The Globe. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1876.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 742, 4 November 1876, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1876.

Continuing our remarks on the statistics of Australasia, we find that taking, into account the age and population of New Zealand, we in this colony have no reason to be ashamed of the position we hold among the Australian colonies. The rapid rate at which our resources have been developed during the last few years is clearly shown in the table before us. Although in reality one of the youngest of all these colonies, our progress in this respect has been very rapid. On December 31st, 1875, New South Wales possessed 437 miles of constructed railways, and 251 miles in the course of being made. Victoria owned 617 miles of railway, and was making 358 more. New Zealand had 542 miles opened, and 464 in the course of being constructed, or a total of 1006 miles, or a few more miles than possessed by Victoria. Considering the area of this colony, the extent of telegraphic wires possessed by us bears very favorable comparison with those of the other colonies. New South Wales possessed 8012 miles, Victoria 4510 miles, South Australia 3904 miles, and Queensland 3956, and New Zealand 3156. The great superiority of this colony as an agricultural and pastoral country is shown by the number of acres which are under cultivation, compared with any of the other colonies. We head the list with 2,377,402 acres, being nearly double that of South Australia and Victoria, which come next with 1,444,586 acreß and 1,126,831 acres respectively. In New South Wales 451,138 acres only have been brought into cultivation. Our superiority as a farming country is shown by the fact that notwithstanding the number of acres under cultivation the number of our stock is very much less than in most of the other colonies. New South Wales possesses no less than 3,134,086 cattle; Victoria, 1,054,598; Queensland, 1,812,576, whilst those owned in New Zealand only number 494,917. As regards sheep the comparison is more favorable. There are owned in New South Wales 24,382,536; in Victoria, 11,749,532; and in New Zealand, 11,704,853. The table before us is deficient in one respect. Had the acreage on which sheep and cattle are depastured been also stated, we should have been able to compare the relative productiveness of the various colonics. But enough has been stated, we think, to show that in all the elements of material prosperity, New Zealand is a-liead of any of her Australian neighbours. But if we are the most prosperous of all our neighbours, we have to pay rather heavily for it. Our public debt is, notwithstanding our smaller population, very much larger than that of any of the other colonies. On December 31st, 1875 (we quote the amount then for the sake of comparison), we owed £17,400,031; the debt of Victoria was £13,995,093, and that of New South Wales, £11,470,637. The rate of indebtedness per head of the population showfci more clearly still, the enormous burdens we have contracted. We owe £4B 9s 8d per head; Queensland, £4O 6s Id; New South Wales, £l9 5a 3d; Victoria, £l7 3s sd; and South Australia, £l6 Is 7d. How best to make provision for this large taxation, must more and more become a burning question with > w Zealand statesmen. Unfortunately duruTJ the last session but little attention was ven \ thla all important subject. We hope, u.^ w " ever, now that abolition is an accomplished fact, that when Parliament meets again, those who have the interests of the colony at heart will insist on it receiving a very large amount of consideration at the hands of hon. members.