The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 22 July 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1880.

' A Government Gazette which came to hand last evening contains the full returns of duty collected by the Customs throughout the Colony during the quarter ended 30th July. From this we gather the cheering information that while the revenue received through the Customs for the June quarter of 1579 only amounted to L 278,636, that collected during the" past quarter, reached the respectable total of L 333,213. This gives an increase of no less than L 53,577. We must accept this fact as, in some measure, telling of revived commercial activity, but we regret that the whole of-the 1 increase cannot, be written down toth'at cause alone. As we shall presently show, other and perhaps more potent influences have operated to bring about the general result, not the least, of these Influences being the still furthersqueezing of the public. Before referring to these matters we "will briefly place before our readers a few details culled . from the return that may prove of an interesting nature. Taking first, then, the several ports of the Colony separately, we find that those which present the largest increases are' as the figures given being • the amounts- collected last quarter in excess of the totals for the June quarter of last year :—Dunedin, L 20,584 ; Auckland, L 10,465 ; Lyttelton, L93i2 ; Wellington, L 5353 ; Kapier, L 4432 ; Greymouth, L2BS7 ;. Hokitika, L 196 3; and Nelson, LLS4O. New Plymouth, West-, port, Kaipara, and Biverton also show appreciable increases. The most noticeable decreases have taken place at Wangamii, Timaru, Invercargill, and Poverty Bay, while Oamam has almost remained stationary. Glancing at the items upon which duty has been paid, we find an increase upon spirits of L 15,261 ; upon cigars and snuff, L 2578; tobacco, L 16.599; beer, L 44 2; tea, L 459 5; sugar, &e., L93IS; goods by weight, L 9576. On the other hand, goods upon which ad valorem duties are charged slow a falling off amounting to L 9152; and coffee, opium, and other articles also show decreases. Of the increases mentioned; those upon spirits and tobaeco, amounting together to L 34,560, is rather attributable to the increased duties levied last session than to an actual increase in the consumption. Again, when, we take into account the fact that just prior to the delivery of the Financial Statement large quantities of tea and sugar were withdrawn from bond owing to an opinion becoming prevalent that the Ministry would propose the re-imposition of the tea and sugar duties, we are forced to the conclusion that a very fair share of the increase of LI 3,916 upon those necessaries may be written down as the result of merchants endeavoring to forestall the Customs officers. It is well known that much larger quantities of both articles were released from bond than were required for immediate orders, and some portion of the revenue collected under the heads of tea and sugar must be written down as anticipating this quarter's revenue. It is also well known that owing to some cause : —and, strange to say, the Ministry have not yet inquired into where the leakage occurred—the merchants of Napier succeeded in ascertaining the intentions of the Government with reference to the duty on beer, and acted' accordingly. Thus another increase in the amount of duty collected is accounted for. Taking all these circumstances into account, we are forced to the conclusion that only a small share of the general increase of Customs revenue is due to an improved state | of trade, but we are pleased to know; that a revival of activity in commercial circles has tended in some, degree to bring about the generally satisfactory result. The publication of the Customs returns for the first quarter of the financial year naturally leads us to a consideration of how far the Colonial Treasurer's estimate of the probable revenue from this source for the year is likely to be realised. Major Atkinson set down in his estimate of ways and means L 1,250,000 as the sum to be derived from the Customs. If we, for the sake of basing our calculation as to the extent to which his estimate is likely to be - verified, divide this sum by four and suppose that each quarter will'produce its proportion of the gross amount, we find that the first quarter has exceeded the Treasurer's anticipation by nearly L 21,000. judged by the light of the quarter that has gone, then, we find further that the Customs revenue for the-year promises to exceed . the Treasurer's estimate by fully L 52,000. But we can scarcely rely implicitly upon "such a calculation, for there are so many causes that operate upon! the revenue collected by the , Custqms that' it is impossible by any coursfe of reasoning to _ arrive at a" : calculation; that may not be entirely! 1 upset; before the expiry of the year. At tie same time we are warranted in conjecturing that Major Atkinson's estimate will be fully realised, and that instead of the year's customs falling < below the sum anticipated, as it did duiing the nine months taken as the last financial period to the extent of L 47,335, there are very good grounds j for believing that the estimate will be exceeded by a good round sum. With 1 a .return of prosperity such a result i vfould become an absolute certainty, 1 and we can only hope that the small « indication of returning commercial I activity displayed by the Customs re- : turns now before us is only the pre- : cursor of a still more substantial proof < in the same direction. s

Island L10,20l lis 4d. So that while 812 miles of railway in this island havegjven'an excess of receipts over expenditure to the extent of L 22,963 16s lOd as the result of the four week's operations, 3fi9 miles of> line in the North Island h%ve only returned a balance in favor of receipts to the amount of L 2035 10s Sd. Glancing next at the columns showing the total receipts for so much of the financial year as has expired, the year commencing orftlf£~'lst""April,~ we find that the* South Island railways have returned to the Treasury L 125,545 7s 7d, for an expenditure of 1.(59,064 15s sd, or 55 - 01 per cent., while those of the North Island have given a gross return of- L 27,115 3s 4d for a total expenditure of L 20,969 8s lOd, or 77'33 per cent. The total excess of receipts over expenditure since the Ist April has been L 62,626 6s Bd. The Christchurch section stands iout most prominently, alike as regards* the total earnings and the smallness of the proportion of expenditure to receipts. Oh the| four sections of the main line the "receipts and expenditure up to date have been as follow : —Christchurch : Receipts, L52,69i 0s Sd ; expenditure, L 21,788 14s 3d, or 41'35 per cent. Oamaru: Receipts, L 16,564 15s; expenditure, L 9615 10s 7d, or 07'02 percent. Dunedin : Receipts, L 26,799 Is 6d ;• expenditure, L 17,072 19s 10s, or 63*71 per cent. Invercargill: Receipts, L"10,749 17s Id; expenditure, L 6781 13s 7d, or 63*08 per cent. The figures for the branch lines in this district are as follow:—Duniroon branch : Receipts, L7ll 17s Sd; expenditure, L 664 0s 6d, or 93'27 per cent. Ngapata : Receipts, LIOS4 18s Id; expenditure, 1i525 19s 4d, or 48 48 per cent. Shag Point :ißeceipts, LSS los Id; expenditure, liS7 13s lid, or 149.25 per'cent.

