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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4832, 16 September 1876, Page 2

The annual report of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce hag just been issued in'pamphlet form, and, though rather late, that is quite pardonable in view of the amount of information in reference to the commercial history of Wellington which has been collected, and is now presented in a very concise form. The general results of the Secretary's figures and statistics may not be uuinteresting. The first table shows the value of imports in the several provinces of New Zealand during the years 1867 to 1875 inclusive. In 1867 the value of imports to Wellington was set down at £561,221. The next year there was an increase of about £60,000, but each of the four succeeding years showed a large decrease as compared even with the year 1367 ; and it was not until 1873 that an advance on £561,221 was shown. The effect of the inauguration of the Public Works policy now began to make itself felt, and the figures for the past four years may be quoted, to show at a glance what that policy has done for Wellington. In 1872 the imports were at £516,565 ; 1873, £781,467; 1874, £1,154,130; 1875, £1,282,223. The value of exports increased from £196,182 in 1867 to £673,752 in 1875. The Customs revenue collected at Wellington in 1867 was set down at £92,560; in 1876 the collections reached £IBO,OOO. Interesting statistics of the revenue and expenditure of the province-from 1853 to 1874 are also given. From these it appears the total revenue for the period was £2,107,*988 125,; .expenditure, £2,089,566 19a. 6d.. The total amount of revenue,as ab6ve related is made up as follows:—Proportion of colonial revenue, £414,193195. Bd.; provincial revenue, £213,531 4s. lid.; land revenue,£s46,69s 15s. lid,; loans and overdrafts, £413,071 17s. 3d.; miscellaneous receipts,' £175,918 6a. 10d.; deposits, £19,291 19s. 5d.; advances to officers accounted for, £325,285 Bs.; total, £2,107,988 12s. The total amount of expenditure is made up as follows:—Government departments, £52,709 13s. lid.; Provincial Council, £27,387 4s. 4d.; police, gaol, and judicial expenses, £119,506 9s. 7d.; education, £31,281125. 2d.; harbors, pilots, &c, £46,538 13s. lid.; hospitals and other charitable purposes, £60,588 18s. 6d.; public .works, £802,123 Bs.. 7d.; charges on land, including surveys, £204,831 3s. 7d.; interest on loans, &c, £148,019 7s. 3d.; loans and overdrafts repaid, £128,713 ss. 6d.; deposits repaid, £17,335:75. 6d.; refunds of revenue, £30,777185. 5d.; miscellaneous expenditure, £91,391 15s. 10d.; advances toofficers, £328,362 os. 5d.; total, £2,089,566 19s. 6d. Another return shows the quantity and value of live stock held by Europeans, in New Zealand, and quantity of wool exported between 1853 and 1875. The returns relating to live stock are necessarily imperfect, owing to the difficulty of getting definite information from the official records, but this is not the case in regard 1 to the i export of /wool. In 1853 107,1341b5. was exported, the value being 66,508 ; and this amount has increased year by year till the figures .last, year were as follows :—54,401,5401ba. exported, the value being £5,398,155.' There are several other

interesting.tftble«:relating?to banks, &c.. 'Mr. ■ Carrpll .'Reserves ; great "thanks from trie com.-, rxi'ercial cornmuiiity fori the trouble he has been,, to in collecting |thesejjßtatistics. ~> : ■;' , The Registrar-Generara/report on the .vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Chriatchurch, Duaedin,.and. Hokitika,. during the month of • August, 1876, has been published, and may be summarised as follows :

The deaths of persons not residents of the boroughs, occurring at hospitals, have been excluded in all cases. The has been estimated by adding the excess of births over deaths since the Ist March, 1874, to the then census population. It is impossible to estimate the increase from immigration. The births were 10 fewer than in July. The deaths were 20 fewer in number than the deaths in July. ! Of the deaths, males contributed 48 ; females, 49 ;' 39 of the deaths were of children under 1 5 years of age, being 40-21 per cent, of the whole number; 27 of these were of children under 1 year of age. There were 5 deaths of persons of 65 years of -ago and over ; 3 of these persons were males and 2 females : of these, 1 male aged 67, and 2 females aged 68 each, died at Wellington ; 1 male of 81 years at Dunedin; and 1 male of 72 jears at Hokitika.

Total Total •2„§l ■OUlUUgUH. =3 is I" Births. Deaths. Eg „ g. Auckland .. 13,800 C4 22 1-05 Thames .. .. 8,409 Wellington .. 11,495 25 63 4 18 '48 1-57 Nelson .. ... 6,943 21 6 l'Ol Christchurch .. 10,894 58 19 174 Dunedin .. 19,860 80 27 1'30 Hokitika .. 3,523 12 1 •28 Total .. ■ - .. 327 87