THE PROGRESS OF WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4308, 11 January 1875, Page 3

THE PROGRESS OF WELLINGTON.

(From the Daily Southern Cross, Jan. 5.) The prosperity of Wellington, to judge by the Customs revenue, is remarkable. In 1874 the Customs returns of the port amounted from £88,500 to £124,800, an increase of very nearly fifty per cent, in a single year. Such an increase is remarkable, and we venture to think it is in need of some explanation. It is true that the increase of prosperity in all parts of the colony during 1874 has been considerable. The effect of the public works policy has been felt more than in former years, and the immigration policy has only had fair play for the first time during last year. ■ These things account for considerable advances in revenue, but they do not wholly account for so large an increase as that recorded at Wellington. It is to be remembered that the benefits, which Wellington obtained when made the Seat of Government, were not of a kind to be felt in an increasing ratio year by year. When the change was made, the accession of population was a large matter in the existing state of affairs at the new capital. More than this, perhaps, was the improvement introduced with the large salaries paid and spent in Wellington, . which till then had been paid and spent in 1 Auckland. In addition to these things, the prestige of the capital and the crumbs of Government, good things which began to fall to the share of the new Empire City, made things brisk and put people in good spirits. But when every allowance is made for all this, it is not enough to account for the rush of business prosperity, which almost promises to make Wellington one of the largest producers of Customs revenue in the colony. The prosperity incident to the acquisition of the Seat of Government has long ago subsided. The new population has years ago ceased to be felt, and the remarkable advance in business prosperity apparent at Wellington must be attributable to something besides the extra expenditure of Government funds at the capital, as whether that expenditure be great or small, it is clearly no new thing, and can scarcely produce new results. It is time that the prospects of Wellington received fair recognition at the hands of the people of the rest of the colony. The feeling that she had by something like an accident obtained the position of capital city has tended to make some of the disappointed parts of the colony look upon her with something of the contempt with which most people regard pretenders. This has naturally been the prevailing feeling in Auckland when we have had the feelings that an injustice was done us by the change which gave so great an advantage to Wellington. This, however, is an old story, and we can well afford to let bygones be bygones now. Whatever Auckland has had to complain of she has no need to fear that any deadly injury was done her, and she can afford to be just, and even generous, to her ancient rival. The Seat of Government is fixed at Wellington, probably without any chance of alteration in the future. The error that was made when the change was carried out was mainly that which consisted in creating, in a business point of view, a wholly artificial centre to the country. The evils of arbitrarily created capitals have been illustrated before now, and perhaps most notably in America, where much of the political corruption which characterises the States may be attributed to the fact that politics are transacted at a place which is little more than a great bureau of politics for the country. The further our own little capital becomes removed from such a position, the more satisfactory will be our Government, we have no doubt; and every step by which Wellington attains to a substantial prosperity beyond that of a mere city of Government offices, the more reason we and the colony at large really have to rejoice. It would appear that gome such progress is now being made. As we have said, the mere fact of being a capital will not account lor the commercial strides by which Wellington has been advancing during the past year. We believe we are right in saying that no other port of the colony can show so large a proportionate increase of revenue as this in the year 1874. The reasons which go to account for it may be of many kinds, but several of them are easily perceived. The gradual pacification of the natives, which may be said to be almost completed now, has done even more for Wellington than for Auckland, The confiscated lands of the west coast of that province are amongst the very finest in New Zealand, and since peace became more clearly assured the demand for these lands has been great. The land purchase operations in connection with the public works policy appear also to have been more immediately useful to Wellington than to us. The progress of land purchase and of settlement has, therefore, been of the most remarkable kind during the past twelvemonths in Wellington. Some of the land sold has, no doubt, been sold to speculators, but the very large proportion has, it would seem, gone into the lands of those who mean to use it, and who are able and willing to spend money in improvements. All this seems to us very hopeful. There can be no doubt that there are large tracts of very excellent laud in capable of supporting a very large and prosperous population. Tho scarcity of good lands in the South Island at anything like a reasonable distance from a market, has caused not a few men of means to try what Wellington can offer in the way of lauds, just as the same cause has induced some valuable settlers to come further north. Tho operations of Colonel Feilding’s settlement scheme have apparently done more to produce a degree of confidence in the public mind in Wellington’s future. And the result is an increased land revenue, and largely increased buoyancy in trade and commerce. We are exceedingly glad that it should be so. The prosperity of Wellington is in every respect an advantage to us, and indeed to every part of the colony ; and arising, as we believe it does, from no artificial, but from purely natural sources, we look forward to such an increase of prosperity as may in a comparatively few years, render the capital of the colony not wholly unworthy in respect of population and wealth, of tho position which political accident originally bestowed upon it. If this expectation should be fulfilled, we conceive that a very great advantage will have been gained, and, perhaps, next to tho reversal of the original mistake, a matter of political impossibility now, the best thing to bo hoped for is the progress and prosperity of Wellington.