CUSTOMS RETURNS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 227, 22 January 1876, Page 12

CUSTOMS RETURNS.

In our last issue we published nearly complete returns of Custom duties paid during the December quarter, 1875, together with a comparison for the firsthalf of the financial year 1875-6. We are now in possession of full returns for the quarter and for the year. We shall therefore supplement the figures we have already given from the table before us. Thus: — Customs duties, 1875 ~ .. £1,234,435 Do. do. 1574 .. .. 1,185,94 S Increase.. .. • • • • £45,457 This was a small increase no doubt, but it was as much as could reasonably have been expected from the absence of all speculation. It marked the steady progress of the colony as a whole, although there are districts, we regret to say, which have apparently retrograded. This will be seen by the following comparative return :

These figures axe remarkable. . The leading ports at which an increase is noted for the past year, as contrasted with the preceding one, are : Increase. Auckland .. .. • • - • £IS,ISO Wellington 29,311 Dunedin .. 4,792 There was a satisfactory increase also at the port of Wanganui, and at all the sub-ports in Auckland province, PovertyBay alone showing almost as large a total as Taranaki. On the other hand, the principal ports at which a decrease in receipts is noted, are : Decrease. Napier .. .. -• •• £lllß Lyttelton .. .. - • • ■ .. 3354 Nelson .. • • ■ • • • • - 1290 Westport 2179 Greymoutli .. - - - - - - 6195 Hokitika .. . • •- , - - - • 6613 It will therefore be quite evident that if it had not been for Wellington and Auckland provinces showing siyns of vitalitylast year, the comparison would have been very much worse than it is. Canterbury province was about stationary, the falling off at Port Lyttelton being balanced by the increase at Timaru. Otago, on the other hand, exhibited a small increase at all its ports of entry. The most serious, as it is also the most significant part of these returns, is the tale they tell of the West Coast of the Middle Island. Classing the town of Nelson with the West Coast settlements, we have a total deficiency on the year, as contrasted with 1874, of £16,277. If, however, Lyttelton and Napier be added, the total would be £20,749 —an amount which is more than covered by the increase at the ports of Auckland province, which foot up £21,829. The total increase for Wellington province on the year was £31,409. Selecting the five principal ports of the colony r , their contribution to Customs revenue was : Auckland £238,933 Wellington .. .. • • • • 153,641 Nelson .. .. .. • - • - 39,349 Lyttelton .. .. •• •• Dunedin .. .. .. • - • - 362,335 Thus we find that Wellington is very rapidly overhauling Lyttelton, and if its commerce continues increasing as it has done for the past four or five years, it will soon stand second on the list of New Zealand ports. It will take time to accomplish this, but the symptoms are exceedingly favorable.

1875. 1874. Auckland £238,933 £220,753 Thames .. 10,607 9,367 Russell . - 1,09G 950 Mongonui Hokianga No return 1,653 505 1,150 Tauranga 695 471 Poverty Bay 7,121 5,5S5 New Plymouth 8,405 7,755 Wanganui 27,197 25.101 Wellington 153,641 124,330 Napier .. 41,742 42.860 Wairau .. 0,134 5,411' Picton .. 1,207 1,721 Havelock 979 664 Kaikoura 871 33S Nelson .. 39,399 40,689 AVestport 16,792 IS,971 Grey mouth 37,434 43,629 Hokitika 29,810 37,423 Lyttelton 170,732 174,086 Akaroa .. 197 150 Timaru .. 24,617 21,468 Oamaru .. 10,213 10,269 Dunedin 362,335 357,543 Invercargill 35,815 31,902 Riverton 6,807 4,72S