The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1880.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 493, 21 February 1880, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesdays and Saturdays.) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1880.

When Major Atkinson made his gloomy Financial Statement, it was everywhere asserted by the Opposition that the condition and prospects of the colony were blackened for party purposes. It was so id that, when Parliament met in 1860, he would show a, splendid surplus, and take due credit for it by contrasting it with the huge deficiency he inherited from his predecessors. We believe that, however disguised, the same opinion was very general among the supporters of the Government. The whole colony, in fact, submitted to tbo new taxes imposed, almost cheerfully, being buoyed by the hope that it was only for one year, and then everything would be easy. The Government, it was thought, only imposed taxes that they might gain popularity by the remission of them. Indeed it was boldly asserted by Opposition statesmen, and Opposition papers, that the Property Tax was unnecessary, and would never be collected, that, in fact, it was only imposed as a screen behind which to withdraw the Land Tax. All this was comforting to the Opposition and to the taxpayer, and we should heartily rejoice in it if only it were true, but as it is wanting in that simple quality it cannot bo valued as a theory alone. A 7 hen the Major made his estimate lie had the results of three months of the year before him as a givde. But as the first quarter is always deceptive, very little importance was attached to that hy those who were determined not to believe the statement. Now, however, there are the returns for seven or eight months of the year before the authorities, and, alas ! the gloomy statement, concocted for party purposes is more than realised. There will be no popularity gained by remitting taxation, and the Property Tax will undoubtedly be collected, and probably increased. With regard to the Customs Duties, it is understood that the total imports of the colony will show a falling off’ for the year of nearly a million and a half, or about fifteen per cent, of the whole. This will, of necessity, affect tiie revenue collected from imports, perhaps to so great an extent that all the new duties imposed will fail to bring the total up to that of last year.

In the Land Revenue there will also he a collapse. This was the branch of public income which was most generally expected to exceed the estimate; ior although there had been a deficiency on Mr Eallance’s estimate of nearly .£400,000, it was scarcely thought that Major Atkinson's low estimate of £248,000 would be too high. Yet the seven months of the financial year that have elapsed have produced only £73,000 instead of £186,000, whi -h was the

estimate for those months. The change from the days when the land revenue was nearly a million per annum will be appalling. The reason ot this tremendous fall in the revenue from land is not that there is no good land in the market; for the “ Crown Lands Guido” desciibes

“ in Auckland provincial district, 20 blocks of land, varying from 7,000 to 300.000 acres in extent, all available for sale on application to the Land Board. There .are also in the same district 19 areas, varying from 400 to 8,000 acres, available for selection under the homestead system, and notice is also given of 15.000 acres at Te Aroha, which will be offered on immediate and deferred payments as soon as some necessary outfall drains are cut. In Taranaki the lands now open for sale are mostly in small lots, but extending along the eastern and western sides of the Mountain Road and Waitara-Patoa railway, are some 51 sections, comprising 1,154 .acres of ‘ loamy, dry soil, level forest land, well watered, and covered with vegetation,’ the price varing from £1 to £2 10s per acre. So .also, in the neighborhood of Stratford, there are 7,300 acres of land of similar quality open for selection.” “ In the Wellington district, in addition to Crown lauds now open (or sale in areas ranging up to 1,000 acres, 78.000 acres .are now being opened up by roads and drains.” In Hawke’s Bay there are open, or about to he opened at low rates, 73,000 acres. In Nelson District vast areas of West Coast land are being brought into the market in lots of 320 acres. “ Marlborough District shows 288.000 acres of rural land still open for sale, and about 100,000 open for free seleclion(/.e., land which can bo purchased without, auction.) Canterbury has rural laud open for select ion at £2 por aero, 270.000 acres of back country, and 120.000 of a better class of land, just now temporarily withdrawn from sale. Of forest land 70,000 acres at £2 per acre, and of rural lands it £3 per acre, part on cash, and part on deferred payments, 46.000 .n.'ivs. Tlmre will also, in the Canterbury district, be offered during March next between 500 am! 1,000 acres as village a Hot men is of 1 acre, and subnrbrv. arv.-.s? ot ' • U each, The

Otago, occupy no loss than 17 pages of the “guide,” and includes widely spread areas of surveyed rural land, ranging from £1 to £1 10s per acre. Southland has 442,668 acres of pastoral land open for free selection, 80,015 acres of agricultural land for sale on deferred payments, 35,000 for direct purchase, and 300,000 acres of bush laud.”

IFVo 222 this it is v&ry deaf that there is no hek of land for sale, and that the fall off must not be attributed to such a lack. Neither is it altogether right to attribute it solely to the lack of money on the part of the public generally. The fact is that as much land is changing hands as ever, bnt owing to the hard times it is private, and not public land. For it is notorious that farmers hi the South, who over-strained their means to acquire fresh land, at high price, have been obliged to part with it at less than half what it cost them. Capital has found a better investment in these improved lands than it would in Crown lands. And besides this it must be remembered that vast sums that would, in ordinary times, have passed into the Treasury for land, have been lent at high rales on mortgage. It appears that even in the Railway Revenue there will be a serious, and most disappointing deficiency. For the last three years the increase of railway earnings lias been the subject of general congratulation, the amounts for the respective, years being £311,000, £546,000, and £755,000. The estimate for the present financial year was £900,000. It is, however, stated in a semi-official way that there has been a great decrease, and that had the lines been worked as expensively as they have been, the falling off would be immense. But the Public Works Minister is carefully cutting down expenses by stopping certain very convenient trains that do not pay. But with all possible economy it is evident that there is yet a hard struggle awaiting the taxpayers in this deeply indebted colony.