Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2008.
From Introduction: The aim of this thesis is to examine Edward Gibbon Wakefield's theory of "systematic colonisation" so far as it was applied in the settlement of South Australia, and in particular to analyse the essential economic factors necessary to enable a self-supporting economy to emerge. The colonisation of South Australia was unique in several ways. It introduced a radical scheme for colonisation attributed to the London based ideologue Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796 1862). The basic feature of the scheme was that colonial land should not be alienated from the British Crown by way of grant for favours or services rendered, but that it should be sold at a sufficient price, to enable free passage be provided to labourers to bring uncultivated land into production. There was little agricultural land available in Britain but there was an abundance of capital and unemployed workers. Wakefield proposed that if both could be introduced into the colonies, where there were large tracts of uncultivated land, then the combination of the three factors would expand the field of production with successful commercial outcomes.
Local notes
From Introduction:
The aim of this thesis is to examine Edward Gibbon Wakefield's theory of "systematic colonisation" so far as it was applied in the settlement of South Australia, and in particular to analyse the essential economic factors necessary to enable a self-supporting economy to emerge.
The colonisation of South Australia was unique in several ways. It introduced a radical scheme for colonisation attributed to the London based ideologue Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796 1862). The basic feature of the scheme was that colonial land should not be alienated from the British Crown by way of grant for favours or services rendered, but that it should be sold at a sufficient price, to enable free passage be provided to labourers to bring uncultivated land into production. There was little agricultural land available in Britain but there was an abundance of capital and unemployed workers. Wakefield proposed that if both could be introduced into the colonies, where there were large tracts of uncultivated land, then the combination of the three factors would expand the field of production with successful commercial outcomes.