That our goldfields have not been worked out is pretty clearly shown by the fact that during) the half-year ended 30th June last the total quantity- of - the ; precious metal entered at the Customs for exporting was 150,9210z5, of a total value of L 606,313, as compared With' j 147,7140z5, of a total"value of L 559,665, for the corresponding. period of 1879. j This shows'aii'iucrease In Quantity,of and,in value .of ,L 16,648. ,■ This fully bears out what we stated on a previous occasion- - -that'-Himes' ! of are generally followed in the Colony by a greater vigor in the working-of our many goldfields. Auckland and Otago have brought about the pleasing result, the West Coast goldfield showing a considerable falling of, despite the fact that miners on that field are making very good wages. The fact that our mines are continuing to give good returns should induce ?pany "of the able-bodied men now out ,of' employto seek their fortunes upon the goldfields. The prospers they hold orut are much brighter -than those afforded by employment upon government works for little over the bare cost of living. In conne'otfpß- tyjth ; the gold;-returns it ntay be interesting'to mention that? 1 the total amount of 'gold exported from. the.Colony since the first field was opened in 1857 has reached 9,397,5670z5, of a value to the magnificent sum of L 36,759,694. Towards this Otago baß •contributed 3;964,4610z5, valued.' at. , L 15,599,792; We§tJq,B.d, 2,457,9220z5, valued at L 9,555,600; Nelson, 1,624,6150z5, valued vat L 6,450,346 ; and Auckland, 1,273,6430z5, valued at L 4,667,537.

Another of the waterpipes —one of the large pipes iu Tyne-sreet - burst last evening. It was a Gase of instantaneous bursting, and not, as waa the case with the pipe in Severn-street yesterday, a gradual extension of an old flaw. The pressure on at the time was about 1051b5., and when the pipe burst it gave forth a report sufficiently loud to startle the residents in the neighborhood. A large portion of the roadway was torn up, and the rush of water for a time was considerable. The detective pipe was removed to-day. It is notified in a Gazette which came to hand last evening that from and after the Jst -August all telegrams despatched to or forwarded from the telegraph offices at Dnntroon, Hampden, Herbert, and Kakanui will. be charged sixpence in addition to the present rates. ' From the Ist August the telegraph offices at Auckland, Bluff, Christchurch, Dunedin, Grahainstown, Invercargill, Lyttelton, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Oamaru, Port Chalmers, Timaru, Wakapuaka, and Wellington will be open, to the public on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and on Sundays-.and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., and from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. A public Telegraph Office-was.opened today at St. Andrews, County of Waimate. Mr. | 'Reader "Wood, M.H.R., was a passenger by-the express' train to-day for Dunedin; ' ■ v Mr. ;Purnell,' the barrister of the Supreme Court,and a prolific pamphlet writer, who was sent to gaol by the Ashb'urton Resident Magistrate the other day for contempt of Court,; does not appear willing td~ let sleeping dogs lie. He is now- in, Wellington with a view of having the conduct of the Magistrate inquired into. The matter-'cropped up in Parliament yesterday on a question,raised by Mr. Stewart,' wild wanted to know if'the .attention of the Minister for Justice had been- drawn to the occurrence ; and if -it was the;intention of the Ministry to .take any action! in regard to the matter. Mr.. Rol-. leston; replied that Mr. Purnell had called upon him-and made a'verbal complaint. He itiforriedjjjm. if, he. would'make his complaint] in writing it would be t furnished to the offender, and after bis explanation was received the Government'"would consider wliatr action was to be taken. He hbw repeated tHe,aMwer,for,the. information; of thejhon. member.

The Wellington correspondent of the Daily Times not. been wanting whispers of differences among the Local Industries Commissioners on the rather difficult question, "how to foster local industries withoutaSSctifig. 'ofifreei |rftde.j Looking to the constitution of the Commission, the rumors are not devoid of probability. " At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day, beforejT. W. Parker, Esq., R.M,, one man for being drunk and disorderly, was fined 7s, with the alternative of 24 hours' hard labor. James; M'Kenzie, on remand, was discharged for wajnt of sufficient evidence. John Bishop Huntefr, charged with larceny as a bailee of a horje belonging to Philip Mason, was committed for trial at the next criminal sessions of the District Court at Oamaru. The! "Wellington correspondent of the Daily Times telegraphs : —An official notification of the extension of the time for seeding ija. property tax returns from the 2nd toj;hej3lst ppomimo, appears to-day. As a matter of fact, the fixing of even the latter date nbw appointed may be a purely formal proceeding, for until Parliament has approved of thje modifications proposed by the Colonel Treasurer, the amended and /simpli led forms cannot be issued, and it would probably be fouod impracticable to enforcp the original schedules.