THE STATE OF THE STATE.

Shannon News, 13 April 1928, Page 3

THE STATE OF THE STATE.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Vital statistics, 1927: —Numbers— births, 27,881; marriages, 10,477; deaths, 11,613; deaths of infants under one year, 1080. Rates per 1000 ot mean population —births, 20.29; marriages, 7.62; deaths, 8.45; infantile mortality, rate per 1000 births, 38.74. Live stock in Dominion, 1927: Horses, 303,713; cattle, 3,257,729; sheep 25,649,016; pigs, 520,143. Factory production, 1925-26: —dumber of establishments, 4791; total number of employees, 81,700; salaries and wages paid, £16,876,881; value of products, £84,792,434; value of land, buildings, machinery and plant, £59,069,001. Taxation by General Government, year ended 31st March, 1927:—Customs revenue (including tire-tax), £8,395,049; beer duty, £621,813; landtax, £1,229,067; income-tax, £3,422,216; death duties, £1,690,374; other, £2,0/9,308; total, £17,437,827, or £l2 5s 6d per head of population, including Maoris. Taxation by local governing bodies, year ended 31st March, 1927: —Rates, £5,311,260; licenses, etc., £576,761; total, £5,888,021. Gross indebtedness of general Government as at 31st March, 1927:—£245,850,889, or £l7O 19s 5d per head of population, including Maoris. Indebtedness of local governing bodies, ,31st March, 1927: —On^debentures and stock —gross £56,412,759; net, £50,107,464. On loans from State Advances Office —gross, £6,293,835; net, £5,409,861. On loans from Treasury (inscribed debt) —gross, £2,189,627; estimated net indebtedness (actuarially .computed), £1,006,254. Capital value of land and improvements, Ist April, 1927—North Island, £411,974,243; South Island, £201,980,568; Counties, £345,391,796; boroughs, £259,295,026; and independent town districts, £9,267,989; total, £613,954,811. Unimproved value of land —North Island, £219,932,942; South Island, £119,525,707; Counties, £228,293,122; boroughs, £107,394,708; and independent town districts, £3,770,819; total, £339,458,649. Divorce, 19.27: —Petitions filed, 722; decrees absolute, 540; decrees nisi, 629. Bankruptcy, 1926:—Numbcr_of bankruptcies, 752; liabilities, £605,188; assets, £236,915; amount secured to creditors (not included in liabilities or assets shown), £758,029. Civil case tried in Magistrates Courts:—Year 1926—Plaints entered, 81,061; amount claimed, £1,333,941; cases tried, 54,010; amount claimed in eases tried, £933,269; amount recovered, £762,172. Year 1927 —Plaints entered, 83,363; amount claimed, £1,399,050; eases tried, 55,673; amount claimed m cases tried, £960,421; .amount recovered, £786,356. . , , Summary convictions in Magistrates Courts: —Year 1927, 45,930. Articles posted and delivered, year 1926:—Letters and letter-cards, 298,617,059; post-cards, 8,740,171; books and pattern-packets, 126,523,544; parcels, 7,135,938; newspapers, 45,364,274; post offices open, 1999. Telegraphic and telephonic wire at 31st March, 1927:—Telegraphic, 61,732 miles; telephonic, 440,253 miles. Bank rate of discount, (best mercantile paper of a currency not exceeding three months), February, 1928, 7 per cent. Overdraft interest rate (charged on best accounts), February, 1928, 7 per cent. Roads in Dominion (formed to not less than dray-width) as at 31st March, 1927 —paved or surfaced, 31,288 miles; not paved or surfaced, 16,857 milcsj total, 45,145 miles. Bridges (over 25 feet) —number, 4647; total length, 449,016 ft.