PREVENTION OF PAUPERISM.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1036, 18 May 1883, Page 2

PREVENTION OF PAUPERISM.

A series of thoughtfully written papers on the above subject are appearing in the ClutTia Leader. From the one in this week’s issue we make the following extract:— New Zealand spent last year three and a-half million pounds sterling on liquor and tobacco. This is easily said, easily written ; but it is not so easy to comprehend its full significance. This sum would pay off our colonial debt and redeeem all the mortgages in the Colony in a few years. If the amount were in sovereigns, and one could count 150 of them in a minute for ten hours a day six days a week', and that would not be bad work, it would take six weeks two days and nine hours to get through the mighty whole. It is a sum equal to the twelve-months earnings of 22,436 men at £3 a week each. These illustrations will serve to give some faint idea of the enormous amount spent by this Colony in liquor and tobacco. Major Atkinson said there are 150,003 adult males in New Zealand. ; The expenditure on liquor and tobacco.amounts to £23 6s 8d per man, or the almost incredible sura of £7 per head per annum for every soul in the Colony—menJ women, and children. Of this expenditure the Major said £430,000 was for tobacco. For convenience of illustration I will say tobacco absorbs £500,000. A few thousands more or less are of little consequence when dealing with figures such as these now tinder consideration. This will give £6 per head for liquor and £1 for tobacco. According to an article in Macmillan's Magazine in 1876, the expenditure for drink in the United Kingdom was £4 7s 6d per head ; here it is £6.. It may enable us to understand this matter better if we compare the expenditure bn liquor- and tobacco with that on some other articles of general consumption. The latest statistics of the Colony I have at hand are those for 1881. From these I am able ta compile the follow: ing figures. The rates at which the several items are calculated are high retail prices, and in the item of sugar I have included the whole consumption of both raw and refined. During 1881, then, there was entered for home consumption in. New Zealand— Of tea, 3,8 5 7,3621b, at 3s per lb, £583,104 ; coffee, cocoa, and chocolate, 669,9321b. at Is 9d per lb, £61,244 ; sugar, 327,453£cwt, at 5d per lb, £761,057 ; rice. 49,256cwt, at Sd per lb, £68,958. These give a total outlay of £1,477,363. Apparel and slops valued at... £238,125

Add 50 per cent for traders’ profit . ... 770.818 Gives a total of ... £2,312,454 Add the previous total ... 1,477,363 Gives a grand total.. £3,789,816 ; And the whole exceeds by less than £300,000 our expenditure on liquor and tobacco alone.

Cotton in the piece ... ... ’ 33,112 Cotton shirtings ... 18,865 Cotton dress prints ... 21.006 Drapery ... ...1,016,712 Haberd ashery ... ... 49.688 Hosiery ... 25,991 Linen Manufactures ... ... 8,594 Bilks ... 25,309 Corduroy ... ... 1,031 Moleskins ... ... ... 2,999 Boots ... ... 100,204 Or a total of £1,541,636