TOPICS OF THE MONTH.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4506, 30 August 1875, Page 2

TOPICS OF THE MONTH.

A very important decision was given by the Chief Justice when sitting in banco on Thursday, viz., that four-horse four-wheeled vehicles with narrow tires are not liable to any tolls in the Wellington province, owing to the faultiness of the various Acts. The decision will very seriously affect the interests of the tollgate keepers, as' one coach proprietor alone will save something like £6OO or £7OO a year. It may be stated that the defects in the law were pointed out twelve months ago, and the Provincial Government advised to amend, but confident of the sufficiency of their worthless Acts, they thought fit to disregard the advice, though it came from a leading barrister. Mr. 0. Lemon, the general manager of New Zealand, telegraphs, has published in the Gazette the usual comparative statement of the number of telegrams forwarded, the revenue received, and the value of General Government telegrams transmitted, for the quarters ended 30th June 1871 and 1875. The number of telegrams forwarded during the quarter ended 30th June, 187-1, was 209,117 ; during same period 1875, the number was 215,658, thus showing an increase in number of 36,511, and an increase in revenue of £2255 lis. 2d., the cash revenue for the past quarter amounting to £11,716 15s. 2d. The value of Government telegrams during the quarter was £IOSO 7s. Id., being £832 2a. lOd. in excess of the value of those transmitted during the corresponding quarter of last year. The general statement of the assets and liabilities of the banks trading in the colony, for the quarter ended 30th June last, is before us. The total liabilities are £6,950,010 lis. Bd., the assets £10,811,222 13s. The notes in circulation amount to £917,122 lis. Id. Bills in circulation, £107,172 2s. Id. The deposits not bearing interest amount to £2,189,151 lis. lOd. ; bearing interest, to £2,122,616 os. 6d. The coin in hand is £1,172,731 Bs. 10d.; the bullion, £172,931 17s. The notes and bills discounted amount to £1,300,208 3s. Of what may be called the local institutions, the Bank of New Zealand has assets £1,769,187 17s. Id., against liabilities of £3,739,912 13s. 3d. ; amongst its assets it holds —coin, £119,517 ss. Bd.; bullion, £92,174 135.; and Government securities, £319,230 15s. Id. ; with notes and bills discounted, £1,787,061 15s. 6d. Its notes in circulation amount to £172,962 lis. Bd. The National Bank, which nearly occupies second place in its business, being now but slightly exceeded by any foreign bank, has assets, £1,538,672 Is. 6d, against liabilities, £813,155 ss. 6d. In coin, it holds £192,612 Is.; in bullion, £36,160 lis. 6d.; with notes and bilk discounted, £656,897 Is. 2d. It has notes in circulation, £132,971 4s. Bd. The deposits in the Bank of New Zealand are—not bearing interest, £1,239,076 175.. Id.; bearing interest, £1,001,151 lis. sd; in the National Banknot bearing interest, £330,872 10s. 2d.; bearinterest, £370,631 Is. 10d..

The Rfgiatrar-General's report on the .vital statistics of the boroughs of 4-uckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika, during the month of July, have been published. There were 287 births and 138 deaths. The deaths reached their highest proportion in Christchurch, where they .were 3'ol ner 1000 of the population. They*'were next highest in Wellington, being 2 - 91. The births were 32 fewer than in June. The deaths were 14 fewer in number than the deaths in June. Of the deaths, males contributed 83 ; females, 55 ; 60 of the deaths were of children under 5 years of age, being 43"47 per cent, of the whole number; 42 of.these were of children under 1 year of age. There were 13 deaths of persons of 65 and upwards : 1 male of 80, and 3 females of 72, 80, and 87 respectively, in Auckland; 1 female of 73 at the Thames; 3 males of 65, 75, and 100, and 3 females of 70, 73, and 81 respectively, in Wellington; and 2 males of 71 and 75 respectively in Dunedin. There were 5 deaths under the head violent. The deaths from zymotic diseases were 3 less in number than in June. There were 2 deaths from typhus fever—l in Wellington and lin Nelson. Deaths from typhoid fell from 17 in June to 10 in July—of these deaths 5 occurred in Auckland, 1 in Wellington, 1 in Christchurch, and 3 in Dunedin. The deaths from local diseases show a decrease of 21 on the number in June. Of these the deaths from diseases of the nervous system fell from 22 in June to 15 in July; and.the deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs, from 28 in June to 21 in July. The deaths from diseases of the organs of circulation were 10 in June to 7 in July ; the latter number, including 1 female of 81, 1 male of 71, and 1 male of 65, from heart disease. Developmental diseases were 25 in July to 12 in Juno.

