TRADE RETURNS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4260, 14 November 1874, Page 2

TRADE RETURNS.

TO THE EDITOH. Sir, —In a sub-leader of this morning's issue, in commenting upon the recently published trade and shipping returns, you impute blame to the Registrar-General's department for not having those returns published earlier. If you will refer again to the New Zealand Oazettc in which they appeared, you will observe that the returns in question are not published by the Registrar-General, but are issued from the Customs department, and bear my signature, so that I am to blame if any one is, and not the Registrar-General. But with regard to this point, I desire to state that no one is more impressed with the importance of prompt publication of trade statistics than I am, and that I spare no pains to endeavor to secure the early publication of such as are prepared by the Customs department ; from the fact, however, of there being no less than twenty-eight ports of entry in New Zealand, and as the returns from all these ports have to be received' before the general returns for the whole colony can be prepared, it is found impossible to have them ready for publication in a shorter time than from five to six weeks after the termination of each quarter. As to the .suggestion that* by the aid of the telegraph the returns might be published sooner, it is only necessary to remark that the telegraph doe 3 not extend to severalof the ports. The'wires are now made use of for the transmission of the totals of some of the revenue returns, the collectors at the distant ports being instructed to send their figures by post to the nearest telegraph station; but this course could not be adopted" in the case of the trade returns, and particularly the voluminous returns of exports from which the "Return of the quantity and value of exports " published in the Gazette is compiled. On learning these particulars, I think you will see reason to modify the opinion expressed in today's paper with reference to these, returns, and I trust that you will be good enough to correct the error you have fallen into in attributing the , delay to the Registrar-General's department. I have,,&c, ■ W. Seed, Wellington, 13th November. [Mr. Seed will perceive that we have madethe necessary correction in to-day's paper. — Ed. N.Z.T.] i • > - ■■