The Colony’s Progress.

Manawatu Herald, 1 November 1902, Page 2

The Colony’s Progress.

An interesting pamphlet has been prepared by the Deputy-Registwir-General, showing the progress made by New Zealand in the ten years 1891 to 1901. The population, excluding Maoris and residents o£ the Cook and other Pacific Islands, at the end of last year was 787,657, an increase of 153,999, and the private wealth had reached £229,587,916, an increase of well over eighty-three millions. This means an advance from £230 to £291 in the private wealth per head. The number of savings-banks depositors has increased by 118,138, and the amount to their credit by £3,861,154. It now stands at seven and a quarter millions. There were 1255 State primary schools in the colony ten years ago, bat at the end of last year those numbers had increased by 422 and 28 respectively, and the number of scholars attending them by 11,828 and 1202, the grand total now standing at 146,695.

There was an increase of nearly twenty-six thousand in the number of occupied holdings (now sixtyfour thousand). The land in cultiva«

tion had advanced to over thirteen million acres, an increase of four and three-fifths millions.

The horses in the colony increased in number by 68,632, cattle 529,953, and sheep by nearly three and a half millions. The total in each case last year was: horses 279,672, cattle 1,361,784, and sheep 20,233,099, so that it was in cattle that there was by far the largest proportional increase.

There were nearly five million more letters and letter-cards posted last year than there were ten years ago, an advance of about ten and a half per cent., while nearly half a million more newspapers were posted—two and a half per cent. This growth‘resulted in an increase revenue of =£35,700, or fourteen and a half per cent. Telegraph messages, however, produced an increase revenue of £56,700, or nearly fifty and a half per cent., and the number of messages increased by two and one-fifth millions, or no less than 111,76 per cent. This substantial advance was party accounted for by the fact that there were 2120 additional miles of line opened, or more than 39 J per cent, of the number of miles in 1891. In the decade 366 more miles of State railways were opened for traffic, and the increase in the revenue was nearly three quarters of a million, or 68 per cent. Though the number of vessels inwards and outwards did not increase very much, the tonnage was considerably larger—nearly 72 per cent. The imports showed an even greater percentage increase, the advance by over five and one quarter millions representing 81.71 per cent. The exports of the produce of the colony exceeded twelve and threefifths millions last year, an increase of exactly 35 per cent. In the exports dairy produce showed the greatest increase, butter (£882,406 last year) having gone ahead to the extent of 487 per cent., and cheese (£288,685 last year) 175 per cent. Grain came next with 90 per cent. (£1,285,811 last year), frozen meat follows with 88.6 per cent. (£,2,253,262 last year), gold next with 74 per cent (£1,758,784 last year), wool, the biggest item in value, next with 10.43 per cent. (£3,699,103 last year), and kauri-gum last with an increase of a little over two per cent, last year’s total being £446,114. The output of the coalmines in 1901 was 1,227,688 tons, an advance of 88i per cent, on the output ten years ago. For comparison of the value of the output of manufactories the years 1890 and 1900 are given, and the figures show that the output nearly doubled (95 per cent, increase), the 1900 output being valued at over seventeen millions.

The unimproved value of the land increased to nearly ninety-five millions (this year’s figure is taken), being an increase of nineteen millions, or a little over 25 per cent. The value of the improvements has arisen to nearly sixty millions, or an increase of 29 per cent., so that the total value of the land and improvements now stands at under £150,000,000, or an increase of 26.66 per cent.