The New Zealand Gazette contains the statement of receipts and expenditure of the public account for the June quarter, 1875. From this statement we gather that the receipts, under tho heads of revenue forming the Consolidated Fund, amounted to £465,174 195.; recoveries, £7581 ; temporary advances repaid, £150,000 ; Treasury bills renewed, £IOO,OOO ; which, together with a credit balance of £105,751 10s. 2d. from the previous quarter,

and £76,685 2a. sd. advances to be accounted for, makes a total of £905,192 lis. 9d. The expenditure, including £5222 6s. lOd, liabilities of 1873-4, and £15,519 17s. sd. advances, amounted to £825,118 16s. lOd, The cash in the public account on the SOth June was £64,533 17s. sd. Turning to the Immigration and Public Works Loan account, we find that the cash to credit of that account on the 27th of last March was £142,353 Is. 3d.; the cash balance on the 30th June was £2,126,572 18s. 2d.; and there was £60,515 13s. 6d. of advances to be accounted for. The expenditure, including advances within the colony, for the June quarter, was £2,208,539 19s. 3d., of which the principal items are as follow:—Railways, North Island, £298,911; railways, South Island, £507,153; immigration, £259,921; purchase land, North Island, £47,488 ; goldfields water supply, £26,846 ; telegraph extension, £21,353 ; roads in North Island, £28,851. In addition to this expenditure on works, repayments of advances appear under the head of expenditure, as for instance, £380,000 to the Bank of England, £140,000.t0 the Consolidated Fund, and £76,500 to General Purposes Loan. The receipts on the North Island railways for the quarter amounted to £11,639 3s. Bd.; expenditure, £12,726 10s. 7d. The cash balance of this account on the 27th March, 1875, was £Blls 3s. Id.; on the 30th June it was £6826 16s. 6d. The receipts under the head of land fund were as follow :—Land sales, £215,657 lis. 9d.; goldfields gold duty, £9205 19s. 7d.; making a total of £244,520 Bs. sd. A STATESIBNT showing the number and amount of money orders and Savings Bank transactions, in the several postal districts of the colony, for the quarter ended June 30, is before us. There were 111 offices open during the quarter, from which 17,901 orders, to the value of £73,612 os. Id. were issued, and at which 12,824 orders, to the amount of £52,341 os. Id., were paid. Savings Bank accounts to the number of 2868 were opened, and accounts to the number of 2200 were closed. There were 14,680 deposits, and 9034 withdrawals. The deposits amounted to £164,937 14s. 5d., the withdrawals to £189,990 Bs. sd. In the case of only one province did the deposits exceed the withdrawals; and that was in Nelson, where they were £782 15s. Bd. in excess. Over the whole colony the withdrawals were in excess of deposits by £25,835 9s. Bd.

A TELEGRAM from Auckland conveys the sad tidings that Judge Beckham is no more. In our Auckland correspondent's letter of the 26th instant, it was announced that the Auckland District Court had been adjourned, owing to the " sudden indisposition of Judge Beckham, caused by an attack of bronchitis." It is assumed, therefore, that he must have succumbed to this attack. Mr. Beckham had a large circle of acquaintances outside of Auckland—the scene of his useful and conscientious labors for many years —by whom he was respected [and esteemed ; respected as an upright judge, and esteemed as a courteous gentleman. His decease, at the ripe age of seventyone, will therefore be very generally regretted. Mr. Beckham was the oldest Resident Magistrate in the colony. When the city of Auckland had no existence he was Magistrate of the district of Korararaki, Bay of Islands. At a later, date in the history of the colony he was appointed Judge of. the District Court of Auckland, and although not a lawyer, his decisions gave general satisfaction ; they were less appealed against than those of other Judges possessed of legal knowledge; and even when appealed against, were nearly always upheld by the superior Court. He was known in Auckland as the just Judge. Another singular circumstance in connection with his official career, and one which endeared him to what are known under the collective head of the working man, was his mode of deciding in cases in which men sued for payment of wages. It was his custom, when sitting in equity, to disregard technical points of law, but to ask the simple question, was this work done, and done properly ? If so, to give a verdict for plaintiff with costs. 1 ' TJp to within a short period of his death, Mr. Beckham appeared hale and hearty, discharging the functions of his office with the clear-sightedness and vigor of a much younger man. Those duties, it may be added, were by no means light. He was Resident Magistrate and District Judge of Auckland, and Judge of the District Court of the Thames, where he held monthly sittings. Through Mr. Beckham's death, many persons in and out of Auckland will have to regret a sincere friend, and the Government a zealous and able officer.

The second report of the directors of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, as read at the general meeting of shareholders in Dunedin, was most satisfactory. Considering the competion for deposits at high rates of interest within the period covered by the report, the fact that -the deposits amounted to £182,707 17s. 10d., showed that this banking institution was wanted, and that it commanded the confidence of- a large section of the public. The profit and loss account showed a balance of £4732 18s. 10d., which was carried forward to next half-year's account. The Colonial Bank is about to establish a London agency;— a step undoubtedly in the right direction.