The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1875.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 195, 6 August 1875, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1875.

We published the other day some statistics showing the export of wool from the Australasian colonies during the last thirty-nine' years, which appeared to us ito possess more than ordinary interest. Having before us the Financial Statement, delivered onEriday last, we find, in an appendix attached to it, certain tables showing the annual value of the wool exported since 1867, and on comparing it with that of the gold seut away jduring the same period we find, with some surprise, that, the pastoral industry has of late years done far more for tlie colony than mining pursuits. "We certainly were not prepared to find that last year the value of the wool exported from New Zealand was double that if the gold. But so it is. The wool trajde is rapidly assuming such immense proportions that ifc is easy to see howl a fall in the price would affect the gfeneral welfare of the colony. The following table will give a fair notion of its Magnitude :—

Some idea of the fluctuations ia the I

price of tin's commodity may be formed from the above figures, For instance, we find that in 1868— -that most trying of 3'ears for sheepfarmers— although the quantity exported was something like 1,700,0001bs in excess ofthat of the previous year, the x actual value was£ol,ooo less. Again in 1870, the total quantity exported was over nine million pounds more than in 1869, while the money value was only some £330,000 more. Then in 1872, the hest of all years, the export . increased by four millions over that of the preceding year, and the value by very nearly a million' sterling. The excess in the supply was certainly not sufficient to account for that ia the value, as, to he so, wool must have averaged close upon 5s a pound. We will now give a comparative statement of the value of the wool aud gold exported during tHe above-named years, which will probably cause some surprise to those who, like ourselves, were unaware of the enormous sums of money that have of late found their way into the colony from the English and foreign wool markets: —

From this ifc appears thafc while fche yield of* gold has decreased from £2,455,022 in 1871 to £1,408,058 in 1874, thafcof woolhas increased to fche extent of over £1,200,000. Should ifc so happen thafc our borrowing powers reach their limit, and a serious decline in. the price of wool occurs simultaneously, what a tremendous crash there would be in ~Nevr Zealand! Both musfc come ere very long. Let us hop.} that time will be allowed us to. recover from the one before the other bursts upon s. At. the Resident Magistrate's Cour*. ..this morning, Elizabeth Banks, a/ea* Abbott was sentenced to two months' imprisonment for stealing an iron tub, the property of Mr T. Hooper. His Honor Mr Justice Gillies arrived by fche Taupo from Auckland this morning, and will open the Circuit Court on Monday, the 16th instant. At present there are only two criminal eases set down for trial, namely, the Queen against Hibble for embezzlement, and against Isaac Strachan for an unnatural offence. Of civil cases there are none. Sir George Arney, we are sorry to learn, is still at San Francisco, suffering fyom illness induced by severe seasickness. He had left on a tour to Sierra Nevada to recruit his health, previously, to proceeding via New York i to England. i Mr S. Boyd, of Leifchfield, (says the Lyttelton Times), who has lately been pig hunting; on the Waikari Flat, captured, on Thursday, a sow with fourteen young running by her side, one of which attracted his special attention. On examination of this one, it was found that it could only travel on its fore feet, the hind ones growing upwards over its loins. It is about six weeks old, perfectly .strong and healthy, taking its food as pigs usually do. AH that have seen the little animal pronounce it to be a most curious specimen v df the pig breed, and the capturer intends to give the little animal more care and attention than that usually bestowed upon the same race, ■■

Gold. Wool £ £ 1867 2,696,642 1,580,608 1888 2,385,971 1,516,548 1869 Y 2,263,30? 1,371,230 1870 2,410 946 1,703,944 1871 2,545,022 1,606,144 1872 1.732,687 2,537,9; 9 1873 1,663,761 2.702 471 1874 1,408,058 2,834,695

QuinSity Value in l^a £ 1867 27,1A-^963 1,58 „608 1868 28,575t163 1,516,548 if-n- 27.7654636 1,371,230 '" 5!;? ' 37,0J^6S 1,703,944 1871 37,793,734 1,60014* - WW,---- : : 4i1^5,^ ; V ,... 2,702,471 1874 46,848,735 -" 2 154C95