The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1879.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 479, 26 November 1879, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1879.

The Registrar-General of New South Wales has prepared, in connection with the Sydney Exhibition,?* very interesting statistical return, showing the relative and aggregate importance of the Australasian colonies at the end of 1878. It will no doubt be interesting to our readers to compare New Zealand with her neighbors, and to seek lor points in which she has the advantage, and for others in which she lags behind. Let ns begin with the estimated mean population of last year, and the estimated population for the end of the year, which for all the colonies was as follows : —-

Total ... 2,557,061 2,603,122 The difference between these two sets of figures, of course, represents the growth ofabonthalf a year. Victoria, therefore, increased a little over \\ per cent, in the latter half of 1878, while New South Wales increased more than 2 per cent., beating Queensland by a shade, and falling a shade behind New Zealand, which in turn gives place to South Australia. The running is very close between the latter colony, ourselves, and Now South Wales, the exact increase being, we find, respectively, 2.28, 2.13, and 2.11 per cunt. It is quite certain, however, that if, instead of six months, we could take, six years, New Zealand would bo facile pvinceps as far as increase of population is concerned. The revenue of the Colonics, and the proportion raised hy taxation, may fitly

According to this, New Zealand raises nearly as much revenue as Victoria does with double onr population, and pays more in taxation than Now South Wales. The taxation per head in this colony amounts to £3 12s 5d per head, while in Victoria and New South Wales it is less thau £2 per head. It is worthy of note that in the latter colony, where Free Trade is in vogue, taxation is Is 3d per head less thau Victoria, where Protection obtains. But New South Wales buys imports to the extent of £3 3s 8d per head of the population more than Victoria does. In the table showing the value of imports per head, New Zealand stands third. South Australia is first with £23 10 s 3d per head, New South Wales follows with £2l 15s Bd, and then comes New Zealand with £2O 13s 6d. In this we would appear to a great advantage over the two colonies named ; but if we turn to the table of exports the pleasing illusion is dispelled. As this question is very important, we will give a table showing the value of

imports mul exports per head of the population in the various colonies;

An attentive study of these figures will show that New Zealand is doing by far the least profitable trade of any of the colonies in the I’St. She is third in the rank of buyers, and last but one in the ranks of the vendors. No other colony shows such an unfavorable balance-sheet. We buy to the extent of £6 9s 5d per head more than we sell. No wonder that wc are the chief borrower of the ,group of States to which wc belong. Indeed, if members of the Legislative Council are to be believed, the balance of trade is more against ns than these i figures show. It is said that there are certain standard valuations put on exports by Custom House officers, which in many cases arc very much too high. Thus, gold is always valued £4 per ounce, while much of the gold of the colony is worth only £3 ss. Flour is set down at £l2 per ton, while it often tails to £lO. Oats are valued at is, and wheat at 5s per bushel. Hides are set down at 19s, leather at Is 9d per pound, potatoes at £4 per ton, grass seed at 10s per bushel, tallow at £35 15s per ton—nearly £lO per ton too much—and a menagerie that visited the colony was set down as an export of £20,000 when itleft.

In none of the colonics is the proper tiou between the imports and the exports very favourable ■— except in Western Australia, where the exports exceed the imports by £ I 7s 4d per head- but in New Zealand it is nearly three times as bad as anywhere else. This is certainly a matter for the gravest consideration. The excess of imports over exports in England has been the subject of prolonged discussion for some years past, but" the excess there is not more than half as much per head as it is with us. We are well aware that the Government have been large importers of railway iron, and •that a number of things may be pleaded in extenuation of the state of our accounts. But all these things are more or less true of the other colonies, and if they were not. they could not explain away more than a small portion of the enormous difference between onr trading ami that of onr neighbours. It does not meet the case to propose that wc should buy less and manufacture more. The difficulty is that we do not sell enough. Some of our neighbors buy more than wo do, notably South Australia, but if she buys nearly L 3 per head more, she sells nearly E8 per head more than we do. In a matter like this, there is scope for the earnest thought of every colonist, and for the pa tient enquiry of Parliamentary committees.

We naturally turn to our means of production, ami endeavour to discover the source of weakness. The number of acres under crop in the various colonies, is as follows : Victoria ... ••• ••• 1,609,278

New South Wales ... 613,642 South Australia 2,011,319 Queensland ... ... 111,746 Tasmania ... ... ••• 143,797 New Zealand 2,053,910 Here, at first sight, we have a decided advantage, but a note tells ns that onr respectable area of crop includes 1,236,100 acres of grass sown on land that has not been broken up, and also 203,353 acres broken up, but not in crop. This leaves 554,460 acres of real crop, so that, as there are no deductions to be made from the crop area of the other colonics, wo have to take fourth place. Now, although one acre of New Zealand land is, at least, as good as two acres in South Australia, this is just the reason why a greater area should be cropped. Surely if the wretched crops grown in South Australia pay, cropping should pay in New Zealand, where, besides a vastly higher average yield, we have nearly three miles of railway for every one possessed by onr Australian neighbor. But if, considering onr magnificent soil, we seem to come short in cropping, onr large area of English grass should give ns an advantage in grazing. The number of acres sown in grass, including land sown, but not ploughed, is 2,737,751. This enables New Zealand to take second place in the number of sheep, she. having 13,000,000, and New South Wales 24,000,000, chiefly merino. In cattle New Zealand does not figure too well, making only a bad fourth in the list. New South Wales and Queensland have each of them five times as many cattle as New Zealand, and Victoria has twice as many. This will, of course, make a vast difference in the exports. In pigs New Zealand is, in proportion to her population, far better off than any of her neighbours, having one porker for every two of the population. .

It would bo impossible to treat of Australasian statistics without referring to the public debt of New Zealand. It amounts, without the five million loan, to £52 5s 5d per head, and is more than halt as much as the total debt of the Australian Continent, where the average

debt per bead of the population is only £2O 13s Bd. When the five million loan is raised, the husband of a wife with fourteen children will be responsible for about £1,024 of colonial debt. Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full ol them.

Mean Top. Population Dec. 31, 78 Victoria ... 869,0-10 879,743 New South Wales 677,979 693,442 Soutli Australia... 243,253 248,795 Queensland 206,797 210,510 Tasmania 108,525 109,947 Western Australia 28,002 28,166 New Zealand 423,465 432,519

bo noticed next — Revenue 78 Taxation 7g £. &. Victoria... 4,504,413 1,712,953 New South Wales 4,983,864 1,309,717 619,254 South Australia... 1,592,635 Queensland 1,559,111 694,062 Tasmania 386,060 247,583 Western Australia 163,344 75,850 New Zealand ... 4,167,889 1,533,393

Imports. Exports. £. s. d. £. s. d. Victoria 18 11 11 17 3 6 N.S. Wales ... 21 15 8 19 2 5 S Australia ... 23 10 3 22 0 3 Queensland ... 16 12 3 15 8 6 Tasmania 12 4 2 12 2 5 New Zealand... 20 13 G 14 4 1 Excess of Imports. £. s. d. Victoria ... 1 8 5 N.S. Wales 2 13 3 S. Australia 110 0 Queensland 1 3 9 Tasmania 1 9 New Zealand... ... G 9 5