Commercial.

Evening Star, Issue 3643, 26 October 1874, Page 2

Commercial.

The amount of revenue received at the Cus fci'-a-bouae or. ..cods cleared for consumption this day was L 569 17s Bd. [By Telegraph.] London, October 17.—Discount, 4 per cent. Wool remains unchanged, and wheat inactive. Adelaide wheat, 535. Melbourne, October 17.—There is a further rise in tobacco. A shipment of galvanised iron (cross) sold at L 35 10s, Maize has been sold at close on 5s 6d. An Adelaide telegram states that the exports of breadatuffs for the year were 83,000 tons. Breadstutfs are firm, wheat being at 5s 4d. THE REVENUE. ( From the Press.) # The receipts for 1874-5 from customs (exclusive of bonded stores, fees, &c.) were estimated at L 1,150,000, and during the first quarter of the financial year were L 283.785 ; which is at the rate of Ll, 135,140 for the whole year. Stamps were estimated to bring in a revenue of LIOO.OOO, and for the first quarter have yielded L 24.844; or at the rate of within a few hundreds of the required amount. The Telegraph has produced L 12,901, or at the rate of L 51.604 for the year: the estimate being L 55.000. Judicial Fees and Fines, like Stamps, have produced very nearly indeed what was anticipated, the revenue for the quarter having been L 6,779, against an estimated L 7.000. The receipts on account of Registration of Land are a little below the mark, being at the rate of a little over LIO,OOO a-year instead of the expected L 12.000; but on the item Registration of Deeds the estimate has been exceeded by about LIOO. The proceeds of the miscellaneous fees are about equal to the estimate. A noteable deficiency occurs under the head of Postal, which last year brought in L 60,500 of revenue, but in which Mr Vogel, for some reason unexplained, thought proner to calculate on an advance to L 74,000.' The result, so far, shows that he was mistaken in his expectations of an increase, and that ho had hotter have contented himself with the rate of the last year’s receipts. The postal revenue for the quarter has been Ll 1,608, or at the rate of only L 58.432 for the year. The other great deficiency occurs under the head of “incidental,” winch had been put down in the estimate at L 35,000, but for the first quarter has returned only L 386. This is of the less consequence, iiowever, as incidental receipts must from their nature be uncertain. Btill the item seems overestimated, During the years 1872-3 and 1873-4 it returned L‘22,000 and L 21,000 respectively, and we do not see why it should be expected to jump up suddenly to L 35,000. The total revenue for the quarter under ail all heads is L 355,434 pand the addition of some recoveries from Provinces, &c., brings the absolute total to L 359,068. The receipts of this first quarter, multiplied by four, would amount to L 1,436,272. To this must be added about L 4.000 for bonded stores, payable in January, and whatever mav be received under the head of “incidental.'” The estimate for the year is, as we have said Ll ,496,600, ’ ’ We have now to compare tbe revenue returns for the September with those of the previous June quarter. The comparison supplies some reason for concluding that the Colony is nut maintaining itself at the extraordinary pitch it had then reached. Both in the Customs receipts and in the gross totals of revenue there is a falling off in every Province, with the one exception, singular to say, of Wellington. The following table gives the Customs returns in each Province for the quarter just ended, compared with those of the previous quarter ending June 30th -

Sept. Quarter, June Quarter, “ 1874. 1874. £ £ Auckland ... 62,177 63,382 Taranaki ... 1,493 1,985 Wellington ... 39,193 33,009 Hawke’s Bay 9,846 12,169 Nelson ... 18,339 20,456 Marlborough 1,880 2,576 Canterbury ... 44,748 52,095 Westland ... 12,713 17,076 Otago ... 93,372 196,693 Total ... 283,785 311,438 The following are the gross totals of revenue accruing in each Province during the same quarters:— Sept. Quarter, June Quarter, 1874. 1874. £ £ Auckland ... 74,452 79,422 Taranaki ... 2,503 3,*126 Wellington ... 48,926 43^365 Hawke’s Bay 12,977 16,871 Nelson ... 22,596 25,319 Marlborough. 2,997 3 859 Canterbury ... 59,178 69,930 Westland ... 15,733 21,004 Otago ... 115,684 132,712 Total ... 355,431 411,775 This comparison must Ije taken with some allowance. It must be remembered that the June quarter ended on the 30th, and the September quarter on the 26th of the month, so that the former had the advantage by four days. Then, too, the June quarter was an exceptional one, and had the incomings continued at the same rate, the estimate would have been largely exceeded. It is too early in the year to form any decided opinion ; we shall be better able to do so at the end of the next quarter. But, on the whole, there is not much to complain of. The Customs revenue is well up to the average of last year, though it does m.t quite realise Mr Vogel’s hopes of an increase ; and the loss on the other items, which may be partially recovered, is of comparatively little consequence.