"Western Australia is endowed with an abundance of mineral and petroleum resources, and mining has played a central role in the State's economic, social and political life. A century after the celebrated 1890s goldrushes, his vital industry returns to the State many hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually." "A Rich Endowment: Government and Mining in Western Australia 1829-1994 examines the role of Western Australian governments in encouraging, regulating and administering the industry, outlining the development of mining law and the elaboration of services to prospectors and miners." "From a thoroughly researched account of early mineral discoveries, Ken Spillman focuses on the work of the Department of Mines - including functions as diverse as operating state batteries, monitoring dust levels in mines, controlling goldfields water supplies, administering the WA School of Mines, and even managing a government-owned hotel." "Ken Spillman brings to life the remarkable men of science who served as Government Geologists, the powerful goldfields wardens, and a range of other characters - including a gentlemanly clerk who once roamed as the murderous Captain Starlight." "Commissioned by the Department of Minerals and Energy to celebrate its 1994 centenary, A Rich Endowment offers new insight into many facets of Western Australia's past."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved