The expenditure of loan moneys on extensive public works, the circumstances under which the land grant railways were built, and, chiefly, the discovery of these goldfields, served to attract population. This advance, most important of all to the colony, was larger than that of any similar period; the increase for the ten years was 13,469. The annual Blue Book figures were:—
| Year. | Male. | Female. | Total. | Increase on Preceding Year. |
Decrease on Preceding Year. |
| 1879 ... | 16,628 ... | 12,040 ... | 28,668 ... | 502 ... | — |
| 1880 ... | 16,559 ... | 12,460 ... | 29,019 ... | 351 ... | — |
| 1881 ... | 17,216 ... | 12,797 ... | 30,013 ... | 994 ... | — |
| 1882 ... | 17,551 ... | 13,215 ... | 30,766 ... | 753 ... | — |
| 1883 ... | 18,005 ... | 13,695 ... | 31,700 ... | 934 ... | — |
| 1884 ... | 18,623 ... | 14,335 ... | 32,958 ... | 1,258 ... | — |
| 1885 ... | 19,989 ... | 15,197 ... | 35,186 ... | 2,228 ... | — |
| 1886 ... | 23,044 ... | 16,540 ... | 39,584 ... | 4,398 ... | — |
| 1887 ... | 24,807 ... | 17,681 ... | 42,488 ... | 2,904 ... | — |
| 1888 ... | 24,275 ... | 17,862 ... | 42,137 ... | — | 351 |
It will be observed that the largest increase took place after the discoveries of gold were announced. The decrease in 1888 was due to the disaffection of disappointed miners.
The question of introducing Chinese was again debated. The number of men brought to the colony under the votes of preceding years did not satisfy those who favoured this class of labour. Those who desired to keep Australia free from the presence of alien races opposed any proposal made to increase the number. An important question of Australian policy was involved, and intercolonial opposition was shown. The advisability of introducing Chinese labour was discussed with some warmth in the Legislative Council in 1879. It was proposed to spend further sums of money on this object, and Governor Ord at first supported the proposition. Sir T.C. Campbell asserted that it was better to spend money in introducing cheap labour than imposing a tariff to protect farming interests; it was a more legitimate form of protection. Mr. G.W. Leake, the Acting Attorney-General, said of the first Chinese introduced that not one complaint had been made against them for idle habits or disorderly conduct; the experiment was therefore a success, and should encourage the Council to spend further sums. Mr. Harper, in the absence of any probability of goldfields being discovered—and nothing else attracted these people in large numbers—did not think it likely that Western Australia would suffer from a large influx of Chinese. Mr. S.H. Parker dissented from these views. He was under the impression that the object of voting money for immigration purposes was to encourage settlement by persons who should establish homes and contribute to the development of a country's resources. The proposal meant the voting of public funds for the purpose of importing labour for merchants and wealthy stockowners. Mr. Harper moved that £2,000 be placed on the estimates to be spent in introducing Chinese coolies. An amendment was proposed by Mr. Brockman, and seconded by Mr. S.H. Parker, that the sum be fixed at £1,000, but was lost, and Mr. Harper's motion was carried.
Governor Ord was evidently impressed by the argument that it is better to import settlers, not workmen or temporary assistants who would be returned to their country, and he declined to carry out the recommendation of the Council. At the intercolonial conference in Sydney, in 1881, the question of Chinese immigration was debated. The representative for Western Australia, Chief Justice Wrenfordsley, was specially instructed not to even consider the matter. In the discussion strong feeling was shown by Eastern delegates, who were unanimous in opposing the introduction of Chinese under any circumstances to Western Australia. To moderate the views expressed, Mr. Wrenfordsley felt bound to unofficially point out that a policy which suited Victoria or the southern territories of Australia might be inapplicable to the north-west lands of Western Australia or the northern territories of South Australia and Queensland. In this view he was supported by Queensland, and it was decided to submit the question to the Secretary for the Colonies. On 11th May, 1881, that statesman replied that he was well aware of the strong objection entertained generally in Australia to an extensive Chinese immigration, but because of the peculiar position of Western Australia, more than one-third of whose enormous territory lay in the tropics, it would require very strong evidence of the injury likely to be sustained by the neighbouring colonies to convince Her Majesty's Government that they would be justified in disapproving of the limited introduction sanctioned by the Western Australian Legislative Council in 1879. It was not shown that any of the Chinese hitherto introduced had passed into the other colonies, each of which, in reality, contained a much greater number of Chinese than Western Australia. He was not prepared to alter the policy of the local Council.
Few public references were then made to a Chinese influx until 1885. The prospects of a permanent goldfield existing at Kimberley influenced members of the Legislative Council to have a clause inserted in the Goldfields Act prohibiting Chinese from
