STATISTICS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 233, 26 February 1876, Page 16

STATISTICS.

(From the New Zealand Times.) We have received from Mr. Hayter, Government Statist of Victoria, tables supplementary to the Australasian Statistics, 1874, which were published in an incomplete form, the information from New Zealand not having been received at the time of the original publication. The tables before us deal with the public revenue and expenditure and the public debt. We shall examine these statistics somewhat in detail, but before doing so we may be permitted to correct an error which appears on the face of the paper. It is of little moment, however, and only refers to the date on which the New Zealand financial year terminates. It ends on the 30th of June, not on December 31st, as Mr. Hayter supposes. Looking at these tables one must be struck with the rapid development of Australasia. This will appear from the following abstract of the figures before us : Australasia, 1874. (Including New Zealand and Tasmania.) Population .. .. •• •• 2,167,253 Revenue —from taxation .. • • 225 Do other sources .. •* 7,692,107 Public expenditure 12,842,952 Now, these figures are altogether unprecedented in the history of any other group of colonies of the same population and age. They demonstrate the fact that Australasia is the richest commonwealth on the earth’s. surface. With a population under two millions and. a quarter, we have its revenue for a single year, (and that not the most prosperous by any means, taking the colonies as a whole,) amounting to £13,321,332. But the wealth of the Australasian commonwealth will be best appreciated if we separate these totals. ‘ Fortunately Mr. Hayter has done this work for us. We extract the totals per head of mean population' from the tables before us : Taxation 11| Total revenue .. .. • • J “ Expenditure .. .. • • • • 5 18 bj It would therefore appear that instead of being the heaviest taxed communities known to modern society the Australasian colonies are the lightest taxed. In other words, the expenditure of public revenue per head of mean population exceeded the receipts from taxation by £2 6s. 6f d. during the year 1874. Thus, although the average of taxation was large, the Government expenditure, drawn from other sources in aid of taxation, was almost double the amount of taxes paid. This fact, we think, should silence grumblers, as it most assuredly accounts for the independence and wellbeing of the people. But, we may he told, that New Zealand is an exception to the general rule, and should be excluded from the general average. If this colony be the “prodigal son” some would have it, surely we should find proof of it in these comparative statistics. But we fail to see any such proof. This will appear from the figures following, taken from Mr. Hayter’s tables :

We thus have New Zealand standing foremost in the ranks of Australasian colonies if we are to accept these letuins, as we certainly do, as a comparative test of wealth. But lest there should be any doubt whatever on the subject, we shall extract Mr. Hayter’s analysis, which more emphatically bears out our interpretation of the foregoing figures. Thus : PER HEAD MEAN POPULATION. Expendi-

What will gentlemen who write about an approaching financial crisis in New Zealand say to these figures. They prove incontestibly that while New Zealand pays more money per head, in the shape of taxation, than any of the sister colonies, it is better able to pay it. This will appear more clearly if we go a little further than Mr. Hayter, and show the difference between taxation and Government expenditure in the several colonies. Thus :

New Zealand .. 5 9 2£ Now, let any one who is not blinded by prejudice read these figures, and he must see that notwithstanding the large public debt of New Zealand, and its consequent high rate of taxation, its ability to pay is relatively greater than that of any other colony in the Australasian group. We do not mean to say for an instant that under different management —that with statesmen at the helm of affairs who would make the welfare of the country the sole object of their ambition, New Zealand would stand so far ahead of her Australian rivals. But we have to deal with facts. We take things as they are, and we regard Mr. Hayter's statistics as demonstrating the decadence of Victoria and the rapid development of New Zealand. We are not narrow-minded enough to rejoice at this. On the contrary, we grieve that a horde of illiterate empirics should seize the reigns of power in "Victoria, and impose a fiscal policy upon her which must place her at greater disadvantage with her competitors every year it is continued. It is, however, satisfactory to know that New Zealand is prosperous; and when we show that the expenditure from revenue during 1874 exceeded the gross taxation, less gold duty and drawbacks, — a comparatively trifling amount, —by £5 95.. 2£d. per head of population, while the excess in Victoria was only £2 17s. 9£d. —a trifle over one-half —we think it will be admitted that the croakers have very little foundation on which to build. Coming to the public debt of the respective colonies, on the 31st December, 1874, New Zealand stood second on the list, Victoria occupying first place. Since then the relative position of these colonies has been changed, and New Zealand is for the present under the largest engagements to the public creditor. As we have already shown, however, this colony is well able to meet its engagements. When we find a country whose taxation per head of its population, (exclusive of aboriginal natives who should be included,) falls 28s. o|d. short of a moiety of its revenue, it matters little what its public debt may be. To be sure the domestic question of the application of this revenue comes in here as a matter of policy, but it is one with which the outside world has nothing to do. We may think that the distribution of revenue is properly made, others may hold a different opinion, but this difference does not alter the fact that revenue considerably in excess of double the amount derived from taxation is raised, and for the most part spent, within the colony. In conclusion we have to thank Mr. Hayter and his department for these interesting and instructive tables.

Population. Revenue. Expenditure. Victoria .. New South Wales.. Queensland South Australia .. Western’Australia Tasmania .. New Zealand 780,488 572,277 155,104 201,340 25,085 104,107 318,003 £4,100,700 3,500,000 1,100,047 1,003,820 14S.073 327,025 8,003,811 £4,177,33S 2,030,227 1,121,710 1,051,022 143,200 874.078 3,035,711

Taxation. Revenue. ture. Victoria .. • • New South Wales Queensland South Australia .. Western Australia Tasmania .. New Zealand £2 8 OJ 2 2 6£ 3 11 3i 116 9i 3 3 4 2 1 3f 4 12 £5 4 Ok 6 2 8 7 9 85 4 19 8k 5 13 11* 3 2 Hi 9 12 1J £5 5 10 5 2 8| 4*7 4 7| 5 4 5£ 5 10 31 3 11 9£ 9 10 45

Excess of expenditure over taxation, 1874, per mean head of population. Victoria .. £2 17 91 New South Wales .. .. 3 0 2J Queensland .. 3 13 4£ South Australia ..378 Western Australia .. .. 2 6 111 Tasmania .. 1 10 3£