48 THE QUEENSLAND INCIDENT OF 1866
between 1905 and 1920. But the flower of prosperity faded, the
financial grass withered, immediately the streams of capital
irrigating their roots failed.

1882: The Indebtedness of the Australasian Colonies in Relation to their Resources;
Proc. vol. xiv. The Public Debt then stood as below:

Pusric Dest 18 RELATION TO WEALTH

N.S.W. . '
Victoria .
S. Australia .
Queensland .
Tasmania .
W. Australia .

Total  .

Amount.
£m.

Population
Thousands.

Debt
per head.
£

Wealth,
£m.

18-9
22-6
11:5
13:1
1-9
0-4

781
882
295
227
119
32

20-35 192
23-85 181
25-45 60
46-8 41
15-88 16
12.55 | 5

684 | 2336 | 29.24 | 495

Percentage
public debt
to wealth.

31
12-4
19-1
32-0
12:0
8.0

13-8

‘ Besides the money which has been lent to our governments (including New Zealand)
more than 110 millions of English capital are even now embarked with us in private
loans: counting the commerce there are more than 260 millions of your money
placed with us, and we return you altogether 18 millions a year in the shape of
interest. One-fifth of the total amount of English capital invested throughout the
world is already embarked with us.’—Dillon Bell, op. cit,