“WESTGARTH'S CIRCULAR" AND NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5005, 9 April 1877, Page 3

“WESTGARTH'S CIRCULAR" AND NEW ZEALAND.

We have been favored with the following for publication;— “ Wellington, March 27, 1377. “ Sir, —By my letter No. 9, of January 12th, I directed your attention to the statistics published in “Westgarth’s Circular” under the head “ Australasian Colonies,” and I requested that you would point out to Mr. Westgarth the injustice he was, no doubt unintentionally, doing to New Zealand by publishing as the colonial revenue for 1876 the figures representing only the revenue of the General Government for the financial year 1873-4. “2. Westgarth’s Circular,” dated January, 1877, has been now received.. “3. A table therein states the revenue of New Zealand for 1875 as £1,677,626, and that of Victoria as £4,236,423, I quote the latter because by the mail which brought the circular I received a copy of the “ Statistical Register of the Colony of Victoria” for 1875 ; and I am thus enabled to show what the figures for New Zealand should have been as against those given for Victoria. “4. I append a statement in which the sources of revenue and the amounts set down in the first column have been copied from the Register of Victoria above referred to, whilst the second column shows the revenue of this colony from the same sources, as given in the volume of “Statistics of New Zealand” for the same year, the result being that the receipts in New Zealand during 1875 amounted to £2,841,953 (instead of only £1,677,626) as compared with the £4,236,423 received in Victoria.

“5. It is true that there is appended to the table in “ Westgarth’s Circular” a note stating—‘The New Zealand revenue is ex provincialrevenues. Addingthese,whichinclude the land revenue, the total is £2,813,928.” This is still nearly £30,000 less than the fact, and the error is no doubt due to the compiler not being hware that the amounts of certain ‘special funds,’ such as sales of confiscated lands, and sales of lands set apart as security for North Otago and Westland loams, are strictly colonial revenue. You will be able to explain this to Mr. Westgarth better than can be done in writing. “ 6. You should, I think, request that the figures in the tabulated statement may be corrected, because an explanation in a note is very likely to be overlooked, and because there has never been justification for separating provincial from General Government revenue when the purpose has been to compare the revenue of New Zealand with that of other, colonies. It would he well, too, if you informed l\lr. Westgarth that the statistics of the colony, and all other printed official documents relating to its progress, are promptly received at your office ; and that as they are freely at his service it is not necessary he should seek information as to New Zealand from any resident in New South Wales. —I h!lve, &c., H. A. Atkinson. Sir J. Vogel, K.0.M.G., Agent-General for New Zealand, London.

— Victoria, 1874-5. New Zealand, 1875. £ s. d. £ s. d. Customs 1,628,234 17 5 1,274,400 12 6 Excise 32,474 15 S 102,670 18 6 Ports and Havbors.. 19,935 7 G 18,667 11 2 Licenses (business)',. Duties on Estates of 10,714 4 9 48,861 16 10 Deceased Persons Land Sales (includincluding Rents counting towards 32,526 1 1 7,670 6 0 Purchase Money) Rents of Crown Lands (not counting towards Pur767,030 9 6 486,278 9 0 chase Money) 174,193 17 8 112,172 10 X Railways Water Supply Public Works (exclusive of Railways & Water Supply) .. 921,713 14 6 88,556 8 0 6,834 C 7 289,369 5 4 Post and Telegraphs Fines, Fees, and For198,325 17 7 133,091 8 9 feitures 116,831 15 6 199,257 17 1 Rents (ordinary) .. Reimbursements in 748 19 0 3,738 9 8 Aid.. 36,845 5 2 5,542 1 5 Interest & Exchange Miscellaneous Re75,024 10 0 95,641 13 2 ceipts 126,432 15 11 64,590 2 S 4,236,423 5 10 2,841,953 0 9