WIRE-FENCING INVESTMENT IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA - 1858-1914

There is still much about the economic history of nineteenth-century A ustralia which needs unravelling. Although the late N.G. Butlin produc ed the most authoritative account yet written, it was inevitable that new information would warrant reassessments. This article focuses on p roblems associated with Butlin's estimates of wire-fencing investment during the 1870-90 period. An alternative method for calculating rates of wire-fencing investment is given for the years 1858-1914, for NSW and then for the eastern seaboard of Australia. The work is a technica l offering, but an important one because it reaffirms the need to cons tantly re-examine our understanding of the past.